Home Workout Plan For Beginners
This home workout plan for beginners gives you muscle and needs very little equipment to get you started!
Equipment Needed?
If you are new to fitness and just decided to start working out at home, things seem rather confusing. But it’s quite simple: You need exercises that work many muscles at once (“cmpound exercises”) and whole body workout routines to build your basic strength.
As hinted, I designed this beginner routine for those of you that work out at home. It requires little to no equipment, not even a pull-up bar, even though pull-ups are an essential part of the plan.
All you need is a place to do pull-ups, which doesn’t have to be a bar; this article has many suggestions for places where you can do pull-ups. If you do want to buy a bar, this one seems like a good deal to me.
Before You Start
I know it’s bothersome, but it’s a good idea to visit your doctor. He can make sure everything is a-ok and you are ready to expose your body to this form of stress!
Also keep in mind to ease into working out and to not expect miracles, if this is your first foray into fitness in your life or since Bill Clinton was president. You can feel a difference right after the first workout, but visible results take up to six months!
The Workout Schedule
Body Part | Exercise | Comment |
---|---|---|
Chest / Triceps | 3 sets of push-ups, as many as you can do, with 60 seconds rest between sets | The exercise is explained in this video, which also has pointers on what to do when you can’t do a full push-up yet. |
Back / Biceps | 3 sets of pull-ups, as many as you can do, with 60 seconds rest between sets | If you don’t have a pull-up bar, this article has very many suggestions for possible substitutes. If you can’t do a full pull-up, this video will guide you from negative chin-ups to your first full pull-up and beyond. |
Legs | Three sets of lunges, as many as you can do, with 60 seconds rest between sets. | An explanation of the exercise is right here. Start with no weight to learn the movement and then gradually add resistance, while making sure you keep good form. When you need additional resistance, you can use dumbbells or, if you don’t have any, milk gallons filled with water. |
Legs (optional) | Three sets of hamstring curls, 6 – 12 repetitions, with 60 seconds rest between sets | If you feel your hamstrings don’t get enough work from doing lunges, you may add hamstring curls. I explain them in this video. |
Abs | Three sets of crunches, 6-12 repetitions, with 60 seconds rest between sets | I explain the exercise right here. Note that the hands do not pull on the head; fixate a spot right above you when you do the movement. |
Do every exercise slowly and with controlled form. For push-ups this means you go 2 seconds up and 2 seconds down. For pull-ups it means no swinging or kicking. There are no extra arm exercises because when you do push-ups and pull-ups you do exercise your arms.
Weekly Workout Schedule
Your weekly workout schedule differs depending on your goals: If you want to lose weight, you should spend more time with cardio, as it burns more calories than resistance training. If you are happy with your weight and mainly want to build muscle, the emphasis needs to be on weight training:
Day | For Weight Loss | For Building Muscle |
---|---|---|
Monday | Beginner Workout | Beginner Workout |
Tuesday | Cardio, 30 – 60 Minutes | Cardio, 30 – 60 Minutes |
Wednesday | Cardio, 30 – 60 Minutes | Beginner Workout |
Thursday | Beginner Workout | Cardio, 30 – 60 Minutes |
Friday | Cardio, 30 – 60 Minutes | Beginner Workout |
Saturday | Rest | Rest |
Sunday | Rest | Rest |
A Word About Cardio
A good cardio activity is anything – running, biking, dancing etc. – that gets your pulse to 50 to 75 percent of your maximum heart rate. This maximum you can rougly calculate as 220 – your age. If, for example, you are 40 years old, then your maximum is 180 and your pulse during endurance activities should be between 90 to 135 bpm.
Do not neglect cardio, even if your goal isn’t losing weight. Cardio is as important for a fit body as resistance training.
If you already have a weekly activity that classifies as cardio (tennis, squash, soccer etc.), build the above plan around it, otherwise decide on one which fulfills the criteria and which you’ll enjoy and keep doing. Some tips on how you should start cardio are in this article. You can also do your cardio at home.
Logging Workout Progress
To track how you are progressing in your workouts, it helps a lot to keep a workout log, where you write down when you did your sessions and how you peformed on each exercise. To make this task easy for you, I prepared a PDF you can download, print out and get right started. Right click and choose “save link as”:
Workout Log – Beginner Workout
Beyond Beginner Workouts
Stay with this workout routine until you are able to do 30 consecutive push-ups and 7 consecutive pull-ups in good form, which is my rule for dividing between beginner and intermediate trainees.
