Greg Nuckols released 28 program variations through his site, Stronger by Science.
In addition to these programs, I strongly recommend you check out The Art & Science of Lifting and the free lifting guides he authored. He also co-authors the best monthly round-up of cutting edge research on strength, hypertrophy, and related subjects. It’s called MASS and it’s absolutely worth a look. He even has a free issue available as a preview.
See also: Greg Nuckols High Frequency Program (free spreadsheet)
Table of Contents
Are There Really 28 Programs?
Wow! 28 programs? Why so many?
If you thought this, don’t worry – it’s not as overwhelming as it seems.
Each of the programs outlined are for squat, bench, or deadlift only and are meant to be used together.
From there, each lift has a beginner, intermediate, and advanced variation.
Finally, each lift and proficiency level has 1x, 2x, and 3x weekly variations.
So, (3 lifts)*(3 skill levels)*(3 frequencies) = 27 programs
You get to 28 programs because there are actually four variations of the 3x weekly deadlift program: beginner, low volume, medium volume, and high volume.
About the Programs
Because there are so many options, a lifter is able to determine what level they are at, how many times they want to perform each lift, and move on from there.
Every program runs on a 4 week cycle, with the lifter testing their 1RM after each cycle. Intermediate and advanced cycles start bringing in variations of the main lift (e.g. programming in a front squat as a variation to the back squat), while the beginner programs stick more closely to the big three lifts in the interest of specificity and learning the movement.
28 Programs Google Spreadsheet
The 28 Programs spreadsheet is available for free from the Stronger by Science site – you just need to provide an email address. You’ll also receive a PDF that explains how to determine which programming configuration is right for you.
For one of the best free programs around, it’s definitely worth signing up for.
Reviews of the Nuckols 28 Programs
Alex Bromley from Empire Barbell has done video reviews for some of the Nuckols 28 programs. I assume he is going to continue reviewing them, perhaps eventually doing them all.
You can see all the reviews on his YouTube channel.
As an example, here’s Alex’s review of the 1x Bench Press program for beginners, intermediate, and advanced lifters.
Real Results from Lifters
Below are three reviews from real lifters that ran Greg Nuckols’ programs for different lengths of time.
This lifter added 85 pounds to their total in 12 weeks!
[Program Review] Greg Nuckols 28 Free Programs from weightroom
This lifter added about 40 pounds to their total in just 4 weeks.
[PROGRAM REVIEW] Stronger By Science 28 Programs from powerlifting
This lifter added about 225 pounds to their total in 16 weeks! Amazing.
[Program Review] 16 weeks/4 cycles of Nuckols 28 free programs from weightroom