Beginner Resistance Training
Eight weeks. Three sessions per week. Full gym. Built for complete beginners and those progressing from the Bodyweight Foundation who are ready to pick up a barbell for the first time — or return to one after years away.
The barbell squat is one of the most effective exercises ever invented and almost nobody does it anymore. This programme puts it back where it belongs — at the centre of your training. These are the exercises that have worked for decades. They will work for you too.
What you need: A gym with barbells, dumbbells, a bench press station, a squat rack, a cable machine, and a leg curl and leg extension machine. Most commercial gyms have all of this. If yours does not have a cable machine, dumbbell alternatives are shown for every relevant exercise.
Three different days: Each session has a different emphasis so training stays varied and the body is challenged from different angles across the week. You will squat on Day 1 and Day 3 — this is intentional. The squat is the most important movement pattern and beginners need the repetition to learn it properly.
The same warm-up before every session across all 8 weeks. Learn it, own it, never skip it. A proper warm-up is not optional — it is the first exercise of every session. Every injury I have seen in a gym could have been reduced or prevented with a thorough warm-up.
- 5 minutes light cardio — treadmill, bike or cross trainer at easy pace. Raise the heart rate, nothing more.
- Arm circles — 15 each direction. Start small, gradually increase the range.
- Hip circles — hands on hips, 10 each direction. Loosen the hip joints before any lower body work.
- Bodyweight squats — 15 repetitions, slow and controlled. This is a warm-up, not a set.
- Shoulder rotations — 10 each arm, forward and back. Essential before any pressing or rowing work.
- Empty bar warm-up sets — for every barbell exercise, always perform 2 warm-up sets with the empty bar before adding any weight. Always. No exceptions.
Purpose: raise core temperature, mobilise the joints, prepare the nervous system, and rehearse the movement patterns you are about to load. Skipping this is how injuries happen. At 50 your body needs more preparation than it did at 25. Give it that preparation.
Focus: technique above everything. The weights in weeks 1 and 2 should feel light. That is correct. You are not here to lift heavy yet — you are here to learn how to move properly. Every rep of every set should be deliberate and controlled. If it feels too easy, you are doing it right.
The king of exercises. Bar across the upper back — not the neck. Feet shoulder-width apart, toes turned out slightly. Sit back and down, keeping the chest up and knees tracking over the toes. Drive through the heels to stand. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar before adding any weight. In weeks 1 and 2, use only the bar or very light weight. Get the movement right first.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
The most fundamental upper body pressing movement. Lie flat on the bench, feet flat on the floor. Grip slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lower the bar to the chest in a controlled manner — do not bounce it. Press back up in a straight line. Alternative: Dumbbell Bench Press — use dumbbells if no spotter is available or if barbell confidence is low. Same movement, same coaching points. Start with dumbbells you can control for all 10 reps.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sit upright at the cable machine, feet on the platform, slight bend in the knees. Pull the handle into the lower chest, drawing the elbows back. Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end of the movement. Return slowly — the eccentric phase matters. Alternative: Dumbbell Row — one knee and hand on the bench, row the dumbbell to the hip. Keep the back flat and parallel to the floor.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Sit on an upright bench, back fully supported. Dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Press directly overhead until the arms are fully extended. Lower back to the start under control. Do not use momentum — this is not a push press. Alternative: Barbell Overhead Press — standing or seated, the barbell version is equally valid. Start light.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Stand at the cable machine with a straight bar or rope attachment at the top. Elbows tucked into the sides — they do not move. Push the bar or rope down until the arms are fully extended. Return slowly. If your elbows are flaring out or your body is rocking, the weight is too heavy.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Forearms on the floor, body in a straight line from head to heel. Squeeze everything — glutes, abs, quads. Do not let the hips sag or rise. 20 seconds in weeks 1 and 2 — quality over duration. Build the time as the weeks progress.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
The most complete exercise in existence. Bar over the mid-foot, hip-width stance. Hinge at the hips, grip the bar just outside the legs. Back flat, chest up, push the floor away rather than pulling the bar up. Lock out at the top — hips and knees fully extended. Lower the bar under control. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar or very light weight before working sets. Alternative: Romanian Deadlift — for those not yet confident with the conventional deadlift. Hip hinge with a slight knee bend, bar travels down the legs to just below the knee.
