A simple full body workout plan for your first months in the gym: two workouts, A and B,
alternated three days a week. Each one is five exercises, built on the basic lifts, and takes
about 45 to 50 minutes with a warm-up.
Below is every exercise with its sets, reps and rest time, the schedule for the first two
weeks, and how much work each muscle gets.
How to progress
Start each exercise with a weight you can lift for the bottom of its rep range with two or three
reps to spare. Keep that weight until you reach the top of the range on every set, then add the
smallest jump you can (about 2.5 kg or 5 lb) and build the reps back up. This is double
progression: reps first, then weight.
Rest the full time on the big lifts, and stop a set when your form breaks down. If a lift stalls
for three or four sessions in a row, take a lighter week or swap the exercise for a close
variation.
Your first week
Use the first week to learn the movements and find your starting weights, not to set records.
Start each lift light, add weight across your sets until the last set feels like it has two or
three reps left, and write that weight down: it is your starting point.
Why full body for beginners
New lifters get stronger mostly by getting better at the movements, and you get better at a
movement by practising it often. Training your whole body three times a week means you squat,
press and pull several times a week instead of once, with a rest day in between to recover.
Questions
What is the best workout plan for a beginner?
A full body program three times a week, built on a few big lifts. You practise each movement often, which is how beginners get strong fastest, and you have a rest day between every session.
How much weight should I start with?
Less than you think. Pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with two or three reps to spare and good form. Starting light costs you a week or two; starting heavy costs you months if it leads to an injury or a stall.
How long should I stay on a beginner program?
As long as you keep adding weight or reps most weeks, often three to six months. When progress slows and the sessions start to feel too long, move to an upper lower split.
Can I do this program with machines only?
Yes. Swap the barbell squat for a leg press or hack squat, the bench press for a chest press machine, the Romanian deadlift for a back extension or seated leg curl, and keep everything else. The plan and progression stay the same.
Do I need to warm up?
Do a few lighter sets of the first lift before your work sets: the empty bar, then a couple of steps up. Our warm-up calculator works out the weights and plates for you.