Recently decided to get fit? Try this 30 minute gym workout for beginners. I’ve shared a couple of workout routines in this article for achieving two different goals: one for building muscles and gaining weight and the other for losing fats and reducing weight.
Both workout routines are suitable for all fitness enthusiasts. So, whether you’re a male or female, you can use one of the plans to achieve your goal.
Are 30 minutes of gym a day enough?
For Muscle Building: 30 minutes are not enough to build strength and muscle mass, but it’s a suitable duration that you can spend in the gym during the first couple of months of your gym training. Working out 30 minutes a day will strengthen your base and enhance your overall fitness level.
For Weight Loss: Working out thirty minutes a day can be efficient for losing weight as long as you do vigorous HIIT exercises. However, it won’t be enough if you combine cardio with resistance training. However, Since you’re a beginner, exercising for 30 to 45 minutes in the gym will be sufficient, at least for the first few months.
Related: Full Body Workout Routine For Beginners: 2, 3 & 4 Day Split
Program Summary and Description
| Program Duration | 8 weeks |
| Workout Frequency | 3 to 5 days a week |
| Daily Workout Duration | 30 minutes |
| Program Goal | Build Muscles and Weight Loss |
| Suitable Gender | Male and Female |
| Workout Level | Beginner |
Additional Infomation about routine:
- Selection of exercises: As you’ve only 30 minutes to spend, so it is better to spend your time on some compound exercises. Compound exercises work on multiple muscles simultaneously and help promote muscle growth. I’ve also included one isolation exercise on each training day, so you focus on your specific muscles, such as the biceps, triceps, and delts.
- Rest between sets: 1 to 2 minutes is the optimum rest between sets. However, you can increase the duration if you feel your muscles sore.
- Load: You can lift as heavy as you like as long as you perform the suggested sets and reps with the correct form.
- Warm-up exercises: It’s good to warm up for at least three to five minutes before doing the lifting exercises. Doing warm-ups helps increase your blood flow, boost your performance, as well as minimize the risk of injuries. You can do cardio on machines, such as running on the treadmill, stationary bicycling, or bodyweight aerobic exercises, such as mountain climbing, squat jump, high knees, or burpee for warming up.
- Macros: I’ve not included the macros part in this article because the primary focus is the workout. However, if you want to know how much you should eat to gain muscles or lose weight, then you can check out this NIH recommendation. (Muscle Gain) (Weight Loss)
Also Read: A Complete 4-Week Beginner Workout Routine
30 Minute Gym Workout for Beginners To Build Muscles
If you want to put on some muscles and increase strength, you can do this 30 minutes gym workout routine. It is excellent for beginners who have just joined the gym.
This workout won’t make you big but will help you solidify your base and scale your fitness to the next level.
So whether you’re a man or lady, if you want to feel strong and look sturdy, try this workout for a couple of months.
Schedule:
- Monday: Chest, Lateral Delt, and Triceps
- Tuesday: Back, Rear Delt, and Biceps
- Wednesday: Legs and Front Delt
- Thursday: OFF
- Friday: Chest, Triceps, and Lateral Delt
- Saturday: Back, Biceps, Rear Delt
- Sunday: OFF
Monday: Chest, Triceps, and Lateral Delt
| Exercise | Reps | Rest Between Sets |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Flat Bench Press | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Pec Deck Fly | 10 x 2 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Rope Pushdown | 10 x 2 | 1-min |
Tuesday: Back, Rear Delt, and Biceps
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Front Lat Pulldown | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Bent-over Barbell Row | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Rear Delt Machine Fly | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Alternate Dumbbell Curl | 10 x 2 | 1-min |
Wednesday: Legs and Front Delt
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Back Squat | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Machine Leg Press | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Seated Leg Curl | 12 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Calf Raises | 10 x 2 | 1-min |
| Dumbbell Overhead Press | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
Friday: Chest, Lateral Delt, and Triceps
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Dumbbell Chest Press | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Pec Deck Fly | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Push-ups (on toes or knees) | 10 x 2 | 2 min |
| Bent-arm Lateral Raises | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| One-arm Overhead Tricep Extension | 10 x 2 | 1-min |
Saturday: Back, Biceps, Rear Delt
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Front Lat Pulldown | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Seated Rowing | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Rack Pull | 8 x 3 | 2 min |
| Cable Facepull | 10 x 3 | 90-sec |
| Barbell Curl | 10 x 2 | 1-min |
30 Minute Gym Workout for Beginners To Lose Weight
If you want to lose weight and build muscles at the same time but don’t have enough time to lift weight and burn calories, then you can try this 30 minute beginner gym workout routine.
I’ve included both aerobic and strength training in this workout plan so you can burn significant calories in a quick time as well as build quality muscles.
Although exercises are not enough to lose fats. But they help you improve your fitness level and body composition over time.1Swift, Damon L et al. “The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance.” Progress in cardiovascular diseases vol. 56,4 (2014): 441-7. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.012 (You can incorporate these low calories foods into your diet to speed up weight loss)
Schedule
- Day 1 – Cardio
- Day 2 – Resistance Training
- Day 3 – Cardio
- Day 4 – Resistance Training
- Day 5 – Cardio
- Day 6 – Resistance Training
- Day 7 – OFF
Day 1 – Cardio
| Exercise | Duration | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Treadmill | 10 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Stationary Bicycling | 5 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Core Workout | 10 minutes | – |
Day 2 – Resistance Training
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Back Squat | 15 x 3 | 2 min |
| Front Lat Pulldown | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Rack Pull | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Standing Military Press | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
Day 3 – Cardio
| Exercise | Duration | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Treadmill | 8 minutes | 2 minutes |
| HIIT | 20 minutes | – |
Day 4 – Resistance Training
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Smith Machine Bench Press | 15 x 3 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| Bent Over Barbell Row | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Dumbbell Step up | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
Day 5 – Cardio
| Exercise | Duration | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Treadmill | 10 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Battle Rope | 30-sec x 2 | 1 minute |
| HIIT | 15 minutes | – |
Day 6 – Resistance Training
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Push Press | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Barbell Squat | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
| One-arm Dumbbell Row | 10 x 3 | 2 min |
| Cable Facepull | 12 x 3 | 2 min |
30-Minute Gym Workout Plan PDF
Download the following PDF depending on your goal:
Related Workout Programs:
Once you complete the above workout program for a certain period, such as two months, you can then increase your workout duration to one hour. I’ve created a couple of workout plan that requires one hour of training a day.
References
- 1Swift, Damon L et al. “The role of exercise and physical activity in weight loss and maintenance.” Progress in cardiovascular diseases vol. 56,4 (2014): 441-7. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.09.012
