Beginner workout chart for a full training week
By Chris Mann Dip.IOPN, Sports nutritionist and personal trainerChecked against published guidance 6 min read
In short
A beginner workout chart needs five columns: exercise, sets, reps, weight and how the set felt. Three full-body sessions a week, each with six exercises of two to three sets of eight to twelve reps, covers everything a beginner needs. Fill in the weight column every session and use last week's numbers to set this week's.
- Three full-body sessions a week, six exercises each
- Two to three sets of eight to twelve reps per exercise
- The weight column is the point of the chart — fill it in every time
- Repeat the same chart for four to six weeks before changing it
A chart does one useful thing a written article cannot: it puts the whole week in front of you, so you can see what you are doing on Wednesday before Monday starts. This is general strength-training guidance for healthy adults 18 and over, laid out as a chart you can copy onto paper or fill in on your phone.
The three-day beginner chart
Every session below trains the whole body, which is why three of them a week works so well for a beginner: each muscle gets trained three times, and missing one session does not cost you a whole muscle group.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat or leg press | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Chest press machine | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Seated row | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Seated dumbbell shoulder press | 2 | 10–12 | 90 sec |
| Hamstring curl | 2 | 10–12 | 90 sec |
| Plank | 2 | 30 sec | 60 sec |
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romanian deadlift with dumbbells | 3 | 8–12 | 2 min |
| Lat pulldown | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Leg extension | 2 | 10–12 | 90 sec |
| Dumbbell curl | 2 | 10–12 | 60 sec |
| Dead bug | 2 | 8 each side | 60 sec |
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg press | 3 | 10–12 | 2 min |
| Assisted pull-up or lat pulldown | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Machine chest press | 3 | 8–12 | 90 sec |
| Lateral raise | 2 | 12–15 | 60 sec |
| Cable triceps pushdown | 2 | 10–12 | 60 sec |
| Farmer's carry | 2 | 30 sec | 60 sec |
Three-day beginner plan
Leave at least one rest day between sessions. Add a little weight or one more rep whenever you finish all the sets comfortably.
Day one
Full body
- Goblet squat — 3 sets of 8-10
- Chest press machine — 3 sets of 8-10
- Seated row — 3 sets of 8-10
- Dumbbell shoulder press — 2 sets of 10-12
- Plank — 3 holds of 20-30 seconds
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 |
Day two
Full body
- Leg press — 3 sets of 8-10
- Lat pulldown — 3 sets of 8-10
- Incline dumbbell press — 3 sets of 8-10
- Romanian deadlift with dumbbells — 2 sets of 8-10
- Dead bug — 3 sets of 8 each side
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 |
Day three
Full body
- Dumbbell split squat — 3 sets of 8 each leg
- Assisted pull-up or lat pulldown — 3 sets of 6-10
- Dumbbell bench press — 3 sets of 8-10
- Hip thrust or glute bridge — 3 sets of 10-12
- Farmer's carry — 3 walks of 20-30 seconds
| Set | Weight | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||
| 2 | ||
| 3 |
A general beginner plan for healthy adults aged 18 and over, not personal or medical advice. Stop and get proper advice if an exercise causes pain.
How to fill the chart in
A chart with the exercises printed and the weights blank is a plan. A chart with the weights filled in is a record, and the record is what tells you whether anything is working.
1. Write the weight as you finish each set
Not at the end of the session. Two minutes later you will already be unsure whether the second set was 30kg or 32.5kg.
2. Add a one-word note on effort
Easy, solid or hard. That single word is what decides whether next week goes up, stays the same or comes down.
3. Compare to the same day last week
Day A this week against Day A last week. Same exercises, so the comparison is honest.
How to move the numbers up
The chart stays the same for four to six weeks. What changes is the weight column. When you hit the top of the rep range on every set of an exercise, add the smallest available increment next session and expect the reps to drop back towards the bottom of the range.
| Last session | This session |
|---|---|
| Hit 12 reps on all sets, felt solid | Add 2.5kg, or one machine plate |
| Hit 8–11 reps | Same weight, aim for one more rep |
| Missed 8 reps on the last set | Same weight again; if it repeats, drop 5% |
| Felt sharp pain | Stop that exercise and swap it for an alternative |
What the evidence says
Adding a small amount of work over time is what drives the change
The American College of Sports Medicine's progression guidance for healthy adults describes gradual increases in load and volume as the basis of continued adaptation, rather than large jumps or frequent programme changes.
When to replace the chart
Change the chart when it stops fitting your life or stops producing progress, not when you get bored of it. Boredom arrives long before a well-built beginner chart runs out of usefulness.
- Your available days changed: rebuild the same exercises across the days you actually have.
- Two or three weeks with no added weight or reps anywhere: change the exercises, not the whole structure.
- An exercise consistently hurts: swap it for one that trains the same movement.
- You have four to six months of consistent training behind you: an upper/lower or push-pull-legs split becomes worth considering.
Want it on paper? printable plan.
The method behind the weight column: progressive overload.
Common questions
- What should a beginner workout chart include?
- Exercise, sets, reps, weight used and a one-word note on how it felt. Anything more becomes admin you will stop doing by week three.
- How many exercises should be on a beginner chart?
- Six per session. That covers a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull, a shoulder movement and a core exercise, and fits inside forty-five to sixty minutes.
- How often should a beginner workout chart change?
- Every four to six weeks at most. The weights on it should change every week; the exercises should not.
- Can I use the same workout chart every session?
- You can run the same single session three times a week and it will work. Rotating three slightly different days keeps more exercises in the plan and stops any one movement getting stale.
Where this comes from
The guidance on this page is drawn from the published sources below. Figures are ranges for healthy adults, not personal prescriptions.
- Progression models in resistance training for healthy adultsAmerican College of Sports Medicine
- Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance training volume and increases in muscle massJournal of Sports Sciences
- Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64NHS
- Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained menJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Use this in the app
Reading about beginner workout chart is the easy part. Bodywise Coach turns it into something you follow, and keeps it up to date as your training and weight change.
- 1. Answer a short setup. Your age, height, weight, goal, training days and the foods you actually eat.
- 2. Get your plan and your numbers. A training week with starting weights, plus protein, energy and fibre targets.
- 3. Log as you go. The app decides next week's weights and shows the reason behind every change.
Free to start. General fitness and nutrition guidance for adults 18+, not medical advice.
Read next
- Training frequencyThe training frequency that builds strength without burning you out.
- Workout splitsHow full body, upper/lower and push-pull-legs compare for beginners.
- Diet and exercise planThe training week and the eating targets that go with it, in one plan.
- Build this around youBodywise Coach sets your plan, starting weights, protein and energy targets and a meal plan from foods you already eat.