Reaching these two milestones takes about six months. After that you are ready for home workouts that target different muscle groups separately. Here is a suitable intermediate home workout plan.
Don’t Forget Nutrition!
Please remember that for building a maximum amount of muscle, you also need to have an eye on your nutrition. I compiled a handy guide on it right here and here is a free complete nutrition plan for an entire week!
Picture courtesy of Elvert Barnes.
280 Comments
It looks as though most of your regular readers aren’t beginners. Nevertheless, you have written another good article. It may have been worthwhile to mention that even intermediate as well as advanced body builders incorporate these basic exercises into their regimes, however.
Good idea!
very solid article. Only thing I would add is intermediate plans links in “beyond beginner workouts” subtitle. Nonetheless, this just point starters in the right direction. Good job (=
Thanks, Juan. An intermediate workout plan will follow.
Good read Evil. Looks like something I could take with me on my upcoming vacation. My only question is what happened to you and the forum?
Thanks, man! And yep, even on vacation you can keep fit with some simple stuff.
But, honestly, sometimes on vacation I simply like to chill 😀
And, well, it came down to being asked to leave, but please understand that I don’t want to go into details. It’s over and would only hurt the place I spent 20 months building.
You were not *asked to leave*. Scooby simply asked you to continue as a regular user rather than a moderator, and it seems your ego could not handle that. To say you were “asked to leave” is just being spiteful.
I like your videos and articles though, and there is some serious potential here. Anyway, I will keep reading…
I could enlighten you and back up what I said, but I have left this behind and am not going into it anymore.
now i know why scooby banned me from facebook all i did was post a link of your video for a person asking inner chest exercise
I’m really sorry to hear that, Sammy! I always wanted that one else is affected by this 🙁
Nice simple plan, intermediate just means evolving to do harder versions of the same exercises of which there are endless possibilties. No squats, I note. You could do jumping knees to chest squats.
Hi, I am a total beginner in this workout things, so maybe my question will sound a bit stupid to you all…..and sorry for that in advance.
So, when actually am I as a beginner ready to visit a gym? 😉 I’ve never been there, so I don’t want to look like some idiot when I do my first visit! Thanks
Who is wiser, the one who doesn’t know but acts like he does or the one who doesn’t know and asks a question? 😉
You can join a gym any time, just what you should do should differ – a beginner needs a different workout plan than an intermediate or advanced trainee.
If you feel self-conscious, then of course you can also work out at home until you leave beginner stage, which I personally set at being able to do 30 consecutive push-ups and 7 consecutive pull-ups.
I started out very weak. I’m approaching the 6 month mark and still cannot reach your standards. What should I do?
No worries; you are an individual person and may simply need a bit longer, which is why I said “about six months”.
You will get there! 🙂
Yes, thank you. What I meant is say I plateau on this workout and still haven’t reached the standards, do I do the intermediate one anyway or find another beginner workout to do?
I would just like to thank you as well, following your plans helped me get my first push up and pull up and now I can do multiple of each. Please keep up the good work!
I will keep it up if you promise to never give up! 😉
Seriously, I’d say if you reach one standard, make that bit of the workout a little harder, but keep going.
For example, when you reach the 30 push-ups, but still struggle on the 7 pull-ups, do wide push-ups and continue the pull-ups part as it is.
thanks alot , i was looking for information , and got all what i need to start with. 😀
Great to hear! Let me know how it works for you! 🙂
I was wondering what a good warm up and stretches would be? My elbows always pop during pushups which is VERY irritating, so I always stretch my biceps before with 3 different stretches (works most of the time), but obviously those aren’t the only muscles being worked, so what are some other good stretches? For the warm up, I usually just jog until I feel like I’ve got a good sweat going and a warm body, but is that the only aim of the warm up, or do I have to do specific things to heat certain parts of the body? Thanks alot for the help, you’ve really taken ppl like me by the hand to a healthy life!
Heah Omar, forget stretching before workouts, because stretching cold muscles generally does more bad than good. What you might try is warming up the area in question up with smaller resistances. For example, in the case of push-ups, you can do knee- or door push-ups.
Also keep in mind that our joints aren’t exactly high-precision and do make some noises from time to time. As long as it doesn’t keep you from working out causes actual pain, you normally don’t have to worry about it that much.
So should I warm up and then stretch, or before a workout only warm up?
I’d say before a workout only warm up.
i have a question about Ab exercises in this plan. i was wondering if changing out crunches with leg raises is a good option? when i do leg raises lying on my back it feels much better for me then doing crunches, so i am just wondering if leg raises are a good substitue for the crunches or if crunches are the best option?
