05 Jan Workouts for Beginners: 4-Week Gym Plan to Get Stronger
Pull exercises mainly work your lats, traps, and biceps. Make sure to eat enough protein and calories, and to get your 7-8 hours of sleep a night in if you can. And then, try to lift sliiiightly more than last time.
Which Strength Training Program is Right for Me?
- I’m Andrew – former-military-servicemember-turned-fitness guy.
- Holding two lighter dumbbells with an overhand grip, bend over at the hips to a 45-degree angle and keep your back straight.
- A balanced beginner workout should include cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises.
- With your arms shoulder-width apart, inhale as you begin to bring the weights close to your chest, elbows pointing out.
- It’s packed with safe, effective routines that work for anyone focused on aging strong, training smart, and staying independent.
- With these 10 simple home workouts for beginners, you can get fit fast and enjoy the convenience of exercising at home.
Before I jump into the exercises of this beginner total body workout, I want to explain how everything is set up so you can develop healthy habits in your training. Beginners should aim for 3-4 days per week, gradually increasing to 5 as their fitness level improves. You can do them separately or together, depending on your schedule and goals. If you’re short on time, a short walk or incline treadmill session after weights works well.
Day 3 – Legs and Core

Jeff Cavaliere is a Physical Therapist, Strength Coach and creator of the ATHLEAN-X Training Programs and ATHLEAN-Rx Supplements. His programs produce “next level” achievements in muscle size, strength and performance for professional athletes and anyone looking to build a muscular athletic physique. With this exercise, you have to move your body around the bar as opposed to moving the dumbbells around your body. This is going to increase the complexity, but you’ll see huge gains in strength and muscle gains with this one.
Unlock Functional Strength: 7 Powerful Beginner Exercises for Real-World Strength
It is best to train three to four days per week, allowing rest days /resource-guide/2025/03/18/mad-muscles-review-transparent-pricing-real-fitness-results-in-20255 in between for your muscles to recover and grow. The consistency and proper nutrition are just as important as your workouts. Stay patient, track your progress, and focus on improving each week.
Day 12: 35-Minute Full-Body Strength Workout
Secure a resistance band around a Pull-Up bar, and place your feet in the bottom end. Take a grip just outside of shoulder width and focus on bringing your chest to the bar. The good thing about using dumbbells is that because they can float freely, if you have any stark imbalances between the right and left sides, you’re going to see it here. And that’s a good thing as it will highlight what you need to work on.
This can lead to a lower back injury because of the pressure it causes on your back. You also need to be mindful not to overextend your neck and head and should keep it in a straight line. Below, Bowman has mapped out a routine for anyone looking to incorporate strength training, even total beginners.
Full-Body Strength III
These exercises benefit from high intra-abdominal pressure, and planks give you an ironclad core that acts like a natural weightlifting belt, keeping your midsection tight and stable. Including overhead presses in your routine doesn’t just look good in the gym; this exercise deserves a trophy for functionality. It also improves shoulder stability and mobility, which is excellent news for your posture. Getting started with strength training at home requires an initial investment, but you don’t need every possible piece of equipment from the start to get a good workout. Once you’ve got the basics, you can expand your home gym if required as you go.
Side Plank (20 seconds per side)
You can then complete our tried and true circuit – replacing goblet squats with barbell squats. Picking up a barbell, madmuscles scam learning how to squat, and learning how to deadlift. If the weight is too light, use heavier dumbbells the next time you train. This will put you ahead of 95% of the gym-going population. You’ll be on a great path to building a healthy, antifragile, resilient body. A dynamic warm-up is the appetizer to ANY main course of strength training.
Life and sports are full of asymmetrical movements (like climbing stairs, running, or jumping over a puddle). Unilateral training mimics https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1267698 such movements, enhancing your performance in and out of the gym. However, the benefits of the squat doesn’t end there. It’s a great exercise for improving athletic performance, and the muscle strength you gain from squatting translates into many parts of everyday life.
Do You Need to Consult Your Doctor Before Starting Strength Training?
Over the years, I’ve learned that a good workout plan for beginners balances strength, mobility and rest. It doesn’t have to mean working out for hours every day. In fact, the best way to build a lasting habit (and avoid burnout) is to focus on consistency over intensity.
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It just means your body feels balanced, your movement is smooth, and nothing hurts in a weird or sharp way. When you’re just starting out, it can be hard to tell if you’re doing an exercise correctly or just going through the motions. Focus on your hamstrings, chest, and shoulders, since those are the muscles you just used. You see, working out in as a beginner in a beginner can feel really confusing.
The bench press is one of the most common gym exercises, but it’s also one you need to know how to perform safely.
Do that, says experienced trainer Alex Marks of London PT studio On Your Marks, and you’d be missing out on the best thing about joining a gym—learning new skills. If you have a history of chronic back issues, a spine injury or are pregnant, it’s best to consult with your doctor or personal trainer first before doing this exercise. Log your workouts in one place and watch your numbers climb, week after week. If you are looking for the most bang for your buck exercise to burn calories and build power, muscular endurance, and conditioning all in one, you have found it.