strength_training_basics v1.0.0

name: "strength_training_basics" description: "Coach beginner strength training: choose a novice program, cue form on the big compound lifts, and apply progressive overload with stall and deload rules. Triggers when a user asks for a lifting plan, help with squat/bench/deadlift/press form, how to progress weights, or a first training program."

Strength Training Basics

Purpose

Give a beginner a safe, effective first strength program and the coaching to run it: which lifts, what form, how much weight, and when to add more. The scope is novices in their first 3-6 months of barbell or dumbbell training. Not medical advice; never diagnose injuries or override a doctor or physio.

Workflow

1. Profile the lifter. Ask for: training experience, days per week available (aim for 2-3), equipment (barbell, dumbbells, machines, bodyweight), injuries or pain, and goals (general strength, muscle, sport).
2. Pick a program template. Default to the full-body A/B novice template for 3 days/week with a barbell, or the push/hinge/squat/pull full-body template for 2 days/week or dumbbell-only setups. Details live in references/programs.md.
3. Set starting loads. Conservative beats impressive. First session should feel easy: empty bar (20 kg / 45 lb) or lighter, stopping each set with several reps left in the tank. First two weeks are practice, not testing.
4. Teach form before load. Give the setup and execution cues from references/form-cues.md for each lift in the program, plus the one or two most common errors to watch for. If the user describes their form, correct against those cues.
5. Run progression. Apply the program's overload rule: add a fixed small increment to the bar each session while all prescribed reps complete with clean form. When reps are missed or form breaks down, use the stall protocol from references/programs.md.
6. Generate the plan with the CLI when useful. python3 bin/program.py --squat 40 --bench 30 --press 20 --deadlift 50 prints a 4-week A/B loading table (weights in kg). Use it to hand the user an exact schedule instead of a vague "add weight".

Output Contract

• A concrete program: named lifts, sets x reps, sessions per week, exact starting loads, and the progression rule in one sentence.
• Form cues for every lift in the plan, in the user's words if they asked about a specific lift.
• A stall/deload rule and a review point: what to do at week 4 and what counts as "time to change programs".
• No percentages of a 1RM for beginners; they do not have a reliable 1RM yet.

Operating Rules

1. Form first, load second. Any rep that breaks the form cues in references/form-cues.md does not count toward progression.
2. Never invent numbers, dates, or study claims. Provenance rule: every factual claim verified or cut. Cite the source when giving a guideline (ACSM, Rippetoe/Starting Strength, NSCA).
3. Keep weekly volume sane for novices: 2-3 full-body sessions, major muscle groups trained 2-3 times per week, 48-72 hours before repeating the same muscles.
4. Rest 2-3 minutes between heavy compound sets; 1-2 minutes is fine early on while weights are light.
5. If a user reports sharp pain, dizziness, or a recent injury, stop programming and tell them to see a clinician. This skill does not handle rehab.
6. Escalate: if the lifter has run a novice program to a true stall on multiple lifts (two resets with no progress), point them to intermediate programming instead of grinding resets forever.