Who is nbry lifting not for?

nbry lifting isn't the right fit if you fall into one of these categories.

• Complete beginners — Master proper form on the main lifts first. Consider a foundational program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts 5×5.
• Dedicated powerlifters — If your only goal is maximizing your total, a dedicated powerlifting program will serve you better. Try Candito's excellent 6-week program!
• Pure bodybuilders — If you want to avoid heavy strength work, look for a hypertrophy-focused program instead.
• Those unwilling to squat, bench, or deadlift — These three lifts are the foundation of this program. Fatigue management and progression are built around them.

How do I determine if I should progress?

Be honest with yourself - do not injure yourself because of ego. Remember that increasing weight or reps aren't the only things that qualify for progressive overloading. Improvements in form and/or mind-muscle connection are considered progress.

For example, let's say you hit all your lifts, but it was such a struggle that you compromised your form to complete them in an intense grind. It might be worth keeping your weights as they are (or maybe even decreasing for the next cycle) and setting of goal of hitting them cleanly.

Can I use nbry lifting as an advanced lifter?

I think this program is too basic for advanced lifters.

I honestly don't know if these programs would be effective for an advanced lifter (as of early 2026, I am not one myself), but my guess is that an advanced lifter would benefit more from a more granular or a specialized program. This program is designed to be simple and straightforward.

I have access to other exercises and machines. Can I substitute those?

For Secondary and Tertiary exercises, Yes. Absolutely.

The default exercise selection in this program is based on what I have available in my own garage gym. It's not because free weights are inherently superior—they're simply what I own, use, and enjoy training with.

Machines and cables are excellent tools as well, and in many cases they can be just as effective (or even better) for hypertrophy work. Feel free to substitute any Secondary or Tertiary exercises with appropriate alternatives that match the same movement pattern.

This program already uses variation intentionally. For example, the secondary strength lifts have hypertrophy-focused counterparts (e.g. RDLs for deadlifts, dumbbell bench for barbell bench press, dumbbell rows for barbell rows, etc.).

What about the squat, bench, and deadlift? Can I substitute those?

You could, but you may be better off choosing a different program.

This is a powerbuilding program, and it's built around the core powerlifting movements. The accessory work and overall volume are specifically balanced around the fatigue and stimulus generated by the squat, bench press, and deadlift.

If you replace those main lifts with alternatives, the overall training stress and stimulus will change, and you may find that the program no longer provides enough volume or progression in its current structure.

How much should I rest between sets?

These are my recommendations:

• For Deadlift specifically - 5 minutes
• Primary strength - 3 minutes
• Secondary strength - 2.5 to 3 minutes
• Secondary hypertrophy - 2 minutes
• Tertiary - 1.5 minutes

On deload weeks, you can probably cut all these rest times by half.

How do I know I'm doing these exercises correctly?

Check out our Resources page for form videos and recommended YouTube creators. In the meantime, my top recommendations are Jeff Nippard, Jeremy Ethier, and Tyler Path for form guidance.

What kind of barbell row am I doing? Regular? Pendlay rows? Do I need to use barbell?

Up to you.

You choose whichever you think feels better. They're both great exercises. Heck, if I had access to a chest-supported row or a cable row, I'd be tempted to do those instead.

Why are pullups the first exercise on some days?

Because I'm bad at them.

Yup. That's really it. I like to start fresh with pullups to make sure I get quality reps. Feel free to adjust the order if you prefer.