Free Workout Plans
Are you looking for weight loss, strength gains, more muscle mass, or simply to switch things up? One of these free workout plans can help you reach your fitness goals. These workout programs range from at-home bodyweight exercises to advanced training techniques.
Workout Plan Categories
Free workout plans for all training levels.
Free Training Plans Information
Strength training is one of the best ways to build muscle, lose body fat, and achieve better health. That is why Doug Grows is dedicated to providing our community with free workout plans and health and fitness advice. So, whether you are new to strength training or a seasoned veteran in muscle growth, this site should have something for you.
What is The Best Gym Routine?
There isn’t a “best” gym routine. But, the best routine for you is one you enjoy that works with your schedule. This will make it far easier to stay consistent. Consistency and progressing intensity or volume will always lead to the best results.
Many excellent workout regimens exist to build muscle, shed fat, or increase strength. You can achieve your unique body composition goals with similar workouts. The primary change will need to be varying nutritional principles. But, those looking for strength gains should concentrate on programs focused on specificity.
Training with volume will change your body composition. But, if your goals are strength related, you will need to find a program that is strength specific.
What Muscles Should be Trained on What Days?
Assuming body part splits are part of the question: how you split your days likely won’t matter. But you do need to work every body part throughout the week. At least if you want decent results.
You might get better results by splitting up similar days. For example: don’t work chest immediately after shoulders. But it won’t be a massive problem if you do, depending on your overall strength.
Not sure how to maximize your workout results? Try pairing muscle groups on certain days! Full-body, upper/lower, push/pull, and push/pull/legs workouts are all great options. Each one can help optimize your training.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which days you choose to work out each week. The key is consistency and gradually increasing the weight used for each exercise.
What Should a Beginner Do in the Gym?
As a beginner, the best way to get your gym journey started on the right foot is with the help of a trained professional. Learning the proper form of each exercise will help you practice the basics. It will also build a strong foundation. Both of these will keep you injury-free throughout your lifting journey!
If you can’t afford a personal trainer, proceed with working out with caution. But, it’s important to still focus on the basics. Start out with lighter weights on compound movements. Then record yourself doing the exercises so you can track your progress. You only know how far you can go once you challenge yourself!
Master your form and then take it up a notch! Compare your exercise recordings to examples of proper form. Check how you’re moving and progress by improving your form or adding weight.
What is the Best Workout for Beginners?
The best workout routine for beginners depends on what they feel confident doing. It should also take into account their knowledge of performing the exercises.
Their ultimate goal will play a huge role as well.
Generally, beginners can start off performing anywhere between 2-4 workouts per week. These workouts should be either full-body or upper/lower workouts.
The workouts should focus on perfecting ideal movement patterns of the fundamental movements. Several of the beginner workout routines on Doug Grows can provide a template to get started.
How Much Weight Should a Beginner Lift?
Everyone’s fitness journey is different, and so is the weight they should use for each exercise. Depending on your program, you may need to adjust your weight from set to set. So keep testing and find the weight that’s right for you!
Push your boundaries! Aim for challenging sets that make you work to the point of near failure. This is the best way to maximize your training intensity.
For compound exercises, aim to finish each set feeling like you could’ve performed 1-3 more reps.
For isolation exercises, you can push yourself closer to true failure.
How Much Cardio for a Beginner?
Not sure how much cardio to do? Consider this: more strength and muscle will produce a better body composition. They are more efficient in the long term than cardio. But, of course, it all depends on your goal.
If you’re looking to stay healthy, light cardio can make a world of difference. Regular walking helps maintain healthy body composition, recover faster, and decrease stress. So try it out and see the positive impact on your life!
But, if you are looking to lose even more body fat, add more cardio to your weekly training to increase progress. The focus should be on your diet if you want to lose body fat.
Often, people buy into cardio being necessary for body composition. However, it’s more important for health purposes than anything else.
How to Build Muscle as a Beginner
Ready to build your strength and show off some gains? Get started by training consistently. Hit each muscle group at least two times weekly. Use an appropriate volume and weight for your abilities. Then, as you progress, increase the weight from workout to workout for maximum results!
Be consistent. Train hard. Progress the weight. Don’t neglect your diet!
It takes time and effort, but the process itself is pretty simple.
