Free Guide — Sam Krapf, SSC

The Dedicated
Recreational
Lifter Roadmap

Every phase, every transition, every decision point — from your first week under the bar through intermediate programming and beyond.

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What's Inside

What This Is

The Full First
Year. Mapped.

You've read the books. Watched the YouTube videos. Started and stopped the same program three or four times. Every time you end up in the same place: stuck, frustrated, wondering what you're doing wrong.

You're missing the roadmap.

This guide maps the full first year of serious strength training — from your first week under the bar through your transition to intermediate programming and beyond. Every phase. Every transition. Every decision point where most lifters get lost.

The Blueprint

Four Phases.
One Year. Real Strength.

Your timeline may differ. The phases don't. The principles don't. What changes is how fast you move through them.

01
Baseline Assessment
Weeks 0–2

Honest evaluation of where you actually are. Training history, movement patterns, lifestyle audit. No guessing. No ego. A clean starting point.

02
Novice Linear Progression
Weeks 2–20+

The single most effective tool in strength training. Five sub-phases that take you from raw beginner to the edge of intermediate — with specific milestones for each transition.

03
True Intermediate Programming
Months 5–9

Weekly progression replaces daily. Volume and intensity are organized across the week for the first time. The engine gets built here.

04
Strength Specialization
Months 9–12

Training becomes personal. Number chasers, competitors, hybrid athletes, lifestyle lifters — each path looks different. This phase defines yours.

This Is
Written
For You

You're a grown adult with a job, a family, and a life outside the gym. You value strength, but you are never going to organize your entire existence around a competition platform.

You show up 3-4 days a week, put weight on the bar, and grind. You've been doing this long enough to know something isn't working. You've read the books. Watched the videos. Started the same program three or four times.

You're a dedicated recreational lifter. This guide is for you.

  • You take training seriously but have been stuck in the same place for months
  • You've reset the same program multiple times without knowing why it stopped working
  • You don't know if you're still a novice or ready for something different
  • Work, travel, and family keep interrupting your training and killing momentum
  • You want to get strong without it taking over your life
  • You want to know exactly where you are and what to do next
"Most lifters want a 500 deadlift. Most can. Most won't."
— Sam Krapf, SSC · Ground Zero Strength

Who Wrote This

Sam Krapf, SSC

I'm a Starting Strength Coach based in Twin Falls, Idaho. I own Ground Zero Strength and coach lifters online across the country.

This guide maps the path my online coaching clients walk. I'm giving you the blueprint. Some of you will take it and run with it. Others will realize that having someone navigate these transitions with you is worth every penny.

Either way, you'll know exactly what the journey looks like.

If you're ready to stop guessing, apply at online.gzstrength.com.

You Have
the Roadmap.

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