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 leg curl and leg extension machines.
Three different days: Each session has a different emphasis. You will squat on Day 1 and Day 3 — this is intentional. The squat is the most important movement pattern and beginners need repetition to learn it properly.
The same warm-up before every session across all 8 weeks. Never skip it. 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.
- Arm circles — 15 each direction. Start small, gradually increase the range.
- Hip circles — hands on hips, 10 each direction.
- Bodyweight squats — 15 repetitions, slow and controlled.
- Shoulder rotations — 10 each arm, forward and back.
- Empty bar warm-up sets — 2 warm-up sets with the empty bar before every barbell exercise. Always. No exceptions.
Focus: technique above everything. The weights should feel light. That is correct. You are here to learn how to move properly — not to lift heavy yet. 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, chest up, knees tracking over toes. Drive through the heels to stand. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar before adding any weight. Use only the bar or very light weight in weeks 1 and 2.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
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 if no spotter is available.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sit upright at the cable machine. Pull the handle into the lower chest, elbows driving back. Squeeze the shoulder blades together at the end. Return slowly. Alternative: Dumbbell Row.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Sit on an upright bench. Dumbbells at shoulder height, palms facing forward. Press directly overhead until arms are fully extended. Lower under control. Do not use momentum. Alternative: Barbell Overhead Press.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Cable machine, straight bar or rope attachment. Elbows tucked into the sides — they do not move. Push down until arms are fully extended. Return slowly. If elbows are flaring out, 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. Quality over duration at this stage.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Bar over the mid-foot, hip-width stance. Hinge at the hips, grip just outside the legs. Back flat, chest up, push the floor away. Lock out at the top. Lower under control. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar. Alternative: Romanian Deadlift.
Rest 2 minutes between sets.
Hinge forward until torso is roughly 45 degrees. Pull the bar into the lower chest, elbows driving back. Lower under control. Back flat throughout. Alternative: Seated Cable Row.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Stand upright, underhand grip. Curl the bar to the shoulders — elbows stay pinned to the sides. Lower slowly. Alternative: Dumbbell Curl.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Lie face down on the machine. Curl legs up towards the glutes, pause 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, heels hanging off. Rise onto the toes as high as possible, pause, lower the heels below the step for a full stretch. Slow and controlled both ways.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Hang from a pull-up bar, shoulder-width grip. Draw the knees up towards the chest by contracting the abs — no swinging. Lower slowly. Alternative: Captain's chair or dip station.
Rest 45 seconds between sets.
Same as Day 1. By Friday the movement should already feel more natural than it did on Monday. Two warm-up sets always.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Same as Day 1. Controlled descent, pause on the chest, drive up. Alternative: Dumbbell Bench Press.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Start standing, bar in the hands. Hinge at the hips, bar travels down the front of the legs to just below the knee. Feel the hamstring stretch. Drive the hips forward to return to standing. Slight bend in the knees throughout.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Underhand grip, shoulder-width. Pull until the chin clears the bar. Lower slowly. Even 2 or 3 good reps per set in weeks 1 and 2 is a starting point. Alternative: Assisted Chin Up machine.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sit in the machine, pad against the lower shin. Extend fully, pause at the top, lower under control. Controlled reps matter more than the weight on the stack.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Dumbbell in each hand. Stand tall, shoulders back, walk 20 metres at a controlled pace. If the gym is too small, walk back and forth for 20–30 seconds instead.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Same as Day 1. Finish every session with it.
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 where technique is solid. If a movement still does not feel right, keep the weight the same and focus on quality.
Add 2.5kg to 5kg on each side from your weeks 1–2 working weight — only if technique is confident. Two warm-up sets with the empty bar remain non-negotiable.
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.
Add 5kg from weeks 1–2 working weight if form is solid. The back must remain flat throughout. If the lower back rounds, reduce the weight immediately.
Increase from 20 to 30 seconds. Same quality standards apply.
Increase from 10 to 12 reps. Controlled throughout — no swinging.
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. From week 5 aim 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. Weight increases accordingly. Still two warm-up sets before working sets every session.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Add a set, reduce reps to 8, increase weight modestly. The bar must still touch the chest. No half reps.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Add a fourth set. Weight can increase slightly. Squeeze at the end of each rep — do not just pull and release.
Rest 60 seconds between sets.
Small weight increases where appropriate.
Increase to 40 seconds.
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. Two warm-up sets always.
Rest 2 minutes between sets.
Add a fourth set, reduce to 8 reps, increase weight. If the lower back is fatigued from the deadlift, reduce the row weight accordingly.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sets unchanged at 3. Small weight increases where appropriate.
Increase to 15 reps. Controlled throughout.
Same as Day 1 in weeks 5–6. By now the squat should feel like a movement you own.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Add a fourth set. Reps should be increasing week on week. If using the assisted machine, reduce the counterweight slightly in week 5.
Rest 90 seconds between sets.
Sets unchanged. Weight increases where form allows. Farmers walk weight increases if posture remains solid throughout.
Increase to 40 seconds.
Focus: consolidate what you have built. Continue to add small amounts of weight where possible. By now the movements should look and feel clean. You are preparing for the next level of training.
Continue adding 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. Full range of motion — bar touching the chest on every rep. No partial reps in the final weeks.
Plank increases to 50 seconds. Hanging knee raises to 15–20 reps. Chin up numbers should be noticeably higher than week 1.
On the final Friday session, 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 — 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.
- Rest days — do not train on consecutive days on this programme.
- Nutrition — protein at every meal. See the Nutrition page for full guidance.
- Stretching — 15 minutes after every session. See the Stretching and Mobility page.
- Do not train through pain — soreness is normal. Sharp pain is not. If something hurts, stop. Rest it. Seek advice if it persists.
