Beginner Workout Plan: A Free 3-Day Full-Body Routine
A free, beginner-friendly 3-day full-body workout plan with a clear table of exercises, sets and reps — plus gym and home dumbbell variants and progression rules.
- A 3-day full-body split (Day A / Day B, alternating) trains every muscle three times a week — ideal for beginners.
- Every exercise has a gym and a home dumbbell version, so you can run it anywhere.
- Use double progression: add reps to the top of the range, then add a little weight and start again.
- Train on non-consecutive days (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri) and always warm up first.
- Run it for 8–12 weeks before moving to a split — beginners gain fastest on simple full-body work.
This is a complete, free beginner workout plan you can start this week — no fluff, no app, no signup. It is a 3-day-per-week, full-body programme built on two alternating sessions (Day A and Day B). Full-body training is the most efficient way for a beginner to build strength and muscle, because every major muscle gets trained three times a week — far more practice and growth stimulus than a typical "bro split" delivers to a newcomer.
You'll find both a gym version and a home (dumbbell) version of every exercise, clear sets and reps, a warm-up, and exactly how to get stronger week after week. Pair it with the principles in how to start working out and you have everything you need for your first few months.
How the plan works
You train three days a week on non-consecutive days — for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday — alternating between Day A and Day B. That means in week one you do A, B, A; in week two you do B, A, B; and so on. Over a fortnight every session is performed three times, so nothing gets neglected.
- Schedule: 3 sessions/week, at least one rest day between each.
- Session length: about 40–50 minutes including warm-up.
- Rest between sets: 60–90 seconds for most lifts; up to 2 minutes for the hardest compound sets.
- Effort: stop each set with 1–3 good reps still in the tank. You should not be grinding to failure as a beginner.
Spend five minutes raising your heart rate (brisk walk, cycle or skipping) then do 1–2 light "ramp-up" sets of the first exercise before your working sets. See warm-up and cooldown for a full routine. Never load heavy on cold muscles.
Day A — Squat focus
Day A leads with the squat pattern and a horizontal push. Do every exercise for the sets and reps shown, resting as noted between sets.
| Exercise (gym) | Home / dumbbell swap | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet or back squat | Dumbbell goblet squat | 3 × 8–10 |
| Dumbbell bench press | Floor press or push-up | 3 × 8–12 |
| Seated cable row | One-arm dumbbell row | 3 × 10–12 |
| Romanian deadlift | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2 × 10–12 |
| Dumbbell shoulder press | Dumbbell shoulder press | 2 × 10–12 |
| Plank | Plank | 3 × 30–45 sec |
The squat is the centrepiece here, so it pays to nail your technique early — read proper squat form before you load up. Keep the chest tall, sit between your hips, and drive through mid-foot.
Day B — Hinge focus
Day B leads with a hip hinge and a vertical pull, balancing out the week so no movement pattern is over- or under-trained.
| Exercise (gym) | Home / dumbbell swap | Sets × Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Deadlift (light) or hip thrust | Dumbbell hip thrust / glute bridge | 3 × 6–8 |
| Lat pulldown | Resistance-band pulldown or row | 3 × 10–12 |
| Dumbbell incline press | Incline push-up | 3 × 8–12 |
| Walking lunge | Dumbbell reverse lunge | 2 × 10 / leg |
| Dumbbell curl + triceps extension | Same (superset) | 2 × 12 each |
| Dead bug or hanging knee raise | Dead bug | 3 × 10 / side |
The whole programme is built from these two sessions. A dumbbell-only workout covers every line in the "home swap" column, so a single pair of adjustable dumbbells turns your living room into a complete gym.
Some muscle soreness is expected, especially in the first two weeks. Sharp joint pain, dizziness or pain that lingers is not — stop the set, and if it persists consult a doctor or physiotherapist before continuing.
How to get stronger (progression rules)
A plan only works if it gets harder over time. This one uses a simple, beginner-proof method called double progression:
- Pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with good form.
- Each week, try to add reps until you hit the top of the range on every set.
- Once you reach the top of the range for all sets, add a small amount of weight (1–2.5 kg) next session and drop back to the bottom of the range.
- Repeat — forever. This steady climb is progressive overload in action.
For example: you bench 12 kg dumbbells for 3×8. Over two or three weeks you build to 3×12. Now you move to 14 kg, which knocks you back to about 3×8 — and you climb again. That climb, repeated, is the entire game. Read our full-body routine guide for variations once these movements feel automatic.
When to move beyond this plan
Run this programme for 8–12 weeks. It will keep working as long as you keep adding reps or weight. You'll know it's time for a new stimulus when progress on the main lifts stalls for two to three weeks despite good sleep and nutrition, or when you simply want more variety and volume.
At that point you can graduate to an upper/lower split or a push/pull/legs programme, which lets you add more sets per muscle group. But don't rush it — beginners make the fastest gains of their lives on simple full-body work. Squeeze every drop out of it first.
Write down the weight and reps you hit for every set, every session. Beating last week's numbers — even by one rep — is proof the plan is working, and it's the most reliable motivation there is.
Sources & further reading
- American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) — Resistance Training Guidance
- National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA) — Training Articles
- CDC — Muscle-Strengthening Activity Recommendations
External links are provided for reference and do not imply endorsement. arsenal.fit is an independent publisher and is not affiliated with any cited organisation.