Muscle Building Workout Plans for Beginners

Getting started on muscle building workout plans can be tough, especially for beginners. You have all these questions (and maybe more):

• Can I really build muscle if I want to do workout plans at home?
• Will a free muscle building workout plan I can do at home actually work?
• How do I get started?
• How often should I work out each week?
• Should I use a 5-day workout routine when I’m just starting out?
• What is the right plan to help me reach my goal?
• If I have a weight loss goal, should I start there or can I use a muscle building workout plan to meet both goals?

Today’s workout plan will help beginners to build muscle, whether at home or at the gym. To make it easier, we’ve divided it up by body part, so you can create your own muscle building workout plan.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed when starting your workout journey. Just remember – even the legends from the Golden Era of bodybuilding had to start somewhere. Starting with workout routines made for beginners will ensure you have a solid foundation for future heavy lifting.

You’ll need minimal equipment to complete your muscle-building workout plan for beginners. You can choose to workout at home or go to the gym. 

To perform these exercises, you’ll need:

• Dumbbells (various sizes)
• Step or stairs
• Towel
• Tennis ball and/or grip trainer
• Two weight benches or sturdy chairs

Ready to get started?

Beginners Muscle Building Workout Plan

When planning out your muscle-building workout routine, you need to determine what muscles to focus on. Some will want to improve their upper body, while others may want to focus on losing stomach fat. 

Maybe you want to focus on your entire body, building definition and slimming out some fat along the way. Whichever goal you have, these muscle-building exercises will help you get there.

We’ve divided these exercises up by muscle group so you can choose which work best for you. But first, you must do some warm-up exercises. 

Warm-Up Exercises

Completing dynamic warm-up exercises will help get your muscles prepared for your workout.

Take up to five minutes to complete these exercises:

• Walking/jogging: 1 minute 
• Jumping jacks: 30 seconds
• Jumping rope: 30 seconds
• High knees: 30 seconds
• Hand and wrist warm-ups: 1 minute (30 seconds each exercise)
• Front and back arm circles/shoulder rotations: 30 seconds each
• Hip extensions/rotations: 10 reps on each side and exercise

Take a break between exercises as needed, but try to keep it to no more than 30 seconds. Once you’ve sufficiently warmed up, it’s time to get started with shoulders.

Shoulders 

As a muscle-building beginner, your workout plan will start out with bodyweight and low weight exercises. This way, you can get the form down before you add weight that could cause injury.

Wall Slide

The first shoulder exercise is the wall slide. This is a bodyweight exercise that will help with shoulder mobility to reduce the risk of future injury.

How to do it:

• Stand with your back against the wall, placing your arms at right angles. Your arms should resemble goal posts.
• Keeping your arms and the back of your hands against the wall, slide your arms up overhead.
• Keep a controlled manner as you slide your arms back down to the starting position.

Complete this exercise for up to a minute, counting each rep. Take up to 60 seconds to rest as needed before you do the next exercise.

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

The dumbbell lateral raise focuses on the middle of the three heads that make up the shoulder muscle. Using dumbbells will help you better control the weight and allow you to work both sides together or separately.

You can do this exercise seated or standing. Work both shoulders at the same time or focus on one arm before switching. Start with light weights until you have the form down completely, then switch to heavier weights.

How to do it: Here are step-by-step instructions on completing a dumbbell lateral raise.

Complete 8 – 10 reps and three sets per arm. Take up to 30 seconds to rest between sets as needed.

Dumbbell Front Raise

This exercise is completed just like the lateral raise, but your arms are in front rather than to the side. The dumbbell front raise works the anterior, or front head, of the shoulder muscle. Use the same lightweight dumbbells from the lateral raise until your form is perfect

Complete 8 – 10 reps and three sets per arm, taking up to 45 seconds of rest if needed between sets.

Bent-over Rear Delt Raise/Reverse Fly

To work the final head, the rear deltoid, you’ll use the bent-over rear delt raise, also called the reverse fly. Just like the other shoulder exercises, you’ll want to use lighter weights until you get the form down.

If you notice any pain in the shoulder, you’re performing the exercise incorrectly or using too heavy of weights. Here are the steps for proper form.

Complete 8 – 10 reps and three sets total. If you need rest between sets, take 30 – 45 seconds.

Arms

Next on our muscle building workout plan for beginners, we’re going to focus on arms. First, we’ll work on grip strength before we work the arm muscles. 