Rest 2 minutes between sets. The deadlift demands it.
Stand with the bar over the mid-foot, hip-width stance. Hinge forward until the torso is roughly 45 degrees. Pull the bar into the lower chest, driving the elbows back. Lower under control. Keep the back flat throughout — this is not a movement where the back should round. Alternative: Seated Cable Row — if lower back fatigue from the deadlift makes the barbell row uncomfortable, use the cable row instead.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Stand upright, bar in an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Curl the bar up to the shoulders by bending at the elbow only. Elbows stay pinned to the sides — if they are moving forward, the weight is too heavy. Lower slowly. Alternative: Dumbbell Curl — each arm works independently, useful for identifying and correcting strength imbalances between sides.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Lie face down on the hamstring curl machine. Pad sits just above the heels. Curl the legs up towards the glutes, pause briefly at the top, lower slowly. The hamstrings are the most neglected muscle group in most training programmes and one of the most important for knee health. Do not rush these.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Stand on the edge of a step or platform, heels hanging off the edge. Rise up onto the toes as high as possible, pause, lower the heels below the level of the step for a full stretch. Slow and controlled both ways. Use a calf raise machine if available, or hold dumbbells for added resistance.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Hang from a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width grip. Draw the knees up towards the chest by contracting the abs — do not swing or use momentum. Lower the legs slowly. If grip is an issue use wrist straps. If a pull-up bar is not available, use the captain's chair or a dip station instead.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Same as Day 1. Same coaching points. The repetition is the point — by Friday the movement should already feel more natural than it did on Monday. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar before any working sets.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Same weight and setup as Day 1. Focus on the technique — controlled descent, pause briefly on the chest, drive up. Alternative: Dumbbell Bench Press.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Different from the conventional deadlift on Day 2. Start standing, bar in the hands. Hinge at the hips, pushing them back as the bar travels down the front of the legs to just below the knee. Feel the stretch in the hamstrings. Drive the hips forward to return to standing. Keep a slight bend in the knees throughout.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Underhand grip, shoulder-width. Pull until the chin clears the bar. Lower slowly — the lowering phase is where much of the strength is built. In weeks 1 and 2 do not worry about the number — even 2 or 3 good reps per set is a starting point. Alternative: Assisted Chin Up machine — use the counterweight assistance to build the movement pattern. Reduce the assistance as strength improves.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sit in the leg extension machine, pad against the lower shin. Extend the legs to fully straight, pause briefly at the top, lower under control. Do not use heavy weight — this is an isolation exercise for the quadriceps and does not need to be loaded heavily to be effective. Controlled reps matter more than the number on the stack.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Pick up a dumbbell in each hand — a weight that is challenging to carry but does not cause you to lean or lose posture. Stand tall, shoulders back, walk 20 metres at a controlled pace. Set the dumbbells down carefully. This trains grip strength, core stability and posture simultaneously. If the gym is too small for 20 metres, walk back and forth in the available space for 20 to 30 seconds instead.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Same as Day 1. Finish every session with it. Quality over duration at this stage.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Focus: add load carefully, maintain form. By week 3 the movements should feel familiar. Now you can start adding weight — but only on exercises where your technique is solid. If a movement still does not feel right, keep the weight the same and focus on quality. There is no rush.
Add a small amount of weight — 2.5kg to 5kg on each side from your weeks 1–2 working weight. Only if technique is confident. The movement pattern does not change. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar remain non-negotiable every session.
Small weight increase where form allows. The bar should still touch the chest on every rep. If it is stopping short, the weight is too heavy. Reduce it.
Small weight increase — 5kg from weeks 1–2 working weight if form is solid. The back must remain flat throughout. If the lower back rounds at any point, reduce the weight immediately. A rounded back on a deadlift is how injuries happen.
