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A 12-week home workout plan

No gym? No problem. This plan builds strength at home over 12 weeks, with three hour-long sessions a week, no equipment needed and nothing that will annoy the neighbours.

By the Fit Fit City team · Updated 17 October 2026 · 7 min read

How the plan works

There are two tracks with the same weekly shape. Pick the one that matches what you have at home:

• Bodyweight: no equipment at all. A sturdy chair, a wall and the bottom stair are enough.
• Dumbbells or band: the same structure, with a pair of dumbbells or a resistance band added where they help. You can switch to it at any point.

Each week has three full-body sessions of about 60 minutes, each with a different focus, plus an optional quiet cardio circuit on Saturday, so it’s three or four sessions depending on your week. Sunday is a rest day. Every session starts with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down. There’s no jumping anywhere, so it suits flats, upstairs rooms and anyone who’d rather not bounce. You need a space about two metres square.

Three strength days a week 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 such as brisk walking. The plan’s walk days help with that.

Week 1: bodyweight track

Week 1 is about learning the moves. Use the easier versions if you need to, and work at the bottom of each rep range. If you’re completely new, two sets of each exercise is fine.

Monday: Legs, chest & core

• Warm-up — 6 min: march on the spot and roll your shoulders, then do 10 slow squats to a chair
• World’s greatest stretch — 1×5/side
• Tempo squat — 4×8–12 · rest 60–90 sec
• Incline push-up — 4×6–12 · rest 60–90 sec
• Reverse lunge — 3×6–10/side · rest 60 sec
• Glute bridge — 3×10–15 · rest 60 sec
• Bird dog — 3×6/side · rest 45 sec
• Plank — 3×20–40 sec · rest 45 sec
• Calf raise — 3×12–20 · rest 45 sec
• Cool-down — 4 min: easy walking on the spot, hip flexor and calf stretch, 30–45 sec each side

Wednesday: Glutes, shoulders & core

• Warm-up — 6 min: march on the spot and roll your shoulders, then do 10 slow squats to a chair
• Hip airplanes — 1×5/side · hold a support
• Split squat — 4×6–10/side · rest 60–90 sec
• Push-up — 4×4–10 · rest 60–90 sec · from the knees or an incline if you need to
• Step-up — 3×8–12/side · rest 60 sec
• Wall slides — 3×8–10 · rest 45 sec
• Side plank — 3×15–30 sec/side · rest 30 sec
• Dead bug — 3×6–10/side · rest 45 sec
• Calf raise — 3×12–20 · rest 45 sec
• Cool-down — 4 min: easy walking on the spot, hip flexor and calf stretch, 30–45 sec each side

Friday: Thighs, glutes & chest

• Warm-up — 6 min: march on the spot and roll your shoulders, then do 10 slow squats to a chair
• Cossack squat — 2×5/side · rest 15–20 sec · only to a depth you can control
• Bulgarian split squat — 3×6–10/side · rest 90 sec · back foot on the sofa or bottom stair
• Incline push-up — 4×8–15 · rest 60–90 sec
• Sit-to-stand — 3×10–15 · rest 60 sec · 3 seconds down
• Glute bridge — 3×12–20 · rest 60 sec
• Slow mountain climber — 3×6–10/side · rest 45 sec
• Plank — 3×20–40 sec · rest 45 sec
• Cool-down — 4 min: easy walking on the spot, hip flexor and calf stretch, 30–45 sec each side

Saturday: quiet cardio circuit & stretching (optional)

Five rounds of 40 seconds each of shadow boxing, slow mountain climbers, step-ups and tempo squats, with a minute’s rest between rounds. Then a 15-minute brisk walk and a few stretches: a supported deep squat hold, a hip flexor stretch, a calf stretch and open books. Warm up first as usual.

“3×8–12” means three sets of 8 to 12 reps. “/side” means each side. For holds such as the plank, the number is seconds. The rest time after each exercise is the rest between sets.

Make every move easier or harder

Every exercise has a simpler and a harder version, so you can start where you are and still have somewhere to go in week 12.

The dumbbell or band track

If you have dumbbells or a band, the three main sessions keep the same shape with loaded moves: goblet squats, floor presses and one-arm rows in the first session (Legs, chest & back); Romanian deadlifts, push-ups, dumbbell rows and band pull-aparts in the second (Hamstrings, chest & upper back); and Bulgarian split squats, shoulder presses, hip thrusts and suitcase carries in the third (Glutes, shoulders & core). In week 1, choose a weight you could lift a few more times than the plan asks for.

With a band instead of dumbbells, anchor it low in a closed door for rows, and use it for pull-aparts. Check bands for nicks or tears before each session.

The 12 weeks

Three four-week blocks. At home, progress comes from more reps, slower reps, pauses and harder versions of each move, never from jumping. Each move has a rep range or a hold time. When you reach the top of it on every set with good form, move to the harder version in the table below and start again at the bottom of the range. For holds, add 5 seconds instead.

1. Week 1: Learn the moves. Use the easier versions if you need to, at the bottom of each range. Two sets of each is fine if you’re new.
2. Week 2: Full sets. Three sets of everything. Note your reps or seconds in the workout log.
3. Week 3: Add reps. Add 1 or 2 reps per set, or 5 seconds to holds, where your form stays the same.
4. Week 4: Easier week. One set fewer of each move. Normal pace. Let your body catch up.
5. Week 5: Slow down. Take 3 seconds to lower on every rep. The same move gets much harder.
6. Week 6: Harder versions. Move one or two exercises up to the harder version, at the bottom of the rep range.
7. Week 7: Add reps. Add reps on the harder versions. Add a fifth round to the optional circuit if it felt easy.
8. Week 8: Easier week. One set fewer. Keep the harder versions you’ve earned.
9. Week 9: Pauses. Add a 1–2 second pause at the hardest point, such as the bottom of a squat or just above the floor on a push-up.
10. Week 10: Harder versions. Move another one or two exercises up a step.
11. Week 11: Best week. Aim for your best reps and holds on every move. Log them so you can see the change.
12. Week 12: Easier week and review. One set fewer. Compare this week’s log with week 1. Repeat the plan with harder versions, or move to the Dumbbells or Band track.

Weeks 4, 8 and 12 are deliberately easier. If you’re run down, sore for days or not sleeping well, repeat a week or take the easier week early. Progress isn’t a straight line.

This is a plan, not a promise. How much you improve depends on where you start, how consistently you train and how you eat, sleep and recover. Writing down your reps and holds is the best way to see your own progress; our guide to using a workout log explains how.

Bodyweight training has limits

The one thing bodyweight training does less well is pulling: there are few good back exercises without equipment. The bodyweight track uses bird dogs and plenty of trunk work, but if you can, a resistance band is a cheap way to add proper rows. When the hardest versions start to feel easy, the dumbbell track, or a gym plan such as our beginner 3-day gym plan, is the next step.

Safety at home

• Clear a space about 2 m by 2 m, on a non-slip floor or mat, with a sturdy chair or wall within reach for balance.
• Breathe out as you push, stand or lift. Don’t hold your breath.
• There’s no jumping anywhere in this plan, so it suits flats and upstairs rooms.
• With dumbbells, pick a weight you can control for every rep and put it down gently. With a band, check it for nicks or tears first, anchor it securely and keep it away from your face.
• Pregnant, given birth in the last year, high blood pressure, a heart condition, current back pain or a recent injury? Check with your GP, midwife or physiotherapist before you start.