Program Details
FOUNDATIONS is our fully beginner-friendly lifting program designed to take you from unsure to confident in the gym—whether you have zero or minimal lifting experience. Start with 8 weeks of dumbbell-only exercises to ease into your workouts, then move into the barbell prep phase (optional if you’re training at home). Already have some experience but need more time to prep for an advanced TLM program? Join FOUNDATIONS, and you can skip ahead whenever you're ready!
I'm ready
- Is ready to learn how to lift but is a 100% beginner
- Has some dumbbell lifting experience, but wants to to learn how to lift with a barbell
- Wants to feel confident lifting in a gym but doesn’t know where to start.
- 2 or 3x/week, 45 min
- 3 lifts per week.
- Full body, full body, upper body split.
- ~40-50 min/workout.
- New workouts & movement progression every 4 weeks.
- 2 months of dumbbells only work into 4 months of barbell progression, OR you can continue training with only dumbbells.
- Pair with any run plan or in-app cardio.
- Suggested pairs: Beginner runner, Beginner Cardio, 1-2 MI, 5-10k, BB5-20 MPW.
- Running and cardio programs are include with a lifting plan at no additional charge. Sign up for your lifting program and our coaches will add your run plan inside the app!
Sign up for
FOUNDATIONS
Ready for the complete hybrid experience? Sign up for your lifting program here, and our expert coaches will personally add or help you select and add your ideal running plan after you join—all included in your membership.
Don't stress about making the "perfect" choice now. You have complete flexibility to switch between any of our lifting or running programs anytime your goals or schedule change. Your membership gives you full access to our entire program library, so you're never locked into a single path.
Payment is in USD. We accept clients from all countries.
Click here to apply for our student discount $70/moTLM is HSA / FSA reimbursement eligible - Click here to find out moreIncluded with full access Hybrid Memberships:
Lifting Program
Demo Videos & Instructions
Group Community & Form Feedback
Travel Workouts
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TLM App Access
Cardio Programs
Coaching Support
Resource Library
Running or Hiking Plans (at no additional cost)
Mobility Library
Learn about
FOUNDATIONS
Say goodbye to the guesswork and hello to confidence in your training journey with FOUNDATIONS. This 6-month progressive program is designed to help you build strength, skill, and comfort in the gym—starting with dumbbells and progressing to barbells (optional). Perfect for beginners or those returning to the gym, FOUNDATIONS sets you up for success, preparing you to transition into any TLM program with ease. Plus, you’ll get access to our running, hiking, beginner cardio, and on-demand cardio library as part of your membership.
A peek inside
our app
Equipment Needed
We keep equipment at TLM minimal and include all suggested movements swaps directly in your programming so that everyone can train with the equipment they have. TLM is designed to be done from almost anywhere. If you don't have a barbell, you can do it at home with just dumbbells, swap the barbell for a machine, or use a smith machine. Many clients do TLM from home with basic equipment and crush it!
Med balls, wall balls, or slam balls (optional)
Long loop bands or cables
For in-app cardio workouts: A way to do cardio, a treadmill or place to run, a rower, ski erg, stationary or air bike, and/or jump rope.
Encouraged but optional for HYROX: A sled, a rower and/or a ski erg.
FOUNDATIONS
FAQs
You can start with FOUNDATIONS! FOUNDATIONS is programmed for 100% beginners, but you can skip to month 2 or 3 once you are in it if you want to move past some of the very basic base building movements into the dumbbell-to-barbell transition phase. Afterwards, you can go into PERFORM, BUILD, OR METCON.
If you have some lifting experience but still need to make a lot of progress, that's okay! You can go right into blocks 3-6 of FOUNDATIONS, then move into one of our other programs to ease back into the swing of things. If this is you, sign up and message the coaches, and we can help you start with the right program based on your current fitness level!
Weeks 1-8 of FOUNDATIONS start with just dumbbell, kettlebell, body weight, and/or banded movements. In week 9 through the end, you will move into our barbell and TLM prep phase if you choose to train with a barbell.
We program with minimal equipment, so all workouts are friendly to almost any gym space or at-home training. We use a mix of barbell, dumbbell/kettlebell, banded or cable, or bodyweight-based training.
Please note that within every TLM workout, you can swap any main compound for a machine or non barbell variation based on preference or equipment you have.
You will see main lifts and movement patterns such as:
- Bench
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Overhead press
- Row
Other movement patterns you will see in TLM FOUNDATIONS:
- Split Squats, Lunges,, Step Up variations or similar
- Single Arm Shoulder Press, Incline DB Chest Press, Lateral/Front/Rear Shoulder Raises, or other Shoulder or Chest Pressing variations
- Single Arm DB Row, Cable or Banded Rows, Lat Pull Downs, Inverted Row Rowing Variations
- RDLs, Hamstring Curls, or other Hamstring Accessories Variations
FOUNDATIONS pairs best with our:
- Beginner running plan.
- Beginner cardio plan.
- 5k beginner plan.
- 10k, 13.1, 26.2, 25-30k, 50k, or 50 miler running plans for those with a running history.
- 1 or 2 mile for time programs.
- On-demand cardio library: Includes weekly high-intensity interval training, metcons/WODS (think: functional fitness style cardio workouts), zone 2, or aerobic capacity workouts.
- SUMMIT hiking program.
Compare Lifting Programs
Other programs you may like
- Has 6-9+ months of barbell experience.
- Wants a strength training program that is designed specifically to accommodate a demanding schedule or high-volume endurance activity.
- Wants a program designed to help them use lifting to get stronger, gain muscle, and improve their squat, deadlift, bench, and pressing movements while also living life outside the gym.
- 2x/week, 45-60 minutes
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