Thank for a very good workout plan and instructions.
Not every exercise works well for everybody, so it’s perfectly ok to swap the crunches for leg raises, if you are more comfortable doing them.
After a while with the raises you could give crunches another go, as they may work better when the abs got a bit stronger.
I hate to be a pain, but I have a lot of questions. So I’ve switched from Scooby’s teen workout to yours, since I couldn’t meet your requirements for it, for about a week now. I couldn’t do a pull up, so I tried negative chin ups. However, I fell way too fast and swung way too much to get any benefit out of it or “feel the muscles” working. So I switched to inverted rows, and found a pole at my local park that is at an angle where I can barely pull them out, and my form tends to die before I even reach 8. Still, better than nothing, and I can feel muscles working. However, I don’t feel my back working much at all, which is the point I thought, almost all the soreness is in my arms, and not even much at that. Same case for pushups. On my fists, I can just barely pull out 15. I have to work hard doing them, but all of the soreness and muscles that I feel working are in my arms, not my chest, which I also thought was the point of the exercise. So in short, I don’t feel like I’m getting any good exercise for my lats, chest, and not much for my arms, which is what I’m going to need most to perform the pull up and push ups requirement to move on to Scooby’s teen workout. My abs and legs seem to be working good, but my upper body doesn’t feel like it’s working hard enough. Should I just keep doing these exercises? How long should it take before I see improvement in strength? Can I replace these with exercises like dumbell rows for lats, and dumbell flys and presses for chest? When doing them I felt my muscles were able to reach a point where they were worked VERY hard, which is awesome. Also, getting in both a 30min run and 30min workout is very difficult for me during the day. Typically I’m exhausted after the run, and like to cool off with a swim and then go on with my day, and either have to workout VERY late, or just skip it. Between warming up, stretching before and after, and finishing the run, it nearly takes an hour. So here’s my questions regarding that: One, how long should I wait to workout after cardio? Should I just do it immediately? If so, would I not stretch after running? And two, instead of doing both in one day, could I take away my rest days and spread out my workouts more, doing one day 30min cardio, the next day 30min workout? Thanks for the help
Omar, you aren’t a pain, you are putting thought in what you do and that is commendable!
On to your questions: That you feel your arms more than your chest and back may be due to some catching up they have to do. So yes, keep on doing push-ups and pull-ups, but make sure you have really good form on those.
As for cardio and workouts I’d rather have you do your workouts and then your cardio. For your workouts you should have most of your energy at your disposal to get a training effect, while cardio can also be done with lower maintenance.
I train kickboxing recreationally (i’m on summer break now), and i’m runing regullary, i can do about 20 push ups in set, but i have really big problem with pull ups, so my question is – can i do your intermediate home workout plan and pull ups for beginners, or is it best to start from beginning with home workout plan for beginners and than get to intermediate workout plan?
I’d say your kickboxing has already given you some conditioning and increased strength, but that right now you might be better off with the beginner’s program.
Thank you very much 😀
whats the resting time between the exercise?
60 seconds, as mentioned with every exercise 😉
Hi Mr Evilcyber,
I’ve been doing pushups about 2 months now… by now I’m capable of doing about 10 to 13 push ups with good form.. I normally do it every other day. I follow your routine of 3 sets. I’m wondering generally how long normally it takes until someone can actually do up to 30 pushups with good form? For example, how long it took you before you able to do more than 30? I know its different for different? individual but perhaps you could give a general idea. Thank you
Hello Ayman! First of all, that is nice progress!
In my experience, it takes most people about six months to reach 30.
Thank you for this workout! I don’t have money for gym and thought I could never properly work out!
I’m glad to hear it helped you! All the best!
Bro I used to do 6-7 pull-ups easily about 8 years ago when I was 15. After that I discontinued and now I can’t even do 1. I remember that I started off with 3 chin-ups back then. Why can’t I start it off with even 1 now?
My second query is that is it necessary to follow this complete plan i.e each & every exercise? Can’t I daily try for pull-ups only. at-least till I’m able to do 3 ?
Eight years is a long time. Your body tries to do its best to conserve energy, so it built back the muscle it didn’t need anymore. For the body, muscle mass is relatively expensive to maintain.
And yes, in my opinion you may want to do the full plan. If you just train your back, it might lead muscular imbalances. However, doing the occasional pull-up doesn’t hurt:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/how-to-do-more-pull-ups/
I was going through your workout plan and I am just curious to know that why do we need rest ?
Can we do only Cardio on rest day ?
