A beginner gym plan: three days a week, six movements
Train three days a week, on non-consecutive days, with six movements: a squat, a hinge, a horizontal push, a horizontal pull, a vertical push or pull, and a core move. Do 3 sets of 5 to 8 on the main lifts and add weight when every set is completed.
This is a full-body plan. Each session trains the whole body, so you practise each movement three times in two weeks, which is how a new lifter learns it. It needs no special equipment beyond a barbell, dumbbells, a bench and a cable or pull-up bar, and it can be adapted to machines.
The six movements
Each movement is a pattern, not a single exercise. Pick one example to start with and swap it later if your kit or your joints require it.
| Pattern | What it trains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | Quads, glutes | Goblet squat or back squat |
| Hinge | Hamstrings, glutes, lower back | Romanian deadlift |
| Horizontal push | Chest, shoulders, triceps | Dumbbell bench press |
| Horizontal pull | Upper back, biceps | Seated cable row |
| Vertical push or pull | Shoulders or lats | Lat pulldown or overhead press |
| Core | Abs, trunk | Plank or cable crunch |
The plan alternates a vertical push on one day with a vertical pull on the other, so over two weeks you get both. The squat and the hinge swap emphasis in the same way.
The week
Two days, A and B, alternating. Week one is A, B, A. Week two is B, A, B. Leave at least a day between sessions, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
| Day | Squat or hinge | Push | Pull | Core |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Squat, 3 x 5 to 8 | Dumbbell bench press, 3 x 5 to 8 | Seated cable row, 3 x 8 to 12 | Plank, 2 x 30 to 45 s |
| B | Romanian deadlift, 3 x 5 to 8 | Overhead press, 3 x 5 to 8 | Lat pulldown, 3 x 8 to 12 | Cable crunch, 2 x 10 to 15 |
That is four working exercises and a core move per session, about 12 to 14 hard sets. Over a week that puts most muscles at 6 to 9 sets, which is a sensible start. See how many sets per muscle per week if you want to know why.
Warm up first. Do 2 to 3 lighter sets of the first lift, building to the working weight, then one light set before each later lift. Warm-up sets do not count in the totals above.
Sets and reps
- Main lifts (squat, hinge, press, bench): 3 sets of 5 to 8 reps.
- Accessory lifts (rows, pulldowns): 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12.
- Core: 2 sets, either timed or 10 to 15 reps.
Stop each set with one or two reps left. You should be able to say, at the end of the set, that one more was possible but not comfortable. That is about RPE 8. See RPE and RIR if the scale is new to you.
How to add weight
Use double progression. Work in the rep range. When all your sets reach the top of it, add weight next time and start at the bottom again.
- Lower-body lifts: add 2.5 kg.
- Upper-body lifts: add 1.25 to 2.5 kg.
If you cannot complete all your sets, keep the weight and try again. Do not add weight on a day when form slipped. Most beginners can add load almost every session in the first weeks, then the jumps slow down. That is normal. The full list of levers, including extra reps and sets, is in progressive overload.
Small plates matter here. A pair of 1.25 kg plates gives a 2.5 kg jump and keeps progress steady when the big jumps stop.
Rest
Rest long enough to repeat the load. On the main lifts that means 2 to 3 minutes. On accessory lifts, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not rush it to save time; short rests cut the reps on later sets. The ranges and the reasoning are in rest between sets.
A full session of this plan takes about 60 to 75 minutes with warm-ups.
When you miss a session
You will miss one. Do not double up the next day, and do not skip ahead.
- Missed one session: do the next one on the plan as if nothing happened. Pick up the day you missed, not the day on the calendar.
- Missed a week: restart at the same weights, or drop 5 to 10 percent if the break was longer than a week. The first session back should feel easy.
- Missed two weeks or more: restart at about 80 percent of your last weights and build back over a few sessions.
If you are ill, rest. Come back when you can train at normal effort. A flat week will not cost you the progress; a bad week of sick training will not help either.
When to move on
Run this plan for 8 to 12 weeks, or until you stall on most of the lifts for two weeks in a row after trying lighter loads and more rest. At that point the three-day full-body structure no longer gives enough volume per muscle. A split lets you add sets without making sessions longer. Push, pull, legs is the usual next step.
Do not move on because you are bored. Boredom is not a training signal. Move when the numbers say so.
Form and safety
- Learn each lift with an empty bar or a light dumbbell first.
- Keep the same stance, grip and range every week so the numbers stay comparable.
- Stop a set when form breaks, not when the count is done.
- Use safety arms or a spotter on the bench and squat.
If something hurts in a sharp way, stop and do not push through it. This guide is training advice, not medical advice.
In GymYuz
Ready-made plans in the app cover this kind of full-body week, and you can schedule routines for each weekday. The body map lets you pick exercises for the kit you have, so a plan built around a barbell can swap to dumbbells or machines. The plates-per-side calculator shows which plates to load for the weight you want.
Join the waitlist on the home page to get the app when it opens.