3 Day Workout Routine and Diet for Beginners

The most common question we get asked is: “Is this workout good for beginners?”

So, we’ve decided to create the perfect workout for true beginners in the gym.

This program will focus on the most important lifts you should be doing to build a foundation.

And, we’ve provided some general dieting tips to help you maximize your results.

Once you’ve completed this program, you can move on to any number of workout routines in the M&S database with the necessary strength to execute them perfectly.

It won’t be easy, and it won’t necessarily be exciting because basics are necessary for true beginners, but if you put in the work, give consistent effort in both your training and nutrition, you’ll see great results from this beginner workout routine.

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3 Day Workout for Beginners

The program outlined below contains 3 full body workouts and is meant to be performed 3 times per week with at least 1 full day of rest/recovery in between each training session.

For the most part, it consists of compound exercises. These exercises will be the focus of the routine as they’ll do the most in helping you build muscle and burn calories. In addition to the compound lifts, there are a few isolation lifts that will help target key body parts that most who enter a gym will want to focus on (arms and abs).

The workout is meant to be performed for 9-12 weeks. It can be performed longer than this, however, this is a good duration to build quality muscle and strength to perform future workouts.

The reps listed have ranges and it is recommended to perform different rep schemes every 3-4 weeks. For example, on the main lift of each workout, start off by performing 3 sets of 5 for 3-4 weeks. Every 3-4 weeks, lower the reps by 1 and increase the weight used until you are performing 3 heavy reps on the final week.

For the accessory lifts or other lifts in the program, you may want to start on the lower end and increase the reps each week.

Whatever you decide to do will allow you to progress by utilizing heavier weight and/or more repetitions during the program and keep things from getting stale.

For rest periods, the first big main lift will require 3-5 mins of rest in between sets. On the remainder of your compound lifts, rest for 60-90 seconds. And on arm, calf, and core exercises, rest for 30-45 seconds.

Full Body Workout for Beginners

*Time yourself and try to improve the duration of your plank. 

Full Body Workout for Beginners

Full Body Workout for Beginners

Diet Advice for Beginners

There’s a lot of debate on whether beginners should focus on counting calories and macros, or if they should focus on increasing the quality of their food.

And, to be honest, it depends on your starting point and current lifestyle.

It’s a lot to ask of someone who eats highly processed foods and doesn’t currently count calories to all of a sudden eat nothing but healthy whole foods while maintaining a newly calculated calorie budget.

So, it really depends on you as an individual how you get started with a beginner diet.

Although, it seems that when an individual adopts healthier eating patterns and fills most of their calories from whole food sources, their caloric intake seems to self-regulate. For that reason, I generally like to recommend people begin by focusing on controlling the quality of food they put into their bodies.

Foods that are helpful for beginners to eat throughout the day include:

• Lean and quality protein sources: lean chicken, lean beef, turkey, whey protein, low fat dairy, beans, fish, and eggs.
• Quality carbohydrates: Whole wheat, oats, rice, beans, grains, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.
• Fats: Olive oil, coconut oil, grass-fed butter, nut butters, nuts, seeds, etc.
• Fruits: All fruits – the more variety the better.
• Vegetables: All vegetables – the more variety the better.

Trying to add a serving of each of the food groups listed above into each of your meals daily is a good idea. But, start slow. Begin by adding one meal that contains those food groups into your diet each day consistently. Once you’ve done that for a week, add a second, then a third, and so on and so forth.

Once you’re in a habit of eating the right types of food for the majority of your meals and you want to take it a step further figure out your calorie needs by using a daily calorie calculator tool.

And once you know your calories, you can read the following resources to build a diet that really maximizes your potential of accomplishing your goals:

1. How to Calculate The Perfect Macros
2. How to Create a Bodybuilding Diet

Start small, be consistent, and reap the many benefits of eating a healthy, varied diet full of high quality food sources.

Final Words & Advice for Beginners

Getting started in the gym can be difficult.

But, with the plan laid out in this article, you’ll be able to notice gains (both in your health and in muscle size) pretty quickly.

Focus on being consistent with your workouts and try to establish better daily dietary routines slowly. Adding both of those habits into your life will pay off tremendously as you get stronger, healthier, leaner and more muscular.

If you have any questions about the program or nutrition, please leave a comment section below. We’d be more than happy to help you get started in the right ways.