Your body needs time to rebuild its energy reserves and, very important, your muscles do not grow while you work out, but during those rest periods.
Rest days should be exactly that: days where you completely rest.
Thanks for your help.
I am beginner and dont want to mess my body.
Can I do Hand grips now or it is not needed for beginner
Can I do cardio on Monday and Thursday before starting workout.
I think this should explain it:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/best-time-cardio/
I am 15 years old and I am doing swimming because people told me thats good for your body.
I do this 4 times a week for 90 minutes Monday-Wednesday-Thursday-Saturday and in most cases have a race on sunday.
Is there still room to do these excercises?
Because there is not really a rest day if I do.
In a way, swimming is a whole body workout all by itself, as it involves so many muscles. Therefore I’d say if you do this program just once or twice per week (for example, Tuesdays and Fridays) should be enough.
That being said, your main focus should always be your swimming, as that is where your performance counts.
ok, I will do twice a week 🙂
I’ve seen lost of good vids of you too so keep up the good work 😉
John
Good article. Beginner here with a question: How long is a set?
As long as it takes you to do the reps you can do.
Fantastic! Thank you for the answer. 🙂
Your article has inspired me so I hope you don’t mind me asking another question. I’m looking to buy some dumbbells and have found a fairly cheap pair, where the bars weigh 4.4 pounds, with two weights weighing 3.3 pounds and four weighing 5.5 pounds. (this is per hand): Would this be a good beginner set do you think? I’m not looking to build a LOT of muscle only to become more athletic (I’m fairly slim but very unathletic due to too much office work). 🙂
Here’s a link to to dumbbells:
http://webshop.coop.dk/vare/actila-haandvaegt-1-stk-15-kg/5750002307533?kategorier=sport-og-fritid%2Fmotionsudstyr%2Fvaegttraening
I’d say the areas of the bars where you can put weights on are too short (similar to the very first set I bought and later found out I couldn’t put many plates on there).
The bar should be about 40 cm long in total and the portion you can put plates on should be 12 cm long on each side.
Ok, thank you very much! I will continue looking.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/348037-big-biceps-with-push-ups/ is this true? because of back problems i can’t do pull ups, so i’m searching alternative metods.
No, unfortunately not. A close grip push-up simply shifts more attention to the triceps and won’t get that much mileage out of the biceps. If pull-ups / chin-ups are out of the question and you want to work the biceps, go for dumbbell curls or, if possible, supine rows.
Thank you! I started doing supine rows because i can’t in this moment afford supine rows. Just one more question, i’m riding stationary back every day (except monday) because of back. So i’m trying to implement beginners training with this (i need to lose weight), so my question is can i do beginner workout every other day (i also want do build muscle)?
*aforrd dumbells XD my bad XD
Yep, you can. My recommendation here is to do the beginner’s workout 2 times per week. If you want to ride the bike on the days where you also work out, do the bike after the workout. The other way around you won’t have much power left for the workout.
Hi, am a college student. Am interested in workouts but am somehow skinny and light weight. I am pessimistic if this exercises will help me gain muscles.
Please comment on this.
Thanks
Yes, they will. It may take you a bit longer, but you will see results.
Great article I am going to start this next week. Have you done an article like this on what to eat for beginners? If not could you recommend one please?
Sorry I forgot to ask something else as well, what should we do for a warm up before starting the working out? I am 21 and have smoked for 5 years (I’m quitting at the moment) so running really really hurts my chest do you have any suggestions on that? Sorry to ask so many questions, thanks again for the really great article.
Heah Jack,
good question! Wolf wrote a really detailed article about the subject:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/bodybuilding-primer-warming-up-cooling-down/
About what to eat, these articles should help you:
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/how-to-use-protein/
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/what-eat-before-workout/
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/what-eat-after-workout/
First of all thank you for this article and this wonderful webpage.
I started off getting in the whole work out world on this program and liked it, but changed to Starting Strength before hitting the intermediate level. Basically because I got intrigued by barbell exercises and also I see faster progress doing that. I kept the order of weight training and cardio of your plan.
However, I miss the core exercises you have in your program in SS. Do you think, I SS can be blended with your program, that I replace the lunges with squats, the push-ups with overhead and bench presses, do my deadlifts/power cleans but still do something for my abs?
Of course you can do that. This workout here is mainly aimed at those who want to work out at home and don’t have a lot of equipment, but it still is just one way of approaching things.
Wolf did an excellent writeup on SS and SL that you might find interesting:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/review-starting-strength-stronglifts/
Spot on! Compound, full-body exercises is the only way to go. Great article!
