If you’re just getting to grips with the gym, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s best to keep things simple. Stick to one piece of equipment and build your confidence gradually.
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.
With more than 15 years under his belt, Marks has refined a 16-week training plan that he now uses with all his new clients to build muscle and gym confidence.
It comprises three full-body workouts per week, each made up of six exercises that incorporate hinge movements, pushes, pulls, isometric holds and unilateral (one-sided) lifts.
“Whenever I have a beginner walk into my gym, these are the skills that we learn from day one,” Marks tells Fit&Well, insisting he wouldn’t water the session down for someone new to resistance training.
The 18 exercises in this plan, he says, deliver maximum bang for your buck. “They are really functional moves that you can progress, and they teach solid foundations.”
Using a pyramid as an analogy for anyone’s resistance training journey, Marks says learning good technique should take up most of your time and attention when just getting started.
Once those foundations are rock solid, you can then progress to playing with tempo, the middle section of the pyramid. “Then the sexy part, the part everybody wants to fast forward to, is the load—the amount of weight that you’re lifting,” says Marks.
“Often people forgo the first two and rush to the top of the pyramid, but you can’t ignore technique or tempo, or you’re letting your ego win and that’s where injuries occur.’
For any beginner looking to build muscle, he adds, these exercises are “the gold standard and strong as any to introduce yourself into the world of resistance training”.
16-week beginner gym workout plan
How to follow this training plan
Each workout is split into three supersets, in which your goal is to perform exercises A and B back-to-back with minimal rest. After completing exercise B, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat.
Marks recommends using light weights for week one while you familiarize yourself with each exercise, then learning to master the tempo of each lift in week two by focusing on moving through each exercise with control.
From week three onward, you can start gradually increasing the load you use for each exercise. This is known as progressive overload.
Choose a weight that allows you to lift within the suggested rep range for each exercise. For example, if it states 8-10 you should be able to hit 8-10 reps in every set. If you can’t hit eight, you’ve gone too heavy. If you can lift more than 10 you’ve gone too light.
“Stick with this plan for 16 weeks, note down the sets, reps and load you lift with each exercise, and explore the ceiling of what your body is capable of,” says Marks.
Equipment
The three workouts in Marks’ training plan require a range of equipment. For the first workout, you need dumbbells, a thick, long looped resistance band and an adjustable weight bench.
For the second and third sessions, you need dumbbells, a weight bench and a cable machine, and additionally, a back extension machine and a Bosu ball for the third workout.
In case all the cable machines are taken, I've added in dumbbell alternatives for those exercises.
Session 1 | Monday: Lower hinge and upper pull
- 1A. Romanian deadlift: 4 x 8-10
- 1B. Hollow hold: 4 x 30sec
- 2A. Banded hip thrust: 4 x 8-10
- 2B. Plank: 4 x 30sec
- 3A. Prone dumbbell row: 4 x 8-10
- 3B. Prone dumbbell flye: 4 x 8-10
1A. Romanian deadlift
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
1B. Hollow hold
Sets: 4 Time: 30sec Rest: 60sec
2A. Banded hip thrust
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
Alternative: Perform without the band.
2B. Plank
Sets: 4 Time: 30sec Rest: 60sec
Tip: Focus on drawing your elbows toward your toes to exaggerate the tension in your abs.
3A. Prone dumbbell row
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
3B. Prone dumbbell flye
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec
Session 2 | Wednesday: Lower push, upper press
- 1A. Goblet squat: 4 x 8-10
- 1B. Copenhagen hold: 4 x 45sec (alternate sides each set)
- 2. Bulgarian split squat: 3 x 8-10 each side
- 3A. Dumbbell shoulder press: 4 x 8-10
- 3B. Rope triceps push down: 4 x 8-10
1A. Goblet squat
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
As you build confidence, Mark says you can progress to a safety bar squat, then a barbell back squat.
1B. Copenhagen hold
Sets: 4 Time: 45sec Rest: 60sec
Perform the first set on one side, then switch sides for the second set. Continue, alternating sides each set.
2. Bulgarian split squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60sec
3A. Dumbbell shoulder press
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
Alternative: Dumbbell chest press
3B. Rope triceps push down
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec
Alternative: Single dumbbell triceps extension
Session 3 | Friday: Lower multi-directional, upper multi-directional
- 1A. Wall assisted reverse lunge: 3 x 8-10 each side
- 1B. Back extension: 4 x 10-12
- 2A. Goblet squat: 3 x 8-10
- 2B. Contralateral Bosu crunch: 3 x 45sec
- 3A. Dumbbell one-arm row: 3 x 8-10 each side
- 3B. Cable lateral raise: 3 x 8-10 each side
1A. Wall assisted reverse lunge
Sets: 4 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 0sec
Perform these next to a wall, which you can use for balance, then progress onto unassisted reverse lunges as your stability improves.
1B. Back extension
Sets: 4 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 60sec
Alternative: Banded hip thrust
2A. Goblet squat
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 0sec
2B. Contralateral Bosu crunch
Sets: 3 Time: 45sec Rest: 60sec
3A. Dumbbell one-arm row
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 0sec
3B. Cable lateral raise
Sets: 3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60sec
Alternative: one-arm dumbbell lateral raise
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