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So you’re looking to get into the gym. In my opinion, it’s the best decision you can make. Working out is empowering and the mental and physical benefits it gives you are endless. Creating a gym program for beginners seems exciting.

But the problem comes when you start. Where do you start? Many new gymgoers get so deterred by this initial question that they give up. 

While I am not an exercise scientist, I was once a beginner gymgoer. To build your own program there are 6 specific tips you need that will benefit you. But first, there are some things you need to iron out.

Before you decide to commit, first you need to set your goals. What are you working out to accomplish? Do you want to gain size, add strength, or a combination of both? Find what success will look like and keep that in mind. 

Additionally, nutrition plays a big role in meeting your gym goals. Make sure you can meet your nutritional limits each day depending on your desired end goal. We’ll get to that later.

Next, you need to calculate how much time you can dedicate to the gym each week. Many of us have different schedules, so each program will be different. This is a key reason why people try and fail influencer’s programs.

Find out which days and how long your workouts can be. For example, if Joe works a full-time job, Joe is probably limited to 3-4 days a week and has about an hour to complete his workouts. On the other hand, someone else may be able to workout 7 days a week for 2 hours a day.

No matter your schedule restrictions, if you follow these steps you will see success in your program

In your first few days, just go to the gym and find out what you like to do. For example, I love to flat barbell bench press and military press, so I put these workouts into most of my programs.

This is key for beginners. You will need exercises that excite you to complete to motivate you to go on the days that you don’t want to. The key characteristic of sticking to the gym is consistency and motivation. 

Having workouts that are fun for you will improve your lifts and keep you engaged and energized during them. Take a week to try out different exercises and find out what you like. 

Step 2 is organization. You like to bench press? Great. You enjoy deadlifts? Amazing. You love barbell squats? Me too! 

But it’s impossible to do all of these lifts in the same day without negatively exerting all your energy. It’s important to organize your exercises in two categories. Compound and accessory lifts.

A compound lift is an exercise that targets multiple muscle groups at once and takes more energy to complete. An accessory lift is an exercise that targets and isolates one specific muscle group.

For example, a pull-up is a compound exercise because it targets both the back and bicep muscles. On the other hand, a Bicep curl is an accessory lift that targets…. The bicep.

There is a common misconception between compound and accessory lifts. Just because a compound lift involves more muscles does not mean you HAVE to use a lot of weight. It could even be more beneficial for you to go lighter on compound lifts and heavier on accessory lifts. 

Now, you have a list of compound and accessory exercises that you enjoy doing. 

Using the categories you just created, along with the time you calculated, split up your workouts into different days. Let’s go back to Joe. 

Given Joe’s schedule, we will dedicate 3 days a week to going to the gym. Joe loves to bench press, deadlift, and squat. 

Because of this information, it’s smart for Joe to split up his three favorite compound lifts across the three days he goes to the gym in a week. This will ensure he has maximum energy when completing these exercises to maximize muscle gain.

I would stick to 2-3 compound lifts per gym session, with 3-4 accessory exercises mixed in. Many people pair their compound and accessory lifts together. For example, maybe you’ve heard of a Push, Pull, Legs (PPL) split.

PPL is a three-day workout program where one day consists of exercising push muscles (chest, triceps, shoulders), pull muscles (back, biceps), and leg muscles (quads, hamstrings, and calves).

This is a tried and true program, but once again, it may not work for you, so find out what you like. Maybe on Monday you bench press and squat as your compound lifts and then bicep curls and calf raise as accessories. While not traditional, it is definitely effective!

Another strategy is to split your workouts by muscle group instead of exercise. For example, Monday is chest, Tuesday Is back, etc. Again this is up to you, but whatever you pick, try to stick with it.

Since you are a beginner, do not worry about weekly sets per muscle and terms like eccentric and concentric. When watching influencers nowadays you will hear these terms thrown around too often. Focus on working out hard and having fun.

I am an advocate for rest days but with a catch. As a recent college graduate (as of writing this), my schedule was chaotic so my workouts and rest days varied weekly. 

My opinion on rest days — they are 100% needed and necessary but only when actually needed. For example, if I am supposed to hit squats tomorrow but I wake up with very sore quads, I will take a rest day. Soreness is ok to an extent but not when it negatively impacts your workouts.

However, my opinion is based on my experience. Some people really like to do the same workouts on specific days. While this isn’t pertinent for me, it may be for you. Try it out.

Have you ever heard “abs are built in the gym but revealed in the kitchen”? Well, it’s true.

We all have different genes so maybe abs aren’t realistic for some of us, but to build a substantial amount of muscle, you need to give your body food and protein to refuel itself. Linked is a brand of protein I have used since I started working out. You can purchase it under my affiliate code.

This is the most important step. You do not train one day and become Mr. Olympia. Working out is full of delayed gratification. It will take months to see serious strength and size gains. 

Rome was not built in a day and neither will the body that you want. Be patient with yourself. 

I believe these six steps will help you reach your goals as a beginner. Let me know in the comments how your gym progress is going.