Whether you want to build muscle or lose weight, starting your fitness journey with 30 minute gym workout can be the first great step.
To help you with the right program, I’ve designed a couple of workout routines, one for building muscles and the other for burning fat.
The muscle-building routine involves primarily resistance exercises, such as dumbbell presses, leg extensions, lat pull-downs, and biceps curls.
And the weight loss routine includes a combination of cardio and strength training.
These routines can help you improve your physical appearance, irrespective of gender.
Muscle Building 30-Minute Workout for Beginners (Plan A)
This 30-minute beginner workout plan involves training six times weekly with two sessions for every muscle group.
This program won’t make you big but will help you strengthen your base and scale your fitness to the next level.
30-Minute Split Workout Schedule:
- Monday: Quads, Chest, and Triceps
- Tuesday: Back, Biceps, and Hamstrings
- Wednesday: Shoulder, Calves, and Abs
- Thursday: Quads, Chest, and Triceps
- Friday: Back, Biceps, and Hamstrings
- Saturday: Shoulder, Calves, and Abs
- Sunday: OFF
Monday – Quads, Chest, and Triceps
| Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Front Squat | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| 2A Seated Pec Fly | 3 | 12-15 | 30-second |
| 2B Leg Extension | 3 | 15-20 | 30-second |
| Incline Machine Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| Triceps Bar Pushdown | 3 | 15-20 | 90-second |
Superset seated peck fly with leg extension. The supersetting helps train more in less time.
Tuesday – Back, Biceps, and Hamstrings
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Lat Pulldown | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| Seated Cable Rowing | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| Chest Supported DB Row | 3 | 10-12 | 2-minute |
| 4A Alternating DB Curls | 3 | 8/arm | 30-second |
| 4B Seated Leg Curls | 3 | 15-20 | 30-second |
Wednesday – Shoulder, Calves, and Abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Overhead Press | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| Single-arm Cable Lateral Raises | 3 | 12/side | 45-second |
| Reverse Pec Deck Fly | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| 4A Calf Raises | 3 | 15-20 | 45-second |
| 4B Cable Crunches | 3 | 15-20 | 45-second |
Thursday – Quads, Chest, and Triceps
| Exercises | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supported DB Lunges | 2 | 10/leg | 30-second |
| Machine Leg Press | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| Flat DB Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| High to Low Cable Fly | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| 1-arm Overhead Triceps Extension | 3 | 10/arm | 30-second |
Friday – Back, Biceps, and Hamstrings
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral Grip Pulldown | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| Seated Machine Row | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| Chin-ups (Neutral Grip) | 3 | Max | 2-minute |
| 4A Preacher Curls | 3 | 12-15 | 30-second |
| 4B DB Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 15-20 | 30-second |
Saturday – Shoulder, Calves, and Abs
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Push Press | 3 | 10-12 | 2-minute |
| Incline Prone Y Raises | 3 | 8-10 | 2-minute |
| Face Pull/Shrug | 3 | 12-15 | 2-minute |
| 4A Calf Raises | 3 | 15-20 | 30-second |
| 4B Hanging Knee Raises | 3 | 10/side | 30-second |
30 Minute Beginner Gym Workout for Weight Loss (Plan B)
This 30-minute workout routine involves performing cardio and strength exercises on alternate days and will help you burn significant calories and build quality muscle simultaneously.
This program doesn’t directly increase fat loss but assists in losing weight if you consume low-calorie meals and move more.1 Swift, 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
Weekly 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 | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A Dumbbell Squat | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 1B Push Press | 2-3 | 10-12 | 1-minute |
| 2A Front Lat Pulldown | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 2B Incline Machine Bench Press | 2-3 | 12-15 | 1-minute |
| 3A Seated Cable Row | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 3B Pec Deck Fly | 2-3 | 12-15 | 1-minute |
Day 3 – Cardio
| Exercise | Duration | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Treadmill Walk | 15 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Battle Rope | 5 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Jumping Rope | 5 minutes | – |
Day 4 – Resistance Training
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A Kettlebell Swings | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 1B Leg Extension | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 2A Single-arm Lateral Raises | 2-3 | 10/side | 1-minute |
| 2B Seated Leg Curls | 2-3 | 15-20 | 1-minute |
| 3A Single-arm DB Row | 2-3 | 10/side | 1-minute |
| 3B Reverse Pec Deck Fly | 2-3 | 12-15 | 1-minute |
Day 5 – Cardio
| Exercise | Duration | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Treadmill Walk | 15 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Battle Rope | 5 minutes | 2 minutes |
| Jumping Rope | 5 minutes | – |
Day 6 – Resistance Training
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landmine Squat | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
| Rack Pull | 3 | 8-10 | 2-minute |
| 3A Barbell Curls | 3 | 12-15 | 45-second |
| 3B Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 12-15 | 45-second |
| Leg Press | 3 | 15-20 | 2-minute |
Additional Information 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 these dynamic bodyweight stretches and resistance band exercises to prepare your muscles for weight training.
- 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)
Is 30-Minute Workout Enough to Shape Your Body?
30 minutes is 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 training. Working out 30 minutes a day will strengthen your base and enhance your overall fitness level.
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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
