This Beginner’s Weightlifting Workout Plan Will Become Your Forever Go-To

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This Beginner’s Weightlifting Workout Plan Will Become Your Forever Go-To


Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography | Chaunté Vaughn

If you want to start lifting weights more often but have no idea where to start, we’ve got you covered. We created this one-week beginner weightlifting routine that takes all the guesswork out of planning and organizing your workouts. That way, you can tackle weightlifting with confidence, whether you’re working out in your home or the gym.

To complete this weightlifting workout plan, you’ll need medium-weight dumbbells, a mini resistance band, and a workout mat. Check out this guide if you need help choosing the right weight. And FWIW, even though we designed this weightlifting plan for beginners, you can easily scale it up or return to it even if you’re a seasoned lifter.

A heads up: although this plan is dedicated to weightlifting, there’s some cardio in there, too. After all, doing cardio is important because it offers so many health-boosting benefits of exercise, such as improved heart health, better sleep, and better cognition, according to the American Heart Association.

Ahead, you’ll find instructions on how to do each day’s workout from this beginner’s weightlifting workout plan, along with tips for customizing each one for you. (Don’t forget to warm up before every workout and cool down afterward to avoid muscle soreness, too.)

To see results from any workout, you need to be consistent, so we suggest following this program for four weeks. After that, start to increase your weights or graduate to tougher movements so you can keep challenging yourself.

— Additional reporting by Lauren Mazzo, Angelica Wilson, and Mirel Zaman


1

Beginner Weightlifting Routine Day 1: Legs and Core

  • Glute Bridge: two sets of 10 reps
    • Lie down on the floor or a mat.
    • Place feet on the floor with knees bent and hips-width distance apart.
    • Place your hands on the floor next to your hips with your palms facing down.
    • Pull your navel toward your spine to engage your core.
    • Lift your hips as you press down into your feet and hands.
    • Gently lower your hips back down for one rep.
  • Lateral Band Walk (shown): two sets of 10 reps
    • Place a mini resistance band around your shins just above your ankles.
    • Stand with your feet underneath your hips.
    • Keeping the band taut, take two steps to the right (like a crab).
    • Then take two steps to the left for one rep.
  • Dumbbell Squat: two sets of 12 reps
    • Stand with your feet slightly wider than your hips.
    • Rack your dumbbells in line with your shoulders (think top of a hammer curl).
    • Pull your navel toward your spine to help engage your core.
    • Keeping your spine long, begin to sit back like you were going to sit in a chair.
    • Once your hips are around knee level, stand back up for one rep.
  • Dumbbell Walking Lunge: three sets of 10 reps on each leg
    • Stand upright with your feet together, with 10-pound dumbbells at your side.
    • Take a controlled step forward with your left leg, lowering your hips toward the floor by bending both knees to 90-degree angles. Your back knee should point toward but not touch the ground, and your front knee should be directly over your ankle.
    • Press your left heel into the ground, and push off with your right foot to bring your right leg forward, stepping with control into a lunge on the other side for one rep.

Core

Complete two sets of the following exercises. Take one minute of rest in between each set.

  • High Plank: 30 seconds
    • Begin in tabletop with hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
    • Pull your navel toward your spine to help engage your core.
    • Step your feet back into hip plank.
    • Hold for one 30-second rep.
  • Scissor Kick: 30 seconds
    • Lying on your back, lift your legs two to three inches off of the ground.
    • Place your hands on the floor beside you or underneath your lower back for extra support.
    • Cross your right ankle over your left ankle, then cross your left ankle over your right ankle for one rep.
  • Mountain Climber: 30 seconds
    • Begin in high plank.
    • Pull your right knee toward your right elbow.
    • Step back to high plank.
    • Then pull your left knee toward your left elbow.
    • Step back to high plank for one rep.