In my expert opinion this guy rocks! He employs home workouts to get the job done. I am also a VTrainer and I train so many clients online to assist with reaching their goals. And information like this is essential when creating the body of your dreams.
Keep focused Evilcyber.. Beginner Home Workouts Rule.
MVT WESLEY VIRGIN PUTS HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL ON THIS WORKOUT!
get fit with passion
Hi. I haven’t seen my scenario so would like to get some realistic suggestions while keeping the “story” as succinct as possible :). Whew, haven’t even started exercising and I’m outta breath lol!
Ok, very youthful grandmother – did I mention youthful? Traveling all 48 contiguous states in honor of one of my g-sons that we lost to leukemia.
Trouble is, I’m getting fat out here on the road – having difficulty eating correctly – moving around every few days to a new place- never mind getting motivated to exercise. I certainly could make the time.
Bottom line, I am coming off the road in a few weeks long enough to get myself “kickstarted” but don’t want to waste these next three weeks since this is the most inspired I’ve been after reading your forum!
ANY direction would be sincerely appreciated. Sherrill
Heah Sherrill, first of all, seeing all 48 states sounds like a great trip! I’m jealous! 🙂
What you can do depends on your current level of fitness and health. For all I know, you could be Supergrandma, able to lift me over her head, but you could also have some medical conditions I don’t know about. If that is the case, it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor about what you can safely do.
That being said, if your weight is in the normal range, I suggest you start with a daily 15 minute jog, where you add another five minutes per week. For example, 15 minutes per day the first week, 20 minutes the second week etc. If you are overweight, jogging may be a bit too much stress for your joints and in that case I’d choose swift walking. I have an article on that here:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/how-to-start-running/
When it comes to strength training, a great start would be wall push-ups (for the chest), dumbbell rows with a bottle as weight (for the back) and step-ups (for the legs) on any stairs available:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/push-ups-for-beginners/
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/dumbbell-rows/
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/exercises.asp?exercise=25
You can model these into the plan above, but if it’s too much to do at once, start with just one of the exercises, and then gradually add the others into future workouts.
Finally about the eating. It can be really hard to watch your nutrition on the road. But if you do the jogging / walking from above, you already burn a bit more energy and we can save some more: if you drink regular softdrinks or juices (that often have as many calories as softdrinks), switch to water. This can save you 200 – 400 kcal / day.
As for the food, Tatianna has some great tips for making healthy choices at restaurants:
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/healthy-eating-in-restaurants/
If you aren’t able to lift me over your head yet, I hope you will soon be! All the best! 🙂
buddy, its for u .
*RESPECT*..
thnx buddy very much for help .. m gonna start up from tomorrow .. but just one question,
when i start the workout, should i jump to exercises immidietly or just to do a little warm up ?
i used to exercise a time ago, but i used to do a little stretching before starting the workout, so here i am just asking , how to start ?
and one more thing, should i do workout and cardio both regularly or as mentioned above ?
Warm up with easier versions of the exercises (for example, wall push-ups). But no stretching before the workout! In many cases that isn’t good:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/working-out-and-stretching/
As for cardio: if you do it like written above, that should be enough for the beginning.
Good luck! You can do it! 🙂
will skipping do?
Of course 🙂
I was just looking for some instruction on how best to workout for my first time. I have been dieting for a few months now and have approval to start working out. My question is, since I am a really big guy I can’t safely do a pull-up. I would break something. Do you have an exercise that I can do instead of the pullups until I am not as big and a home bar could support me?
Heah Vinnie, first of all, congrats to already having gone through with it for the last couple of months! If you got this far, you very likely will go all the way!
Replacing pull-ups is very difficult. One alternative may be inverted rows:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/BackGeneral/BWSupineRow.html
Make sure that whatever you set up to do this can handle your weight and stays in place. Other than that, there would only be the pulldown, but that would require a machine:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/CBFrontPulldown.html
Thanks for your reply. I think I have something that might work for the Inverted Rows.
I DONT understand that what time u should do your cardio and after how many hours should do the WORKOUT!! i am proper confused
plzz can u give an example…?
i go to school if i do my cardio at 6 or 7 of the evening can i do my workouts at 8 or 9 of the night???
In this plan you don’t do your cardio on the same day as your workouts. For example, you do the workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the cardio you do on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
What time you do them is up to you. Do it when you have enough time and feel energetic.
Hi, I am posting this comment on this article because I have watched your lying abdominal leg raise video on youtube but cannot find an article about them on here.
