• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

Breaking Muscle

  • Fitness
  • Workouts
    • Best Shoulder Workouts
    • Best Chest Workouts
    • Best Leg Workouts
    • Best Leg Exercises
    • Best Biceps Exercises
    • Best Kettlebell Exercises
    • Best Back Workouts
    • Best HIIT Workouts
    • Best Triceps Exercises
    • Best Arm Workouts
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Pre-Workouts
      • Best Whey Protein
    • Equipment
      • Best Home Gym Machines
    • Certifications
      • ISSA Review
  • News
  • Exercise Guides
    • Legs
      • Back Squat
      • Bulgarian Split Squat
      • Goblet Squat
      • Zercher Squat
      • Standing Calf Raise
      • Hack Squat
    • Chest
      • Bench Press
      • Dumbbell Bench Press
      • Close-Grip Bench Press
      • Incline Bench Press
    • Shoulders
      • Overhead Dumbbell Press
      • Lateral Raise
    • Arms
      • Chin-Up
      • Weighted Pull-Up
      • Triceps Pushdown
    • Back
      • Deadlift
      • Trap Bar Deadlift
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Inverted Row
      • Bent-Over Barbell Row
      • Single-Arm Dumbbell Row
      • Pendlay Row
Fitness

Approachable Beginner Workouts to Get You Into Shape Quickly

This workout cycle will ease you into a routine while challenging you at the same time.

Mindith Rahmat

Written by Mindith Rahmat Last updated on December 6, 2014

Whether you’ve never been the athletic type or you’ve taken an extended break from physical activity, when it comes to embarking on a workout regimen it’s difficult to know where to start. This workout plan will ease you into an increasingly challenging routine.

You’ll start with effective, fundamental exercises. Coach Bret Hamilton stresses sustainability and consistent progression in training. Over twelve weeks, Bret will give you the tools to begin a rewarding fitness journey.

Further Reading: How to Instantly Improve in Any Exercise

12-Week Beginner Workout Program

Start building a strong foundation of basic strength and quality movements.

Month 1: Build a Base

Week 1

This workout will ease you back into a fitness routine. By using mostly bodyweight, you can focus on getting the movements correct.

Week 2

Compound movements like squats help you build a good base of overall strength.

Week 3 

Pay special attention to technique this week. Get the full range of motion with each rep.

Week 4 

Ramp it up a notch with more kettlebell swings and longer duration planks this week.

FURTHER READING: The Best Abdominal Exercises For the Strength Athlete

Month 2: Groovin’

Week 5

This week a new exercise is introduced – the goblet squat.

Week 6 

The kettlebell swing is a favorite in this cycle. Make sure you’re doing it with proper technique.

Week 7 

Intervals provide an effective and efficient cardiovascular workout.

Week 8

Measure your progress this week. By now, you’ll have doubled the length of time that you can hold the plank position.

Month 3: The Last Leg

Week 9

Now Bret adds the renegade row – a great exercise for the back, biceps, lats, triceps, and chest.

Week 10 

It’s time for the real deal. You’ll continue to practice the Turkish get up with a shoe, but you’ll be challenged with added weight from here on.

Week 11 

By this time, you should be feeling very comfortable with the exercises. Focus on great form this week.

Week 12 

This is it, the last workout of the cycle. Give it your all.

Mindith Rahmat

About Mindith Rahmat

Mindith is a born mover. She has spent her life exploring various athletic disciplines, starting with ballet and modern dance from an early age. She went on to become a E-RYT 500 certified yoga therapist and teacher and discovered CrossFit after the birth of her daughter.

Mindith coached CrossFit at a number of boxes near her home in Southern California, which lead to her involvement in Russian kettlebells and Olympic weightlifting. She has coached a wide variety of populations and cares deeply for women’s health, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum fitness. She is currently studying the principles of Natural Movement and Kettlebell Sport, and is working to complete an additional teacher training in the Taoist art of Yin Yoga with Master Paulie Zink.

Mindith founded Breaking Muscle in 2011. Over 5 million people a month have visited the site, hundreds of thousands of them follow Breaking Muscle on social media, nearly 2,000 coaches have written or appeared on its pages, and there are thousands of free, fully-formed training plans freely available. Breaking Muscle has won numerous awards in the industry and is recognized for pioneering new approaches to fitness and coaching techniques. In 2021, Breaking Muscle was acquired by Barbend. Mindith continues to devote time to her kids, pursue her doctorate in psychology, do research, and teach.

View All Articles

Recommended Articles

Method Man Incline Dumbbell Presses December 2022
Check Out Rapper Method Man Cruising Through 120-Pound Incline Dumbbell Presses for 10 Reps
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Leg Workout
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Crushes 5 “Monster Sets” of a Leg Workout
Michael B. Jordan poster for Creed III
Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors Look Like Shredded Boxing Stars in “Creed III”
person running on road
How to Run an 8-Minute Mile Pace

Primary Sidebar

Latest Articles

Phillip Herndon Squats 412.7 Kilograms (910 Pounds) For New Massive Personal Record

Justin Medeiros Walks Through a Full Tour of His Home Gym Before CrossFit Season

Powerlifter Jimmy Kolb Logs 612.5-Kilogram (1,350.3-Pound) Equipped Bench Press World Record

The Ultimate Back and Biceps Workout for Every Lifter From Beginner to Advanced

Latest Reviews

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

ISSA Personal Trainer Certification Review

Best Whey Proteins for Packing on Muscle, Shredding Down, Meal Replacement, and More

Best Pre-Workouts for Building Muscle, Running, Taste, and More

Best Home Gym Machines

Best Home Gym Machines

woman lifting barbell

Be the smartest person in your gym

The Breaking Muscle newsletter is everything you need to know about strength in a 3 minute read.

I WANT IN!

Breaking Muscle is the fitness world’s preeminent destination for timely, high-quality information on exercise, fitness, health, and nutrition. Our audience encompasses the entire spectrum of the fitness community: consumers, aficionados, fitness professionals, and business owners. We seek to inform, educate and advocate for this community.

  • Reviews
  • Healthy Eating
  • Workouts
  • Fitness
  • News

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed

© 2023 · Breaking Muscle · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy · Affiliate Disclaimer · Accessibility · About