As a newbie to working out you know you want to get lean and ripped… you just don’t quite know how. Don’t worry – with this 7-day workout plan for beginners you’ll soon be hitting advanced physique status.
The best workout for a beginner is one that’s simple to follow but effective. There’s no point in overloading your body with complex, advanced movements right now; that stuff can come later down the line.
Getting ‘ripped’ means dropping body fat to the point where you see visible muscle tone… maybe even six pack abs. It’s how a sculptor chips away at the clay to carve out their masterpiece.
To get ripped you need an effective way of burning calories and building toned muscle without worrying about technique and form.
To give you the very best running start to this 7-day workout for beginners we developed a system that focuses on both body weight and simple cardio exercises. You’ll not only burn through a ton of fat in each workout, but develop shapely, athletic muscle too – not bulky, just functional.
| Goal: | Fat loss |
| Aimed at: | Beginner |
| Program duration: | 7-days |
| Workout duration: | 20-30 minutes |
| Equipment needed: | Body weight, dumbbell |
Monday: Body weight calisthenic circuit
Day 1 of this 7-day workout plan for beginner’s focuses on body weight movements – what’s known as calisthenic training.
Because it’s a no-equipment day, you can perform it either in your gym or in the comfort of your own home. That’s the beauty of beginner workouts – you can do them anywhere so they suit those that aren’t quite confident enough to mix things up on the gym floor just yet.
The great thing about this workout is that it ramps up your heart rate quickly. This leads to an increase in metabolic rate as your body works hard to provide enough stored energy to cope with the demands of each exercise. As your body dips into its fat stores, you use more and more for fuel. Over time this will lead to a significant decrease in body fat – and a more ripped, athletic figure.
Not only that, the use of strength movements also helps to condition your muscles, adding tone, shape and strength.
Just look at the physiques of calisthenics experts such as Frank Medrano to see just how ripped a body weight workout will get you.
The workout
For this session you need to set a timer for 10 minutes and complete as many exercises in the circuit as you can.
You’ll then rest for 5 minutes and repeat until you complete 2-3 complete circuits (depending on your current fitness levels).
Think about pacing yourself though as you’ll burn out too fast if you set off quickly. Try to get your heart rate up and get a good sweat on – that way you know you’re burning your way through some fat.
- 20 Mountain climbers – complete a total of 20 reps each side. If you must, take a break and split it into mini sets, that’s absolutely fine.
- 10 Push-ups – do these as full range push-ups if you’re strong enough, or either on your knees or elevating your hands to make the exercise slightly easier.
- 20 Air squats – aim to get as low as you can without letting your heels come off the ground. Placing your arms in front of your helps to counterbalance your body and makes the exercise easier to perform.
- Russian twists – for this abdominal exercise you’ll be lighting up your core area with controlled rotations while in an ab curl position. Don’t go too fast – really feel it in your tummy.
- Alternate back lunges – use a wide base of support and make sure you stride back far enough to bend the front knee to 90 degrees.
You might need a mat to sit on for a couple of these exercises. But other than that, it’s completely equipment free.
Take your time and make sure you get the technique right for every exercise. Using good form helps to prevent injuries and makes each exercise effective.
Here’s how to perform a Russian twist if you’ve not seen one before…
Tuesday: Cardio circuit
You might be feeling a little sore from yesterday’s workout. Hopefully not too sore though as you’re back at it today with this circuit that’s more about getting ripped through cardio than it is building athletic muscle tone.
Each of these body weight movements is focused on speed, not strength. They allow you to really get your heart rate firing and melt fat faster than ever.
You need to complete 3 rounds of the circuit in as fast a time as you can – separate each one with a 5 minute rest break. Set a stopwatch so you can record your finishing time – and try and beat it the next time you give this workout a go.
The workout
- 50 high knee sprints
- 20 burpees
- 50 squat jumps
- 20 burpees
- 20 sumo squats
No doubt you’ll need to break each exercise down into mini sets. There’s no way a pro could smash out 50 high knee sprints or squat jumps without a break, so just work at a pace that suits you. When you get to the end of each round, have a very short break to catch your breath and get set for the next round.
Check out some of the other awesome high-intensity interval training workouts we have planned.
Here’s how to perform a proper sumo squat with good technique…
Wednesday: Rest day
No matter how motivated you are, it’s important you find balance.
You’ll be feeling pretty beat up after two days of intense circuit training. Carry on workout out that hard and you’ll risk an injury or burn out.
Instead, relax and recover. You can throw in a little low-intensity cardio if you really want to – but nothing that raises your heart rate too high.
A rest day isn’t an excuse to pile in the calories. Still watch what you’re eating and support fat burning by sticking to your diet.
Thursday: Body weight calisthenic circuit
Today you’re back on strength circuits to light up those muscles and burn maximum fat stores.
We’ve switched up the exercises to keep you motivated and hit your body in a different way.
In this workout, your aim is to blast out as many reps as you can in 60 seconds. Set a timer or download a workout timer app that signals every minute but also runs a continuous time.
Complete all 5 exercises without a break, then rest at the end for 2 minutes. Your job is to complete a total of 4 rounds.
The workout
- Narrow push-ups – either on your knees or in a full position with just your hands and feet on the ground. Use a hand position that’s in line with your shoulders and make sure your elbows brush past your lower ribs on each rep.
- 60 second wall sit – place your butt and back against a wall and slide down until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold that position. Sounds easy but really isn’t.
- Chair dips – use a dining room chair or a sofa to perform dips. Having your legs straight out in front of you makes the exercise harder, whereas bending them makes it much easier. Choose a position that works for you.
- 60 second plank – get in a full or half plank position and hold that position until the timer goes off. Break it up into mini sets if you must.
- Mountain climbers – get those legs pumping for a minute of fast mountain climber sprints.
Here’s how to master the chair dip with solid form…
Friday: High-intensity interval sprints
Day 5 has something a little different for you… HIIT sprints.
- Sprint for 15 seconds (as fast as you can without causing injury of course)
- Walk at a slow pace for 45 seconds
You’re aiming for a total of 10-15 sprints, totaling a workout that obliterates body fat in less than 20 minutes!
All you need is some space to perform the workout.
A park with an open area works perfectly.
You don’t even need a set route either. As soon as that timer goes off you just pick up the pace.
Saturday: Rest day
It’s the weekend.
Rest, relax and repair.
Sunday: Low-intensity walking
Day 7 is your ‘easy day’.
After the combined workouts from the past few days, your body will be pretty sore. If it isn’t, you’re either not a beginner and need a more challenging workout plan… or you weren’t putting enough effort it.
Today is all about working off that soreness and upping the energy expenditure by going for a long walk.
Yep, you heard us – today you’ll be using low-impact, low-intensity walking to shred some fat.
Over the last few years, researchers have worked out that even though walking doesn’t burn many calories per minute, it can be done for extended periods of time without building more fatigue on top of the last two days of exercise.
Your job today is to get out and complete at least a 60 minute walk.
If you don’t have time, you can split it up a little – maybe 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.
And if you have time, go for longer. Every step you take brings you closer to your goal.
Don’t underestimate the power of regular low-impact walking for fat loss. It’s an easy way of upping your daily calorie burn.
Conclusion
This 7-day workout for beginners is designed to start your fitness journey off in the best, most productive way possible.
Use it as a springboard to regular exercise and before you know it you’ll be a leaner, fitter, more confident version of yourself.
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