When I do them my back curves upwards and I get back pain. Is this because I am not doing them correctly or is it just because I need to get used to them. Or could it be because I don not use an exercise mat?
Thanks in advance.
Those are more of an advanced ab exercise. You may want to strengthen the abs a bit more with crunches / bicycles before moving to those.
I can manage to do 3 sets of 15 reps quite easily, I just feel like I am doing them wrong because of the way my back curves and the back pain it gives me.
Is this normal or do you think I am doing them wrong?
Yes, you are doing them wrong. They seem easy because your back has to help out.
Thanks, I’ll stick to crunches for now then. I do 3 sets of 15 reps. What should I do to make them a harder workout, add more reps per set or do more sets?
Hold a weight behind your head. A 1 – 2 lb (0.5 – 1 kg) plate should suffice.
Also make sure that you don’t bring your pelvis up during the movement. I even caught myself doing that 😀
Thanks for your help, I’ve decided to do bicycles as well to replace the leg raises, they take a bit of getting used to the movement/rhythm.
Hello, I have beeb doing your beginners workout plan since May. At that time I couldn’t do even one pull up and know I can do three repetitions of 8-7-7. My push ups are 38-22-20. I wanted to ask you if i could continue doing this plan and not start doing the intermediate one but still get results. I don’t know why but i like training without dumbbells and I am really happy with my progress this far! Thank you for those workout plans. If not for you I wouldn’t have gotten the push needed to start working out. Great job!
Glad it works this well for you!
If you want to stay with the plan, you need to make the exercises more difficult: do wide push-ups (fists one handlength beyond the edge of the shoulders) and weighted pull-ups (strap a backpack with something heavy high on your back).
Thank you for you reply! I have just one more question… Should I increase the weight and make the exercises harder and try to build up again 30 push ups and 7 pull ups? Or go for higher repetitions?
The former: make the exercises harder and then work up again. Muscles have to work against increasing resistances to grow.
Nice Thanks a lot for your presentation…. i hope as your tips make me fit and healthy… your language and video is easy to understand.. once again thanks a lot…
I wish you all the best! 🙂
Hello, I appreciate what you’re doing for us, and I like your videos because I think it’s very helpful and easy to do, however my problem is in my weight, I’m 177CM tall and weigh 60KG only, and if you saw me you will know that I’m skinny, I tried so many ways and methods of eating or training,and see doctors and eat pills and medicine, but still my body didn’t change a bit. I wish that I can find a solution from you. I’d like to mention that I’m 23 years old. please accept my respect and appreciation.
ammm.. I forget to tell you so you don’t get confused. I actually want to gain weight. thanks again
Heah Khalid, when I was around 18, I had exactly the same problem. I was so skinny, people thought I was sick.
If your doctors say you are ok, then my recommendation is that you work out and get enough protein. Building muscle will take longer for you, but it will come.
Never give up!
Thanks for replying. I’ll keep that in mind.
Thanks for making these guides! This is the first real time I started working out (I’m 18) so this is very helpful. I’m hoping I could get “cut” by 2013. I want 2013 to be my new beginning but with only 4 months of left of 2012 I wonder if that’s possible. I know the guy who played Batman in Dark Knight had only 8 weeks to get buff but his workout routine is very, very difficult.
Heah Omar, let’s put it this way: you can do nothing and wait for 2012 to be over and you will be where you are anyway. Or you can start RIGHT NOW and be a lot fitter by January.
And never, ever believe what you hear about actors getting fit in incredibly short amounts of time:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/hollywood-celebrity-workout/
Nice work on putting these programs together.
Working out at home is the best possible solution for beginners. What I have found is that most people become intimidated at the gym. So they give up very early.
But that’s not the case when you’re at home! Plus you can do them whenever you have spare time. So no worrying about driving to the gym and having to deal with traffic.
i was wondering can i do one week weight loss program then the next week muscle building program? en alternate between the two?
If you enjoy that, why not? Just keep in mind that your weight loss might be a little slower then.
Hi Evilcyber!
First of all, I would like to THANK YOU for this amazing article! I am not quite that fit when I started becoming concerned about exercising last November 2011, and I have tried different workout routines. I started this routine around April 2012 and I must say, I really like it!
For me, this is the most effective workout I have tried! From 0 pullups and even having a hard time with negative pullups (even chinups!), I can now do 6 / 5 / 3 consecutive pullups, the rest negative up to 15 reps per set! From 145 pounds, I have reduced it to 130 pounds (my previous weight) and I really like what I am seeing! I definitely see some muscle development!
I have several questions though and hope you can answer them!
1) It’s been 6 months already and all I can do is max 6 consecutive pullups and about 15 consecutive pushups. Am I doing something wrong?
2) I can see a 4-pack already but I’m having a REALLY hard time losing my lower belly fat? Is it really this hard? Of course, my belly is a smaller compared to pre-workout but it seems taking too long to lose! I’m concerned about eating less (diet) because I don’t want to go below 130 pounds anymore, as I may look too skinny already. I seem to have lost fat already on places that have fat before such as my chest, thighs, back. Can you advise on this?
Thank you Evilcyber! More power!
Great going! 🙂
The results with the push-ups and pull-ups varies a bit with different people – sometimes it takes a bit longer. Give it another month and you should at least be able to do seven pull-ups. If the push-ups will be still lacking behind, make them a bit more difficult on every second workout, as in wide instead of regular push-ups. That way we might budge your body into more corporation.
The last bit of fat usually sits around the lower abdomen and is the hardest to get rid of, even if you otherwise already are slim. I’d say give it another year, build more muscle and then worry about that. If you now went to lose more body fat, it might not look good on you.
Great advice! Thanks very much! I will definitely continue this! I am looking forward to moving up to the intermediate workout routine! 😀
Hi Evilcyber, I have a follow-up question to this one 🙂
I noticed that when I do pushups, I sometimes need to fall to the ground and rest a bit because my knuckles hurt doing pushups. I do my pushups on a yoga mat so I have some cushion.
My question is, is this normal? Also, does 30 consecutive pushups count even if I fall for a bit on the 15th pushup for example?
Many thanks! 😀
Also, sorry for adding another comment, but I’m quite confused.. In this workout plan you mention to do “3 sets of as many pushups as you can”. While watching you’re video however, the limit is at “3 sets of 15 pushups, if cannot do full pushups, do the rest negative”.
Can you please clarify what I should follow? 😀 Currently, I’m following the one in the video with limit of 15 reps per set. I’m wondering if in case I should do the “as many pushups as you can”, should I also do an easier variation similar to the one in the video even though there is no “ceiling” of reps in the set?
Hope I make sense and Thank you!
You caught me on an imprecision. Apparently I couldn’t make up my mind about the approach 😀
Either works, actually, but as you already started with the “as many as you can”, keep going with that.
Yep, we might just let you get away with a slight drop in performance on the 15th 😉
About the knuckles: it may be the surface of the yoga mat that gives you the problem. Although the mat itself is soft, the surface can be rough on your knuckles. You may try to use some cheap work gloves when you do push-ups (I also use those with dumbbell exercises).
Thanks very much Evil! I really appreciate that you are taking the time to reply to our questions here. You are doing a great service by providing free tips to us beginners!
Ok, I will continue doing that 😀 I just tried yesterday and I can do 7 pullups and 30 pushups already, but only on the first set. Do I need to be consistent on all of my 3 sets or can I move already to the intermediate workout routine?
Many thanks Evil! 😀
Sorry again! I can’t figure out how to edit my comments. Sorry for spamming the comments 🙁
Would just like to ask if there is a difference between doing circuit vs sequential (is this the correct term)? Currently I am doing a mixed circuit of Pullups / Lunges, then after I finish those I do my Pushups / Crunches.
Is there a advantages / disadvantages between circuit and sequential?
Thank you!
Circuits IMHO just spice things up, for example when you get a bit bored with your routine.
As for 7 pull-ups / 30 push-ups: congrats, you are ready for the next level! 🙂
Woohoo! Thanks Evil! 😀
As an unfit person that has not been in shape since his sixteen (No 21) I have searched the net a lot for a site like this, every other site I’ve read has a bodybuilding undertone that apparently sends you the idea that if you’re not like them you’re living wrong. I have no words to express how awesome I think your work here is, so I’ll just say a million thanks to you.
I’m not obese, just a little overweight, and I’m really wimpy. Can barely do the three series of 15 knee push ups, can barely do half a dozen inverted chin ups, lunges and crunches are way better to me, I used to train those a lot, but my arms are like spaghetti. That’s my general condition.
Now on to the questions.
I started this workout not long ago, I’m trying to get a pair inline skates because that’s something I greatly enjoy and can easily do for more than an hour, but at least for a month, I’m stuck with running, and boy do I suffer while running, despite my city having more than five Km of seaside sidewalk. So my questions are:
Should I stop when it starts hurting me?
Or should I stop when i can no longer?
