When you’re a beginner, you won’t know what you’re doing. That’s a given and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Most beginners get overwhelmed to the point of inaction or they confuse motion with action by trying to learn as much as possible about a topic before taking action under the guise of “being prepared”. I would caution against this strategy, because it’s just as unlikely to lead to progress.
Workout templates are a great strategy for a beginner because:
They give you a clear course of action.
They are well-established—or the ones I’m giving you are—which means you know they work as long as you follow them.
They provide the scaffolding on which you can build a more individualized program.
The best way to start is to find a simple, yet effective, workout template and do it. Don’t spend too much time on this. As a beginner, almost any program will work. Until you take action, you won’t know what you like, don’t like, and what does or doesn’t work.
So without further ado, let’s get to the programs and resources that will get you up and running.
Program Templates/Resources
Full Gym Required
Reddit fitness wiki workouts for building strength/muscle
This is an incredible resource for newbies and this page specifically has many routines to choose from for a variety of settings and equipment limitations. Don’t get overwhelmed here. Pick a program that looks doable based on the equipment you have and start doing it!
Here’s the basic beginner routine from there
4-Day Beginner Bodybuilding Program from RippedBody.com (Andy Morgan)
Starting Strength Beginner Barbell Program and Starting Strength book (aka The Blue Book)
This pair of books provides an outstanding introduction to lifting and nutrition
Both books are thorough but are also very accessible for new gym goers.
These two works are the brainchild of fitness industry legend Greg Nuckols. Greg has been writing excellent in-depth articles for years at strongerbyscience.com and he packs a ton of useful info into these two lifting books.
These are a little denser and may be a good next step after the books mentioned directly above.
Dumbbells Only
This post shows the compound movements I like to include in all my dumbbell programs with a simplified look at how they’re brought together.
You could also do all of these movements one at a time if you wish.
Frankoman's Dumbbell Only Split
I’m not normally a huge fan of body part splits, but if you are, you will probably like this one
Bodyweight Programs
Programs/Resources Geared Toward Women
Glute Lab Book by Bret Contreras
This is honestly the Bible of weightlifting texts for women. This thing is a tome and is packed full of useful information.
This is another program created by Contreras that spawned an entire subreddit.
Nia Shanks Dumbbell Strength Training Guide
Here is a link to the program section on Nia’s website.
Program and support from Meg Gallagher (aka Megsquats)
Meghan is another fitpro that has been around for a very long time and has put in the work. Her Ultimate Pull-Up Program has gained legendary status in the fitness sphere.
ESGFitness Commit to 6 Fat Loss Program
Although this is technically a fat loss program, Emma Storey Gordon is one of the most knowledgeable, honest, and hard-working people in the industry. I have no doubt that anything she creates will be of the highest quality.
Apps/Software
This is the app that I use for my own workouts, and it’s served me well. The interface is clean and intuitive, and it does a great job keeping track of your lifts without overwhelming you with data.
Workout app that’s heavy on making program creation easier with automation.
You can get access to a wide-variety of different programs from lifting experts. A lot of the bigger names in the fitness industry post their programs to this platform.
This is another fan favorite that has been around for a long time and the website itself is chock-full of useful information and resources.
Notes About These Programs
I’ve personally looked at every one of these programs, and they can all work in their given context. Here are some tips for getting the most out of them:
Give them time to work. Building strength and muscle takes time. Give it at least a few months before deciding it isn’t for you, and make sure you’re giving it your best effort when you do.
Don’t program hop. If a lack of consistency is the biggest issue, “switching things up” too frequently is the second biggest. There is an initial acclimation period for each program that you must get through to see the best return. If you’re always changing programs, you’re introducing too many of these acclimation periods into your training. Stick with the same program for long enough to get results.
Use progressive overload. Most of the programs I outlined above will have a section explaining this process, but your workouts must stay challenging if you want results to continue. This is typically done through increased weight, reps, or changes in exercise variations/leverages in bodyweight training. These programs will stop being effective if you’re unwilling to progress the exercises over time.
Hopefully you can find something in here that works for you. Please feel free to let me know if any of the links don’t work, so I can fix them!
If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, please feel free to drop a comment on this post or shoot me an email at bo@stansellfit.com. If you’re looking for more hands-on guidance, fill out the form here to apply to train with me.
Thanks for reading!
P.S. I have a post with a growing list of resources that’s accessible to paid subscribers. You can find that here.