The Complete 6-Week Beginner Workout Program
- Kris Gethin
Training Philosophy
The program below is a routine I have been using for at least 4 months now and despite lapsing in my nutritional discipline and eating whatever I want at times, I seem to only get leaner and stronger.
When I put this together my main goal was to build a program that I could do consistently without burnout, without spending excessive hours in the gym, that would also get me the results I desire over time.
This program is for beginner as well as for the more advanced lifter that simply doesn’t have as much time as they used to for the gym.
I formulated a workout routine that hits every muscle group every training day, prioritizes hypertrophic rep ranges, and emphasizes increasing the weight you use on a weekly basis (progressive overload).
For the first week, you will be doing 3 sets of 12 (“3×12”) reps (reps=the amount of times you perform a movement, so for bicep curls you would raise and lower the weight 12 times) with a 60-90 second rest in between sets.
Each week, the rep ranges change, when the reps decrease you should aim to increase the weight.
Week 2: 3×10
Week 3: 3×8
Week 4: 4×12
Week 5: 4×10
Week 6: 4×8
After week 6, you can choose to go back to the beginning 3 sets or restart at the 4 sets if you prefer.
If the workout takes too long for your busy schedule I would recommend “supersetting” two exercises together or even performing 3 exercises back to back in order to save time. This will be hard, but good to try.
I want you to keep track of the weights you use by writing them down so that you can see your strength increase, that is why I keep the reps so simple.
I also would recommend getting as close to “failure” as you can (this means at the end of each set you could not perform a single rep more with good form.
If there is a movement you are unable to do, the internet has an abundance of articles that gives you good alternatives, no matter what equipment you have.
Lastly, I recommend you look up the videos on how to properly perform these movements if you are brand new to the gym. Good form is important.
Here are the workouts: (I use 3×12 below, but remember these change)
Monday
Pull ups (or lat pull-down): 3×12
Incline Bench Press/Dumbbell Bicep Curl: 3×12/12 (this is a superset so after bench press you immediately do the bicep curls, only rest after both are complete)
Leg Press: 3×12
Shoulder Press (barbell or dumbbells)/Shrugs: 3×12/12
Dips: 3×12
Standing Calves: 3×12
Weight Sit-Up: 3×12 (you can superset the stand calves and sit-ups if you would like)
Wednesday
Squat: 3×12
T-Bar Row (or bent over barbell row or dumbbell rows): 3×12
Flat Chest Press/Rear Delt Flyes: 3×12/12
Shrugs: 3×12
Hammer Curl/Skull Crushers: 3×12
Seat Calves: 3×12
Lying Leg Raises (or hanging leg raise): 3×12
Friday
Deadlift 3×12
Decline Bench Press (or decline dumbbell bench press or dips): 3×12
Shrugs: 3×12
Dumbbell Lateral Raises/Dumbbell Front Raises: 3×12
Stiff Leg Deadlift: 3×12
Preacher Curls: 3×12
Reverse Grip Tricep Pushdowns: 3×12
Standing Calves: 3×12
Bicycle Crunches: 3xfailure
Remember, to take 60-90 seconds of rest in between each set.
You also don’t have to workout on the specific days I prescribe. I do recommend having at least a day of rest in between each and only do these back to back if your schedule is interrupted and you have to.
For cardio, I would recommend beginners starting with the commitment to taking a walk every day (6-7 days a week). For those that have been working out for a while I would recommend, along with one walk every day, either 20 minutes of steady-state cardio or 15 minutes of HIIT cardio (this one may be tough to keep up with if your calories are very low) immediately after your workout if possible.
Keep up the hard work! Find what works well by analyzing your energy, gainz, mental clarity, and mood. You can find what works best for you using this program as a foundation!
Nutrition
Since this is not a full in-depth program to drastically transform your body but more of a program that gives an introduction to the gym and a quick routine to keep you consistently exercising (consistency with this program will make great change), I would recommend sticking mainly to homemade foods for a time and committing to only eating out when you are invited to do so. This is a good way to limit consuming fast food without eliminating it from your life (though that is not a bad idea if you can pull it off).
Perhaps count your calories and see what your average calorie consumption is compared to the recommended calories for your goals (there are many calorie calculators online). When creating a meal plan there is not a one-size fits all. I think it is best to find what works for you depending on your goals by tracking what you eat and looking for trends in how you feel and how you look over time, then making adjustments based on those observations.
Lastly, try to get between 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
- Eat homemade food unless you are invited out.
- Track your calories.
- Eat 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight