Your first month in the gym is not about lifting heavy. It is about learning six movement patterns well, building the habit and letting your joints and tendons adapt.
The rules for month one
- Train 3 days a week with a rest day in between (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri).
- Leave 2–3 reps in the tank on every set. You should finish feeling you could do a bit more.
- Add a little each week — one more rep, or 1–2.5 kg — only when form stays perfect.
- Warm up for 8 minutes: 5 minutes on the cycle, then light sets of your first exercise.
Workout A
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 × 10 | 90 s |
| Dumbbell bench press | 3 × 10 | 90 s |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 12 | 60 s |
| Romanian deadlift (dumbbells) | 3 × 10 | 90 s |
| Plank | 3 × 30 s | 45 s |
Workout B
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Leg press | 3 × 12 | 90 s |
| Seated cable row | 3 × 12 | 60 s |
| Dumbbell shoulder press | 3 × 10 | 60 s |
| Walking lunges | 2 × 10 each leg | 60 s |
| Dead bug | 3 × 10 | 45 s |
Alternate A and B: week 1 is A-B-A, week 2 is B-A-B, and so on.
How much should you lift?
After 3–4 weeks, estimate your one-rep max safely from a set of 5–8 reps rather than testing a true max:
One Rep Max (1RM) Calculator
Open full tool →70.8kg
Estimated 1RM
| % 1RM | Weight | ≈ Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 95% | 67.3 kg | 2 |
| 90% | 63.7 kg | 4 |
| 85% | 60.2 kg | 6 |
| 80% | 56.6 kg | 8 |
| 75% | 53.1 kg | 10 |
| 70% | 49.6 kg | 12 |
| 65% | 46 kg | 15 |
| 60% | 42.5 kg | 20 |
Quick quiz
How many reps should you leave "in the tank" as a beginner?
Cardio in month one
Add 10–15 minutes of brisk incline walking or cycling after weights. Keep it conversational — zone 2.
Consistency beats intensity. Twelve decent workouts in four weeks will change your body more than four brutal ones.
