Walking into the gym for the first time can be intimidating, not just because you want to fit in amongst a sea of regular gym goers. There may be machines you’ve never heard of that you want to try (psst, these are the best ones for beginners), and even choosing the right free weights can seem daunting if you’ve never lifted before. That’s where this gym workout plan from Holly Roser, an NASM-certified personal trainer and owner of Holly Roser Fitness in San Matteo, CA, comes in. It provides a week’s worth of gym workouts to get you started, and you can build on this routine to keep challenging yourself and get stronger over time.
This gym workout plan contains two strength circuits, three days of cardio, and two days of active recovery. “For the first two weeks, your new program should have two strength training days that are three days apart, with cardio days in between,” Holly tells POPSUGAR. As you build your endurance, move up to three cardio days and three strength training days. For the latter, you can use a mix of moves from the circuits in this plan, or check out other strength training workouts such as this total-body dumbbell routine or this full-body circuit workout. (You can probably take that step about three weeks after getting comfortable with this routine, Holly says.) Make sure to switch up your forms of cardio, rotating between exercises like running, swimming, dance cardio, and indoor cycling to hit different muscle groups and keep from getting bored.
Ready to move? Follow this gym workout routine, and you’re sure to feel like a pro in no time.