Get Strong: The Ultimate 16-Week Transformation Program

Get Strong (2017) by Al and Danny Kavadlo is the Kavadlo brothers' first book to contain a complete, structured daily training program with specific sets, reps, progressions, warm-up guides, and rest days. Their earlier books (Raising the Bar, Pushing the Limits!) are exercise encyclopedias with step-by-step progression guides but without a complete program structure.

The defining feature of Get Strong is its mandatory phase-end testing protocol: at the end of each four-week phase, the athlete must meet a specific performance standard before advancing. If the standard is not met, the athlete repeats weeks 3–4 of the current phase and tests again. This enforces strict progression and prevents the premature advancement that is the most common failure mode in self-directed calisthenics programming.

Who This Is For

• Beginners to intermediate athletes with some movement experience
• Athletes who want a structured, time-bound (16-week) calisthenics program with clear milestones
• Minimum baseline: 5 push-ups, 1 pull-up (band-assisted is acceptable for Phase 1)

Four-Phase Structure

Phase	Weeks	Theme	Primary Focus
Phase 1	1–4	Foundation	Movement quality; establish base reps; learn movement standards
Phase 2	5–8	Brick and Mortar	Increase volume; introduce harder variations
Phase 3	9–12	Concrete and Iron	Unilateral progressions; weighted options introduced
Phase 4	13–16	Forged from Steel	Maximum volume and difficulty; peak capacity

4-Day Weekly Schedule

Get Strong uses a 4-day schedule with 3 rest days. Recommended layout:

Day	Focus
Day 1	Upper push + Upper pull
Day 2	Lower body + Core
Day 3	Rest
Day 4	Full body compound + Upper push
Day 5	Rest
Day 6	Full body + Core
Day 7	Rest

End-of-Phase Testing (Mandatory Before Advancement)

Phase Test	Minimum Standard
Phase 1 → Phase 2	10 push-ups, 5 pull-ups, 10 air squats, 10 hanging knee raises
Phase 2 → Phase 3	20 push-ups, 8 pull-ups, 8 Bulgarian split squats per leg, 10 hanging bent-leg raises
Phase 3 → Phase 4	10 archer push-ups per side, 10 pull-ups, 5 box pistol squats per leg, 8 hanging straight-leg raises

If any element of the phase test is not passed, return to weeks 3–4 of the current phase and retest.

Key Rules

• Phase tests are non-negotiable. Advancing without passing the test means entering the next phase without the structural foundation that phase was designed to build. The Kavadlos designed the failure protocol (repeat weeks 3–4) because most athletes will pass on the second attempt without significant setback.
• Add sets, not reps, when stuck. If prescribed reps cannot be reached, add sets at a lower rep count rather than lowering reps per set. The cumulative volume per session is the adaptation driver.
• Push-pull balance is built into the schedule. Do not reorder sessions to front-load either push or pull days.

Preceding program: bwf_recommended_routine. For skill-specific development after this program, see overcoming_gravity_template or calisthenics_intermediate_skills.