What’s the Best Workout Schedule to Build Muscles?
Want to build muscle? Find a workout schedule you love and can stick with. Then, aim for a higher training frequency to maximize muscle growth. Hit each muscle group directly or indirectly 2-3 times a week.
Some great splits are full-body, upper/lower, push/pull, and push/pull/legs workouts.
What are the Best Exercises?
Exercise selection can be tricky – what works for one person might not work for another. Keep your abilities and goals in mind to choose the right exercises for you. Then, if it hurts, take a step back and find an alternative. With the right exercise, you’ll be on the path to achieving your goals in no time!
But, there are important movement patterns that everyone who is capable should train.
The following exercises and their variations are highly recommended in your workouts.
- Deadlift
- Squat
- Row
- Bench
- Overhead Press
- Pull Up
- Dip
- Lunge
How to Schedule Your Workouts
Planning workouts is all about picking workout routines that are convenient and enjoyable. Unfortunately, there’s no single solution to setting up exercise programs. It’s highly individualized from person to person.
If you only have 2 days for the gym, a full-body workout is your best bet. With 3 days, you can go for either full-body or the classic push/pull/legs split. Got more days in the week? Try different splits and see which one works best for you!
Begin by figuring out the number of days and which days you can usually make it to the gym. Then, arrange your workouts on those days. Lastly, look for a workout that only requires that training frequency.
Next, look for something where if you miss a training day, you can easily make up for it. Use a routine that trains that muscle more than once a week. That way, you won’t fall behind on your progress!
How Many Days Per Week to Work Out
The more important question is, how many days a week are available to work out? Then, how many will you work out?
Generally, seeing results requires 2-4 workouts per week. 3-4 sessions each week seems to be the perfect amount. Of course, you can lift more frequently, depending on your experience and goals. Still, you need at least 2 days of resistance training to see muscle growth.
As a result, doing full-body exercises 2-3 training days weekly or upper/lower workouts 4 days weekly is advantageous. This will permit you to train with an ideal frequency to build or maintain lean muscle mass.
What is the Best 5-Day Workout Routine?
The optimal 5-day workout routine is an upper/lower or push/pull/legs workout. Rotate through the routine each time you go to the gym. You could also follow one of these with a “weaknesses” day as your fifth training day.
Try avoiding the traditional body part split. They won’t provide beginners or intermediate lifters optimum results. However, they can still be useful if you work out for pure enjoyment.
Can You Build 10 Pounds of Muscle in One Month?
You can gain 10 pounds in one month. However, you can’t naturally gain 10 pounds of pure muscle in a month.
10 pounds in a month is possible during a lean bulking phase, especially for beginners. This is because the muscle will grow quickly. If you’re coming off a fat-loss phase, these early gains will be from glycogen replenishing.
It’s better to take a slower approach if your goal is to gain lean muscle.
Workout Plan Sources
The plans in this section are not all created by trainers associated with Doug Grows. But, each free workout plan and diet will get you the results you are after if followed correctly.
Don’t expect to get the same results from a strength training program if you swap barbell bench press out for dumbbells. The dumbbell bench press will still get you results, but not the results the program was designed for.
Each free workout plan available has been created by a qualified expert. Each plan is built with a specific goal in mind. But don’t hesitate to take and make any of the plans your own!
How to Get Results with These Workout Plans
It is important to remember that any decent workout routine should deliver results. Still, consistency is the most critical part of getting the desired results. Weight loss, increased muscle mass, and strength gains take time and dedication to achieve through diet and exercise.
The free workout plans and diets here are just tools to help you reach your goals faster than you may have on your own. However, if you have extreme goals or a specific timeline, it is still highly recommended that you seek specialized coaching. This coaching can provide you with a workout routine specific to you.
Should You Lift Every Day?
Depending on what you do and how you arrange your workout, you can. Nevertheless, weightlifting every day of the week is entirely unnecessary. Additionally, working out with high intensity every day of the week will quickly lead to burnout and injury.
Stop chasing trendy workouts and start tracking progressions! Find a good 3-5 day per week training program that is well planned with an appropriate volume and split and stick to it. As you execute the program, aim to improve your lifts somehow. Dedication to this approach will pay off in the long run!