Increase from 20 seconds to 30 seconds in weeks 3–4. Same quality standards apply — no sagging hips, no raised backside.
Increase from 10 to 12 reps where possible. Controlled throughout — no swinging.
Shoulder press, cable row, barbell row, bicep curls, tricep pushdowns, hamstring curl, calf raises, leg extension, farmers walk, chin ups — sets and reps remain the same as weeks 1–2. A small weight increase is appropriate on any exercise where the previous weight felt genuinely easy and form is solid.
Focus: progressive overload begins in earnest. The movements are now familiar. Form should be consistent. From week 5 you should be aiming to add a small amount of weight to the main compound lifts each week — squat, deadlift, bench press, row. This is how strength is built. It is not complicated. Add weight, recover, repeat.
Add one set and reduce reps from 10 to 8. The weight should increase accordingly — you are doing fewer reps so the load can go up. Still two warm-up sets before working sets. The movement does not change.
Same structure as the squat — add a set, reduce reps to 8, increase weight modestly. The bar must still touch the chest. No half reps.
Add a fourth set. Weight can increase slightly. The squeeze at the end of the movement becomes more important as the weight goes up — do not just pull and release without feeling the back working.
Sets and reps remain at 3. Small weight increases where appropriate. Plank increases to 40 seconds per set.
The deadlift rep range drops to 6 as the weight increases. Four sets at 6 reps with good weight is serious training. Every rep must be perfect — reset at the bottom between reps if needed. Do not rush. Two warm-up sets always.
Add a fourth set, reduce to 8 reps, increase weight. The back must remain flat. If the lower back is fatigued from the deadlift, reduce the barbell row weight accordingly — the back has already been worked hard.
Sets unchanged at 3. Weight increases where appropriate on curls and calf raises. Hanging knee raises increase to 15 reps.
Same as Day 1 in weeks 5–6. The weight should match or be close to Monday's working weight. By now the squat should feel like a movement you own.
Add a fourth set. The number of reps per set should be increasing week on week. If using the assisted machine, reduce the counterweight slightly in week 5.
Sets unchanged. Weight increases where form allows. Plank to 40 seconds. Farmers walk weight increases if posture remains solid throughout.
Focus: consolidate what you have built. Weeks 7 and 8 are about banking the progress made in weeks 1 to 6. Continue to add small amounts of weight where possible. Focus on technique — by now the movements should look and feel clean. You are preparing for the next level of training.
Continue to add weight where possible. By the end of week 8 your squat should look completely different to week 1. The movement should feel natural. That is the goal — not a number on the bar.
Continue building the weight. The deadlift is a long-term project — 8 weeks is just the beginning. You are laying a foundation here, not reaching a destination.
Continue adding weight. Focus on the full range of motion — bar touching the chest on every rep. No partial reps in the final weeks.
Sets, reps and weights continue from weeks 5–6 with small increases where possible. Plank increases to 50 seconds per set. Hanging knee raises to 15–20 reps. Chin up numbers should be noticeably higher than week 1.
On the final Friday session of the programme, note down your working weights on the squat, deadlift and bench press. Write down how many chin ups you can do in one set. These are your baseline numbers. They are the starting point for the next programme — not the finish line of this one.
Over 50, your body needs more recovery time than it did at 25. This is not a weakness — it is biology. The training stimulus is the same. The adaptation is the same. The timeline is slightly longer. Respect it.
- Sleep — 7 to 9 hours. This is when the body repairs and grows. No amount of training compensates for poor sleep.
- Rest days — the days between sessions are not wasted days. They are when the adaptation happens. Do not train on consecutive days on this programme.
- Nutrition — protein at every meal. Adequate carbohydrates around training. See the Nutrition page for full guidance.
- Stretching — 15 minutes after every session. The Stretching and Mobility page has a complete post-workout routine. Use it.
- Do not train through pain — soreness is normal. Sharp pain is not. If something hurts, stop. Rest it. Seek advice if it persists. No programme is worth an injury.