It really confuses me, I’ve tried to constantly run before, beside my well shaped buddy, and he makes me go way beyond my breaking point, problem is that I often end up a little too hurt to do it again in two days.
So there is that. Saludos desde Mexico!
Heah Amarquez! That was a very nice compliment, because it is my belief that anyone can get fit.
Your friend could become a great drill sergeant, but we are not in the army, and getting fit is not about “going beyond breaking point”.
When I started running, after the first couple of weeks I got really, really bad shin splints. Ignoring the pain would have made matters worse, so instead I went to do swift walking until it went away.
In other words: you have to build up your stamina and that means going close to the breaking point, but not beyond it. Therefore, when it starts hurting, go slower, if needed even simply walk.
Here is how I approached it:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/how-to-start-running/
Many thanks for the reply, I think military service damaged some of my friends neurons 🙂
I’ll do as you say, honestly I can’t wait to put my hands (or feet) in some new pair of inline skates thou, running is just not for me.
I used to do quite a bit of inline skating myself, but then I moved and around where I live now you don’t get much of a chance for it 🙁
does this workout tone your muscles as well as building them? and what is a good diet plan to go with it im not trying to lose weight just build muscle?
Here is toning explained in numbing detail:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/how-to-tone-your-body/
These should give you an idea what to eat:
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/what-eat-before-workout/
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/what-eat-after-workout/
https://evilcyber.com/nutrition/how-to-use-protein/
thanks
I am a beginner (again), and haven’t worked out for… Well… I can’t remember! But my Q is, what about stretching? Before? After? I’ve heard so many different opinions out there I can’t keep track! I’ve always liked the idea of stretching after warming up, but never really knew what warm-up exercises I should use and what stretching is necessary and which weren’t… I am looking to start playing some serious airsoft in my community, and want to be physically fit enough to hang with the young pups, and I want to utilize your beginners workout with the US Navy SEALs after getting back to par… Any tips/tricks/ideas I should know about? Thanks!!!
Heah Del,
this should answer your questions about stretching:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/working-out-and-stretching/
Hey evil,
I’m just starting the beginners work out. Question…how much time should I wait between doing each of the exercises in the workout? i.e. between pushups and pullups, etc. Thanks!
Heah Forbin, the same as between the sets: one minute. If you feel really exhausted, let it be two, but not so long that your muscles go cold.
Hi evil,
Thanks for putting this workout program together. What is your advice regarding nutrition for this workout? I’m interested in doing these exercises first thing in the morning, and I’ve seen your notes on carbs before and protein after. How much time should I leave after having something in the morning and starting the workout?
Thanks
Heah Phalanx, good question! I’d say leave an hour between breakfast and the workout.
can i do weight loss and build muscle at the same time? i chubby and i want to trim fat and change it with muscles and maintain the wideness of my body. thanks
It is difficult, but can be done:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/gain-muscle-while-losing-fat/
thanks. is this workout plan. posted in this page, applicable for that? this workout schedule? or should i increase the workout?
and whats the best diet when undergoing these kind of activities?
Yes, this is the workout plan you should be following.
For the diet, this explains everything in detail:
https://evilcyber.com/losing-weight/secret-to-weight-loss/
thanks a lot evilcyber. 🙂
which will i follow in these workout schedules? the one for losing weight or the one for gaining muscles?
Well, as you want to lose weight, I suggest you follow the one for weight loss. You will still build muscle.
Heyyy!! 🙂 First of all thanks for the amazing workout plans xD
So my question would be kinda silly. I’m like 5.5′ feet tall (170 cm) and I’m 19 years old. What i wanna ask is are there any exercises you’d recommend me to do so i can gain height at this age? Any tips?
I think i can get taller because my father its about 185 cm and thats why i was asking :/
Unfortunately, you can’t influence your height through working out. But you can immediately look taller by getting a better posture:
https://evilcyber.com/fitness/good-posture-exercises/
Hello there I just have a quick question, so by doing these workouts not only will I gain muscle but will I see an increase of bulking up or mass as most people would say? Ive worked out before in the gym and I have a little bit of muscle in every part of my body. But my financial issues have stopped me from going back to the gym. So my question is would I bulk up as well as gaining muscle? Thank you very much
You certainly would gain mass and strength.
Happy New Year to you! 🙂
hi if you are just trying to build muscle from this workout and not lose weight should you watch your calorie intake if so whats the recommended daily amount?
You have to calculate TDEE. You can calculate it here,
https://evilcyber.com/losing-weight/how-to-lose-weight/
and then simply don’t try to stay below the number you get, but hover around it.