Diet and Nutrition
When following a workout routine intended to build muscle, it’s essential to consume a caloric surplus. You must eat more food than you would to maintain body weight and get enough water and rest. Supplements that help you build muscle can be found under the SHOP UXO section. Remember, supplements are only meant to help you reach your goal. They will not do more for you than a good workout routine, proper nutrition, and recovery.
A workout routine meant to burn fat will not outwork a poor diet. If you are looking for additional supplementation to help burn fat, you can also find those under SHOP UXO. When trying to lose body fat, remember to consume enough water and get enough rest for your body to properly recover.
Rest and Recovery
When following training plans, remember to use the rest days to your advantage. These days are programmed explicitly to help your body recover. Strength training can be very taxing on the body, and rest is integral to reaching your goals.
Muscle growth occurs while you are resting, not when you are training. Even with bodyweight exercises, overdoing it will lead to muscle loss rather than muscle gains. If you need to be in the gym on the rest days, focus on active recovery techniques such as stretching and light cardio.
Remember to get that sleep in too! Your body isn’t fully recovering if you aren’t getting in the necessary hours.
Free Workout Plans for Women
Men or women can each use the workout routines on this site to achieve results. There is nothing that makes a workout routine inherently for men or for women. However, if you want to grow a specific muscle group, try the search at the top of the page.
That said, some of these workout plans are built for results that are typically desirable to women. Those workouts can be found in the Workouts for Women section at the top of the page.
Free Workout Plans for Men
Men or women can use each workout routine on this site to achieve results. There is nothing that makes a workout routine inherently for men or for women. However, if you want to grow a specific muscle group, try the search at the top of the page.
That said, some of these plans are built for results that are typically desirable to men. Those workouts can be found in the Workouts for Men section at the top of the page.
Workout Plans for Men to Build Muscle
Muscle gain comes primarily from increasing the stress you put your muscles under and the calories you consume. Many of these programs are aimed at gaining muscle, but make sure you eat enough to actually gain!
Workout Selection Tips
Need help picking the right workout routine? Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered! Check out our top 7 tips for selecting a workout to help you reach your goals.
- Pick a workout routine that’s tailored to you. Don’t make the mistake of starting with a plan that’s too advanced – it’ll slow your progress! If you’re a newbie, find a beginner workout, and you’ll start seeing results fast.
- What’s your goal? Building muscle? Losing fat? Improving sports performance? Increasing endurance? Before selecting a workout routine, you must understand what you want to achieve. Pursuing more than one is tricky unless you’re a beginner or taking steroids. Knowing your top goal will help you find the right plan and get the best results. So take a moment to think about what you want and ensure you’re on the right track to get those specific results.
- Reflect on your lifestyle and choose a workout that fits. Don’t attempt to squeeze a 5-6 day workout regimen into your already hectic lifestyle. You will miss days, not recover adequately, and eventually fail. You would have been better off with a training program that just requires 3 days at the gym. Consider how much time you can realistically dedicate to exercising.
- If you want the best results, find a workout routine you can commit to. Many training plans are designed for a specific period of time, such as 8-10 weeks. But only sticking with the routine for half that time won’t get you the results you want. With periodization routines, the workload gradually increases as you progress. So, choose a routine that’s within your abilities and stay consistent for optimal results!
- Before you select a workout plan, get to know your body type! Most newcomers don’t grasp how body types affect outcomes. For example, a 6’2″ thin man may get different results from the same workout than a 5’5″ hefty man. To make the most of your results, you must understand your body type and the training you should use to get the desired results.
- Set reasonable goals. We all know those magazine covers and fitness models on social media – don’t expect to get those results within the first 3 months! If you aim too high, chances are you’ll lose motivation and give up. Fitness takes time and dedication – many of these people have been training for more than 10 years, and it’s their full-time job. Set small benchmarks for improving your physique, and don’t compare yourself to others.
- Need help staying motivated? Working out with a buddy could be the answer. Choose someone slightly better than you, so you can push each other to get the most out of your workouts. It’s a great way to have fun and stay motivated, plus you can help each other to reach your goals faster.
What good is a workout plan without proper nutrition? Remember, your diet is even more important than your exercise routine. Use our BMR calculator to determine your daily calorie needs, then find the right diet plan and healthy recipes to fuel your goals. With the right nutrition, you’ll be on the path to success!
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