Training plan · Beginners

A beginner’s 3-day gym plan

Three full-body sessions a week, about an hour each, using machines and dumbbells that most UK gyms have. Every session has a different focus, and it’s simple on purpose.

By the Fit Fit City team · Updated 17 October 2026 · 5 min read

Why three full-body days

When you’re new, you don’t need a complicated split. Training every major muscle group three times a week gives you lots of practice at each movement, and practice is what makes beginners stronger in the first months.

It also fits the NHS guidance for adults, which recommends strength activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, alongside at least 150 minutes of moderate activity across the week. Three gym sessions plus some brisk walking covers both.

The week

Train on three days with at least one rest day between each, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each day has a different focus, so every major muscle group is worked at least twice a week. On Tuesday and Thursday, walk, cycle or do some easy cardio. Sunday is a rest day.

Do the exercises in the order shown. “3×10” means 3 sets of 10 reps. Rest for the time shown between sets.

Monday: legs, chest & back

• Warm-up, 8 minutes: easy bike or brisk walk, then one light set of the first exercise.
• World’s greatest stretch: 5 each side, to loosen up
• Goblet squat: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Machine chest press: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Seated cable row: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Glute bridge: 3×12, rest 60 seconds
• Lateral raise: 2×12, rest 60 seconds
• Dead bug: 3×8 each side, rest 45 seconds
• Cardio finisher: 8 minutes easy on a bike or an incline walk, then a calf stretch.

Wednesday: hips, back & shoulders

• Warm-up, 8 minutes: easy bike or brisk walk, then one light set of the first exercise.
• Hip airplanes: 5 each side, holding a support
• Leg press: 3×12, rest 90 seconds
• Dumbbell Romanian deadlift: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Neutral-grip pulldown: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Seated dumbbell shoulder press: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• Rear-delt fly: 2×12, rest 60 seconds
• Farmer carry: 3×30 seconds, rest 60 seconds
• Plank: 3 holds of 20–30 seconds, rest 45 seconds
• Cool-down: a hip flexor stretch, 30 seconds each side.

Friday: glutes, chest & core

• Warm-up, 8 minutes: easy bike or brisk walk, then one light set of the first exercise.
• Band pull-apart: 2×12
• Split squat: 3×8 each side, rest 90 seconds (hold a support if you need to)
• Dumbbell bench press: 3×10, rest 90 seconds
• One-arm dumbbell row: 3×10 each side, rest 60 seconds
• Hip thrust: 3×12, rest 90 seconds
• Dumbbell curl: 2×12, rest 60 seconds
• Triceps extension: 2×12, rest 60 seconds
• Pallof press: 3×10 each side, rest 45 seconds
• Cardio finisher: 8 minutes easy on a cross-trainer or bike.

Each session takes about an hour, including the warm-up and the cardio finisher. Once you know your way round the gym, it can be a little quicker.

Choosing your weights

For the first two weeks, pick weights that feel comfortably hard. On the last rep of each set you should feel you could do two or three more with good form. If you couldn’t do another, it’s too heavy. If you could do ten more, it’s too light.

Don’t worry about what anyone else is lifting. Your first job is to learn the movements, find your seat settings and get into the habit of turning up.

How to progress

Write every set down: the exercise, the weight and the reps. When you can do all three sets of 10 with good form and a rep or two to spare, add the smallest weight step next time, usually 1–2.5 kg on dumbbells or one plate on a machine stack. Then build back up to 3 sets of 10.

That’s progressive overload in a sentence. Our progressive overload guide goes into more detail, and our guide to using a workout log shows how to track it.

Easier weeks

Every fourth or fifth week, do two sets of everything instead of three, at the same weights. You’ll often come back the week after feeling stronger. If you feel run down, sore for days or you’re sleeping badly, take the easier week early.

Swaps if the gym is busy

• No leg press free: do goblet squats or split squats.
• No chest press: do a dumbbell bench press or push-ups.
• No cable row: do a one-arm dumbbell row.
• No pulldown free: do an assisted pull-up or a chest-supported row.

What about cardio?

Cardio is good for your heart and your general health, and you can do it on your rest days. Brisk walking counts. If you want to add a few minutes after a session, keep it easy so it doesn’t affect your lifting on the next day.

A sample first week

Here’s how a first week might look for someone working nine to five. Monday after work: legs, chest & back, keeping every weight light while you find the seat settings. Tuesday: a 25-minute walk at lunchtime. Wednesday: hips, back & shoulders. Thursday: rest, or another walk. Friday: glutes, chest & core, using the notes you made on Monday. Saturday: something you enjoy, such as a swim, a bike ride or a long walk with friends. Sunday: rest.

By the end of the week you’ll have done each main exercise two or three times, and you’ll know where everything is. That alone makes week two feel much easier.

Questions beginners often ask

Will I be sore?

Probably a little, for a day or two after the first few sessions. It usually fades as your body gets used to training. Gentle walking helps. If soreness is in a joint rather than a muscle, or doesn’t ease within a few days, get it checked.

Can I train two days in a row?

It’s better to leave a day between full-body sessions so your muscles can recover. If Wednesday doesn’t work, do Thursday, then Saturday.

How long to follow it

Run this plan for 8 to 12 weeks. If you’re still adding weight or reps most weeks, keep going. When progress slows for a few weeks in a row, it’s time for a plan with a bit more variety, such as a four-day split.

Before you start

If it’s your first time in a gym, read our guide to your first day at the gym. Most gyms will show you how to use the machines if you ask. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant, or have an injury, talk to your GP before you start a new exercise programme.