Lift heavy, move easy: The 4-week strength plan for people who hate feeling stiff but love feeling strong

Shirtless man with defined pectoral and abs muscles — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Mobility and strength walk hand in hand; good mobility will improve your strength training, while strong muscles, along with control, will provide a great foundation for increasing mobility.

For that reason, I've built a four-week strength-building workout program that should also help you boost mobility so that you can lift heavy and move easy. Job done.

4-week progressive strength and mobility program

a photo of a man doing a barbell squat — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

To create a strong and mobile body, programs must follow certain principles to achieve sustainable results. Alongside your training regimen, I recommend checking out our guide on calculating macros and the importance of a balanced diet, too.

But sticking to exercise for now, there are two principles I want to run by you: consistent and progressive overload, which means adapting your workout program to increase the challenge as your body adapts, and strength vs hypertrophy training.

As the name suggests, strength training focuses more on increasing the actual strength of your muscles, whereas hypertrophy training focuses primarily on muscle growth and their size; there's some crossover, but you will train differently depending on which you want to drill down on. This program focuses on the former.

Your program targets all the key major muscle groups and should help you see results within just a month (or two) if you follow it consistently. To make it more accessible, I have designed it to include free weights only.

What you need to know

You will follow two sessions per week: one upper-body and one lower-body, including mobility work built in.

Strength training protocols include fewer reps, more sets and higher intensity for your main lifts, so we will be lifting heavy! Accessory lifts are at a lower intensity, higher reps and fewer sets.

Each session lasts 60 minutes. Rest up to three minutes between your main lifts and 60–90 seconds between accessories.

We will increase difficulty across the weeks using load, reps, or sets. I recommend calculating your one-rep max before you begin if you don't already know yours, which is the maximum you can lift per exercise for just one rep. From there, you can calculate what percentage to work at.

If you don't want to calculate your one-rep max, use RPE (rate of perceived exertion). For example, a 9/10 RPE means you've only got one rep left in the tank, whereas a 4/10 means you've got almost 6 left.

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Workout A: Upper strength & mobility
Exercise	Sets and reps	RPE	Notes
Main lift: 1. Barbell bench press	W1: 5x5 W2: 5X4 W3: 6X4 W4: 6X3	7-8/10 7.5-8/10 Same as week 2 8.5-9/10	Chest, shoulders, triceps, core
Main lift: 2. Barbell bent-over row	W1: 4X6 W2: 5X5 W3: 5X5 W4: 6X4	Same as above	Back, shoulders, biceps Pause at the top of the row to improve shoulder health and positioning
Accessory lift: 1. Dumbbell reverse fly	W1&2: 3X8 W3&4: 4X6	6-7/10 6.5-8/10	Rear shoulders Add a 2-sec hold at the top
Accessory lift: 2. Dumbbell half-kneeling overhead press	W1x2: 3X8 W3&4: 4X6	Same as above	Hip mobility Shoulders, triceps and upper chest

Shoulder mobility primer!

Perform 2 rounds of the shoulder routine below, staying in each exercise for 5-6 breaths.

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Shoulder mobility finisher!

Try 3 sets of 20-30 meters of an overhead farmer's carry using your dumbbells. Press two weights overhead, then go for a walk while stabilizing the weights with your arms hugging close to your ears, elbows extended.

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Workout B: Lower strength & mobility
Exercise	Sets and reps	RPE	Notes
Main lift 1. Barbell back squat	W1: 5x5 W2: 5X4 W3: 6X4 W4: 6X3	7-8/10 7.5-8/10 Same as week 2 8.5-9/10	Legs, hips and core Control the descent as you squat down
Main lift 2. Barbell Romanian deadlift	W1: 4X6 W2: 4X6 W3: 5X5 W4: 5X5	7-8/10 7.5-8/10 7-8/10 7.5-8/10	Posterior chain, hips and core Lower the bar for 3 seconds to increase hamstring stretch and mobility
Accessory lift 1. Front-foot elevated dumbbell split squat	W1&2: 3x8 W3&4: 4X6	6-7/10 6.5-8/10	Legs and glutes Increases range of motion, quad focus, improves hip mobility
Accessory lift 2. Goblet squat with pause	W1&2: 3x8 W3&4: 4X6	Same as above	Legs, core, glutes Pause for 3 seconds at the bottom of the squat Improves shoulder and hip mobility and teaches you to brace

Hip mobility primer!

Perform 2 rounds of the hip routine below, staying in each exercise for 5-6 breaths.

A post shared by Sam (@sam_stretchstrong)
A photo posted by on

Mobility finisher!

Try 3 sets of 20-30 meters of an offset farmer's carry using a dumbbell. Press the weight overhead in one hand (walk one-sided) or add another dumbbell to your shoulder, then go for a walk while stabilizing the weight(s). Remember to switch sides halfway.

How to progress your 4-week plan

a woman doing a squat while holding two light dumbbells in her hands — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Week 1: Base loading (RPE starts at 7–8)
Week 2: +2.5–5 load, whether you're using RPE as guidance or a percentage
Week 3: Add one extra set to your lifts if you feel comfortable
Week 4: Heaviest week (RPE 8.5–9, fewer reps).

Sometimes it can be difficult to know whether or not you're ready to increase intensity. Before you add weight or sets, ensure you can complete all your given reps with stable technique, and jump by no more than 2.5-5 increments. For dumbbells, jump no more than 2kg in weight.

When you're consistently completing your reps equal to or at a lesser intensity than the stated RPE or percentage you're aiming for, consider moving up.

When you're consistently completing your reps equal to or at a lesser intensity than the stated RPE or percentage you're aiming for, consider moving up.

I like this program because it uses fundamental compound lifts from the big 5 in weight training. Think your squats, bench presses and deadlifts.

We also know that heavy weightlifting can improve your neural pathways and strengthen the nervous system; neuromuscular adaptation means your brain can recruit motor units better, and the conversation between brain and muscles can become more efficient.

In the high reps vs heavy weights debate, a new study says that intensity can produce desired results while doing less. The results from the research suggest you could follow something called a "one-set rule," which promotes muscle adaptation by working close to your maximum intensity without needing many sets or reps at all. In summary, when looking for those strength and muscle gains, it's intensity you want to prioritize (along with good form, always).

You will also teach your body to produce and sustain force during this program, while the slowed portions of the exercises (like lowering the weight for longer during some moves) will improve tension, control and mobility under load. And finally, single-sided exercises like split squats or half-kneeling presses will improve balance and control, while your finishers focus on core and shoulder stability.

All in all, plenty of benefits are up for grabs. Get ready to lift heavy and move easy!

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Sam Hopes is a level 3 qualified trainer, a level 2 Reiki practitioner and fitness editor at Tom's Guide. She is also currently undertaking her Yoga For Athletes training course.

Sam has written for various fitness brands and websites over the years and has experience across brands at Future, such as Live Science, Fit&Well, Coach, and T3.

Having coached at fitness studios like F45 and Virgin Active and personal trained, Sam now primarily teaches outdoor bootcamps, bodyweight, calisthenics and kettlebells.

She also coaches mobility and flexibility classes several times a week and believes that true strength comes from a holistic approach to training your body.

Sam has completed two mixed doubles Hyrox competitions in London and the Netherlands and finished her first doubles attempt in 1:11.

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