A beginner gym plan
you can walk in with.
Two full-body practice sessions and one easy cardio/mobility session each week. Beginner sets keep the starting volume modest. Ask gym staff to demonstrate unfamiliar equipment before using it.
- Length
- 90 days
- Days a week
- 3
- Sessions listed
- 9
- Equipment
- A gym with dumbbells, barbells, cables and machines.
The plan
Everything below is the actual programme, not a summary of one. Work down each session in order. The sets and reps shown are the starting prescription for that phase.
Foundation
Three sessions covering lower-body, pushing, pulling and trunk work.
Full Body A
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 2 × 8-12 |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 2 × 10/side |
| Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dead bug | 2 × 10/side |
Cardio & Mobility
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Walking at a comfortable pace | 20-30 min |
| Comfortable mobility | 10 min |
Full Body B
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 2 × 8/side |
| Dumbbell floor press | 2 × 8-12 |
| Band row | 2 × 10-12 |
| Glute bridge | 2 × 12 |
| Side plank | 2 × 20 sec/side |
Progression: Leave about three comfortable reps in reserve. Add repetitions only when technique is controlled; no maximal testing. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
Build
Three sessions covering lower-body, pushing, pulling and trunk work.
Full Body A
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 2 × 8-12 |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 2 × 10/side |
| Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dead bug | 2 × 10/side |
Cardio & Mobility
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Walking at a comfortable pace | 20-30 min |
| Comfortable mobility | 10 min |
Full Body B
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 2 × 8/side |
| Dumbbell floor press | 2 × 8-12 |
| Band row | 2 × 10-12 |
| Glute bridge | 2 × 12 |
| Side plank | 2 × 20 sec/side |
Progression: Leave about three comfortable reps in reserve. Add repetitions only when technique is controlled; no maximal testing. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
Perform
Three sessions covering lower-body, pushing, pulling and trunk work.
Full Body A
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 2 × 8-12 |
| One-arm dumbbell row | 2 × 10/side |
| Romanian deadlift | 2 × 8-12 |
| Dead bug | 2 × 10/side |
Cardio & Mobility
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Walking at a comfortable pace | 20-30 min |
| Comfortable mobility | 10 min |
Full Body B
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Reverse lunge | 2 × 8/side |
| Dumbbell floor press | 2 × 8-12 |
| Band row | 2 × 10-12 |
| Glute bridge | 2 × 12 |
| Side plank | 2 × 20 sec/side |
Progression: Leave about three comfortable reps in reserve. Add repetitions only when technique is controlled; no maximal testing. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
Days 85-90: recovery and review
Take easier activity days. Review completed sessions, movement control and energy. Keep a manageable schedule, and repeat or progress gradually. Seek qualified advice about pain or nutrition concerns.
Why the middle visit is easier activity
This introduction contains Full Body A, Cardio & Mobility, and Full Body B. Many strength exercises start with two sets, unlike the three-set general full-body template. The easier middle visit creates room to learn the weekly pattern without pretending it is a third full lifting session. A possible calendar is Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Confirm the gym equipment and ask for demonstrations before treating the rep numbers as permission to attempt an unfamiliar movement.
Worked log: Goblet squat
This fictional example uses the Goblet squat entry in this routine: 2 × 8–12. It illustrates a way to record comparable sessions, not a starting load or an individual progression prescription.
| Appearance | Log entry |
|---|---|
| First | Same dumbbell: 8/8 |
| Next | Same dumbbell: 9/8 |
| Following | Same dumbbell: 9/9 |
The two numbers are the two working sets printed in this template. Do not add a third set simply because the general full-body page uses one. Establish a repeatable baseline before increasing the demand.
Further reading: ACSM progression position stand. This supports general progression principles; it does not validate this particular template. See our worked progression guide for the shared method.
Reviewed 26 October 2026 by Phasebuilt. Worked examples are fictional teaching examples, not client results or individual prescriptions. No clinical review is claimed.
How to run it
Warm up for five to ten minutes before the first working set: easy movement, then one or two comfortable practice sets of the first exercise. For floor-only sessions use an easier bodyweight variation; for weighted sessions use a lighter load. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between accessory exercises and two to three minutes after main lifts.
Leave about three reps in reserve for the first fortnight of each phase. When the top of the rep range is clean on every set, add load. Compare like-for-like log entries before changing the demand. Keep fixed-repetition and effort-based prescriptions intact; the worked example below explains how to read this particular template. Progressive overload covers this in more detail.
Record what you lift. A plan you cannot compare to last week is a workout, not a programme.
Who this suits
- You have a gym membership and no idea what to do with it.
- You want a plan on paper rather than a video to follow.
- You can commit to three sessions a week.
Who it does not
- You have no gym access. Use the home or bodyweight plan.
- You are already comfortable programming your own training.
Equipment and pain
Use the listed equipment. To see a different setup, choose it in the builder. Start with easier practice repetitions of the movements you will use, then work at a controlled effort. No generic substitution can establish that an exercise is suitable for an injury. Stop painful movements and seek qualified advice.
For bodyweight sessions, progress repetitions and control before harder variations. For loaded sessions, increase load only after the prescribed repetitions feel controlled. Record what you did so you can compare the next session.
Make it yours
The plan above is one configuration. Phasebuilt will rebuild it around your goal, equipment, activity days, experience and approximate session length, and set the calorie and protein targets alongside it. It is free, takes about a minute, and runs entirely in your browser.