Beginner Gym Workout Plan: Your First 4 Weeks
July 10, 2026 · 8 min read · Buffro Team
Your first month in the gym decides whether you stay. This plan keeps it simple: three full-body workouts a week, two alternating sessions, five exercises each. Every session trains your whole body, and every exercise links to a form guide with a video demo.
The plan
Train Monday / Wednesday / Friday (or any three non-consecutive days), alternating: week 1 is A-B-A, week 2 is B-A-B.
Workout A
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell Squat | 3 × 5-8 |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 × 5-8 |
| Barbell Bent-Over Row | 3 × 8-10 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 2 × 12-15 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 2 × 8-12 |
Workout B
| Exercise | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell Deadlift | 3 × 5 |
| Barbell Seated Overhead Press | 3 × 6-10 |
| Lever Front Pulldown | 3 × 8-12 |
| Leg Press | 2 × 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Biceps Curl | 2 × 10-15 |
Week by week
- Week 1: Learn the movements with light weights — a weight you could lift 15 times, lifted 8. Film a set or check the exercise page if anything feels off.
- Week 2: Add weight until the last rep of each set feels genuinely hard but stays clean.
- Weeks 3-4: Add 2.5 kg to upper-body lifts and 5 kg to squats and deadlifts each session while the reps stay in range. This is progressive overload — the whole game.
The rules that matter
- Rest 2-3 minutes between sets on the barbell lifts, 1.5-2 on the rest. Why rest matters.
- Log every set — weight and reps. Next session, beat something. How to track.
- Eat enough protein — about 1.6-2.2 g per kg of bodyweight. The protein calculator gives your number.
- Don't add exercises. Five per session done hard beats ten done halfway.
After the first month
If you're attending consistently and the weights are climbing, stay on this plan — beginners can ride full-body progress for months. When sessions stall or you want more days, move to a split that fits your schedule like push/pull/legs.
Your first workout, guided
Load this plan in Buffro, follow the video demos, and ask Ro anything you're unsure about — mid-workout.