Beginner Workout Plan: A 4

Oct 16, 2023

Those gains are just around the corner.

It's no secret that exercising is great for the mind, body, and soul. But while everyone wants those ~gains~, starting can be the hardest part of working out consistently.

No matter your age or experience, there are so many benefits to starting an exercise routine—increasing your metabolic rate by building muscle, stronger bones, ligaments, and tendons, improving blood pressure, and supporting your immune system, says Kristen McParland, CPT, NASM-certified personal trainer and certified nutrition coach with more than 10 years of experience.

If you're future-focused, working out can also reduce your risk of dementia and Alzheimer's and improve your cognition, improve your sleep efficiency and quality, and reduce your chances of heart disease and stroke, according to the CDC.

Meet the experts: Kristen McParland, CPT, is a NASM-certified personal trainer and certified nutrition coach with more than 10 years of experience.

What's more exercising has a positive psychological impact as well: People ages 15 to 25 with mood disorders worked out three times a week for 12 weeks, and their moods significantly improved when measured by the Beck Depression Inventory in a 2020 Journal of Psychiatric Practice study.

But doing random workouts you see on TikTok or Instagram isn't the most efficient way to access all those perks. As a beginner or even a total pro, a comprehensive program helps you achieve your goals and take out the guesswork. Ahead, a complete beginner workout plan, including cardio and strength training, and expert answers to those burning exercise questions. Get ready to sweat smart.

Perhaps your view of cardio is slogging away for hours on an elliptical or treadmill. Cardio actually includes a wide variety of aerobic exercise. "A lot of people have a bad relationship with cardio," McParland explains. "But cardio is honestly a great supplement to strength training."

A few of the benefits of cardio include better endurance in strength training, better blood pressure regulation, and higher VO2 max (the ability to take in more oxygen and deliver it to your muscles efficiently), she says.

You don't have to go all-in and train for a marathon—simply start at your own pace and build. Pick any form of cardio you enjoy and sprinkle it in two to three days a week for 20 to 30 minutes, McParland recommends. Then, take rest days in-between your cardio days.

Running indoors or out, biking or cycling, rowing, or using the elliptical or stair master are great cardio options, McParland recommends. No matter which form of cardio you choose, start out with interval training—try jogging or working for 30 seconds, then walking for a minute or two, and alternate that pattern for 20 minutes.

"Do something higher intensity, get your heart rate up, but then pull it back and recover," she says. Eventually, you’ll be able to decrease the walk time and be able to keep up that higher intensity for 15 to 20 minutes without a break.

First things first: Master the foundational movement patterns of strength training. These are the patterns you'll want to hit every week:

Start strength training with full-body workouts two days a week at a minimum, she says. During both of those days, you should hit at least one exercise from each category of the foundational movement patterns, which will usually take around 40 to 60 minutes.

This way, "you get enough challenge and work to stimulate muscle growth," she says. Try that for four to six weeks, and see how your body feels—if your body is craving a third day of full-body training, feel free to add that in.

Once you’re working out for four days or more, McParland recommends splitting up your training into specific body parts. For example, you can schedule two upper-body days and two lower-body days, or a glute day, an upper-body workout day, a lower-body burn day, and a core workout day.

Wherever your starting point, this beginner-friendly program, designed by McParland, will help you master those movement patterns and work your whole body for four weeks.

Complete the five programmed workouts (detailed ahead!) when it's convenient for you. Focus on your form and take two solid rest days for recover.

Active rest days: Your activity on this day is up to you with the goal of some kind of motion on rest days. You could go for a long walk or hike lasting 40 minutes or more, or roll out your mat for a yoga class.

If you hit all the workouts you wanted to during week one, repeat them during week two and increase one variable (reps or sets, weight, range of motion, slow down, reduce your rest periods) in each workout, McParland says. If you didn't hit your step goal, cardio, or missed a strength workout, don't stress. Refocus on completing all of the week one workouts before upping any of the above.

Repeat the workouts from week two exactly the same or increase one variable again. Option to add a third strength workout to level up.

Still going strong? Hit all six workouts and increase one variable during each one for extra challenge. Option to ramp up your cardio to 30 to 40 minutes or increase that step goal.

Full-Body Strength I

Warmup with 5 minutes of cardio of your choice, like walking, jogging, rowing, biking, elliptical, or jumping rope. Your rate of perceived exertion or RPE should be at a 5 or 6, and you should be able to speak in a full sentence throughout.

How to:

TYW

Inchworm

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Goblet Squat

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Single Arm Bent-Over Row

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Step-Up

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Single-Arm Shoulder Press

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Incline Pushup

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Marching Glute Bridge

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Farmer's Carry

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Warmup with 5 minutes of your choice of cardio, whether walking, jogging, rowing, biking, elliptical, or jumping rope. (Your RPE should be at a 5 or 6, meaning you could maintain that level of effort for longer time period if needed and you should be able to speak in a full sentence.)

T Spine Rotation

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Downward Dog

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Deadbug

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Good Morning

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Dumbbell Deadlift

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Floor Press

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Bodyweight Split Squat

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Bent-Over Reverse Fly

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Side Plank

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Overhead Slam

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Warmup with 5 min cardio of your choice, whether walking, jogging, rowing, biking, elliptical, or jumping rope. (Your RPE should be at a 5 or 6, meaning you could maintain that level of effort for longer time period if needed and you should be able to speak in a full sentence.)

Lateral Lunge

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Banded Glute Bridge

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Overhead Press

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Weighted Lateral Lunge

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Shoulder Press

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Weighted Hip Thrust

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Upright Row

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Lateral Raise

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Kneeling Cross-Body Biceps Curl

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Bicycle Crunch

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Addison Aloian (she/her) is an editorial assistant at Women's Health. When she's not writing about all things pop culture, health, beauty, and fashion, she loves hitting leg day at the gym, shopping at Trader Joe's, and watching whichever hockey game is on TV. Her work has also appeared in Allure, StyleCaster, L’Officiel USA, V Magazine, and Modern Luxury Media.

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