Perfect Gym Workout Plan for Beginners

Are you a beginner, just starting your fitness journey? Looking for the best gym workout plan for beginners? Don’t beat yourself, you are in the right place, because here I have the best beginner gym workout routine that will be just perfect for you. 

As a beginner, you might be clueless about your strengths, your weaknesses, what your body is going to accept and what your body will not accept. Wrong choices regarding exercise, and without effective planning and guidance you might end up injuring yourself and finally drop out from the gym. 

Here, in this blog, I will be sharing with you,

• Beginner gym workout plan for men
• Beginner gym workout plan for women

Beginner Gym Workout Plan For Men 

As a beginner, it is generally recommended to have exercises split into body parts and take ample rest. I would recommend, in the first week, doing exercises for 3 days. If you wanna do a little extra, you can take one extra day but don’t push further. Ensure that you take one day's rest in between your exercises to let your muscles recover better. Here, I am recommending you a gym workout plan for beginners, particularly men.

Week 1: Full-Body Split Exercises For Men

It is always recommended that the first week of your gym workout routine include 3 days of split body exercises, which means, targeting each of the major body parts. 

Remember, you should always start your workout journey with a warm-up, and if you are a beginner, definitely give 30-45 minutes time for your warming-up exercises and also include cardio exercises as well.
Now let’s see what exercises you can do in the first week as a beginner.

• Day 1: Barbell squats, Bench Press, Deadlift, Plank, Tricep Pushdown. Do these moves on the first day after your run and warm-up. 
• Day 2: You can do some light stretching. 
• Day 3: Leg press, Lat pulldown, Arnold press, Dumbbell rows, and Crunches are the recommended exercises for the day. 
• Day 4: Again rest, or a light cardio exercise session. 
• Day 5: You can mix the exercises from day 1 and day 3 and also add core exercises such as Russian Twist, Leg Raise, and Glute Bridge. 

Week 2-4: Gym Workout Plan For Beginners (Men)

From the second week onwards, till the fourth week, you need to amp up your workout game a little, but at the same time understand the limitations. In these 3 weeks, you can split up the workout days 2-2 segments. Let’s see how you can do that. Give 2 days for your upper body, and 2 days for your lower body. A regular warm-up of 30 minutes is a must. 

• Day 1: Upper body exercises Incline dumbbell press, Bench Press, push-ups, Cable chest press, Lat pulldowns, Rows, and Back extensions. 
• Day 2: Barbell squats, Leg press, Walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats, Plank, Side plank, Reverse crunches, Dead bug, Russian twist, Sit-ups. 
• Day 3: Rest 
• Day 4: Dumbbell shoulder press, Lateral raise, Front raise, Reverse fly, dumbbell shrugs, Arnold press, cross arm stretch, Push-ups, Bicep curls, Tricep dips, Triceps extension, Triceps kickbacks 
• Day 5: Engage in lower body exercises such as Romanian deadlifts, Sumo squats, Kettlebell swings, Seated leg curls, hurdle hamstring stretches, Calf raises, and Jump squats
  

Related : Back Workout for Regular Gym-Goers

Beginner Gym Workout Plan For Women 

Of course, as women's and men's anatomy is different, the workout routine and priorities for men and women are also different. Women have higher strength in the legs, whereas men focus more on upper-body workouts. So here, the gym workout plans for beginners are also represented separately. 

Week 1: Full-Body Beginner Workout For Women

Even though there are anatomical differences between men and women, the first week of the gym workout session is quite similar between the two. I am recommending a 3-day routine for the women as well, because irrespective of gender, the first week should be a little less intense. Always start with 30 minutes of warming-up sessions, it’s essential.

• Day 1: Leg press, Hip abduction, Bench press, Romanian deadlift, Glute bridge, Plank, Squats. 
• Day 2: Stretching 
• Day 3: Barbell back squat, Kettlebell swing, Glute kickbacks, Barbell row, Lateral raise, Crunches, Bicycle crunches, Reverse crunches. 
• Day 4: Light Cardio and Stretching
• Day 5: Hip thrust, Lat pulldown, Tricep extension, Push-ups, Lunges, Hip lifts, Scissors kicks, Russian twist, Side plank, Sit-ups

Week 2-4: Gym Workout Plans For Beginners (Women)

Unlike the beginner men's workout plan, the women's beginners plan continues with the 3-day workout routine in a week for the rest of the weeks. Due to various hormonal issues, and physical construction, I would recommend you gradually increase the day, after continuing the 3-day routine the first month. 

• Day 1: Engage in full-body exercises such as Dumbbell squats, Push-ups, Deadlifts, Shoulder presses, Leg presses, Hip abduction, Planks, and Crunches. 
• Day 2: Full body stretching. 
• Day 3: Focus mainly on lower body exercises. Deep squat, Sumo squat, Side lunges, Hip thrust, Glute bridge, Reverse lunge, Step ups, Calf raises, Seated leg curls. 
• Day 4: Cardio and Leg stretching. 
• Day 5: Dumbbell rows, Mountain climbers, Russian twist, Dead Bug, Bicep curls, Bear crawl, Plank, Side Plank, Flutter kicks, Reverse crunch, bicycle crunch.
  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a good gym schedule for beginners? 

A good gym schedule for beginners starts typically with 3 days of workouts, then gradually changes to 4 days of workouts in a week. So for beginners, a good gym schedule varies 3-4 days a week. 

2. Can women follow the men's beginners gym workout plan?

Yes, there is no restriction on the plans. All the exercises recommended can be done by the other as well. The plan has been done on the basis of the fact that in general, the workout focus of men and women are generally different to the other. 

3. Is a gym workout plan for beginners safe to attempt? 

Yes, the gym workout plan for beginners designed here is safe for anyone to attempt. However, if you have any injuries or health concerns, please contact your physician, and proceed further. Also, mention your health issues to your trainer, so that you can be given safer options or approaches. 

4. Is going to the gym 3 days a week enough for a beginner? 

Yes, for beginners, it is recommended to go only about 3 days a week in the gym. At the initial stage, the body requires rest, and a 3-day gym provides the opportunity for the muscles to relax. 

5. Does the perfect gym workout plan include whole-body exercises? 

Yes, the perfect gym workout plan should always include whole-body exercises, because as much as spot or isolated exercises help in working on those particular areas, without a whole-body workout it is incomplete. Whole-body workout helps increase overall strength and endurance, so they need to be included for long-term consistency.
Final Thoughts

As a beginner, finding a reliable, flexible and effective plan for a gym workout is not easy, and I understand you cannot rely on the gym alone for the responsibility. If you are not appointing a personal trainer for yourself, you will be required to do exercises yourself. With the gym workout plan for beginners, you can confidently start with your own workout process without blindly trusting your trainers at the gym. 

Follow the plan for a month and you will no longer need the beginner's plan for yourself in the gym.