Improving your grip strength will not only help in most exercises but can also improve your cardiovascular health. Start with the grip and/or hand clench discussed in this article. Then get ready to work the biceps and triceps.

Towel Wringing

Grab a towel and get started with this muscle-building arm workout that’s perfect for beginners. This will also help improve grip strength and get your forearm muscles burning.

It seems easy – wet a towel and wring it out. But after about 30 seconds, you’ll really start to feel the burn. Keep going for a full minute before you move onto the next arm exercise.

Dumbbell Curls

You can complete dumbbell curls using both arms at the same time or alternating between them. To start, alternate your arms with a lightweight until you’ve got the form down. You can sit, but these might be easier to do if you’re standing.

Dumbbell curls will isolate the bicep muscles, promoting faster growth by using the long head of the muscle.

Complete 8 – 10 reps, alternating each arm as you complete your reps. Do three sets and take up to 45 seconds to rest between sets as needed.

Triceps Extension

To work the triceps muscle, start with the triceps extension. You can do this seated or standing, however seated may be easier to maintain proper form.

You’ll only need one dumbbell for this muscle-building beginner workout. Here are steps to take to perform this exercise properly, along with other triceps exercises.

Complete 8 – 10 reps and three sets, stopping to rest up to 30 seconds between sets as needed.

Chest

To continue with this full-body muscle building workout routine, we’ll focus on the chest next. Some of these exercises will also work other muscle groups, giving you a better workout in less time.

Push-ups

This bodyweight exercise may look easy but takes some time to get the proper form down. Completing this exercise will not only work your chest but also the rest of your upper body. It will also prepare you for the core exercises coming up next.

We did a full step-by-step breakdown of proper form for push-ups here. Complete as many push-ups as you can in one minute, stopping halfway through to rest. If you still have the energy, try out some of the variations provided.

Chest Dips

You can do chest dips at home or at the gym as part of this beginner muscle building workout plan. If you’re doing this at home, you’ll need two sturdy chairs or weight benches, if you have them.

This exercise will work your pecs and can be made more difficult later by adding weights. Complete 8 – 10 reps for two to three sets, taking up to 45 seconds between sets to rest if needed.

Abs/Core

Next up is the abdominals. Building up strong core strength will help create a foundation for other heavier exercises. Stability and balance also come from a strong core.

Plank

The plank is arguably one of the best bodyweight exercises that activates almost all your muscle groups. This exercise looks simple to do – until you’re the one doing it!

Here are instructions on the proper form for the plank. Start out with holding the pose for 10 seconds, then take 20 – 30 seconds to rest. Complete three to five sets before moving to the next exercise.

Dumbbell Side Bend

This exercise uses a dumbbell in each hand to help strengthen the obliques on either side of your torso. Slow and steady movements are key to this exercise.

Complete this exercise for 12 – 15 reps per side and three sets. Take up to 60 seconds to rest between sets if needed.

Hip Thrust

This move will work the hips and glutes and can be done weighted or not. To start, get the form down without weights and then use either a barbell or dumbbell to increase the challenge.

Here are instructions on how to do this movement. If you don’t have access to a weight bench, try using a sturdy chair or couch instead.

Now, let’s do some lower body exercises to finish your workout for the day.

Lower Body

Some people forget about working their lower body as they go about their routine. While it’s important to work the upper body and trunk, the quads, hamstrings, and calves also need attention.  

Strong legs will carry you everywhere, so we want to make sure we help build muscle there too.

Squats

Bodyweight squats will help build a solid lower foundation. Once you’ve got the form down, there are different variations you can try to increase the challenge.

Squats are a staple for many athletes, as they improve jump and sprint performance. They are great for beginners looking to build muscle as they work out. Squats will also get you ready to do other more difficult exercises, like lunges.

Complete 12 – 15 reps and three sets, taking up to 60 seconds between sets to rest as needed.

Quick Toes

Designed to get your quads and thighs burning, quick toes is another great bodyweight exercise.  This exercise will also help you with balance and, well, being quick on your feet.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet close together.
• Keep your body weight over your toes as you run in place.
• Use quick, short steps as you move back and forth between your feet.

Complete as many steps as possible in 60 seconds. If needed, take up to 30 seconds to rest halfway in before completing the rest of the steps.

Standing Calf Raise

You can do the standing calf raises on an exercise block or platform. If you’re completing this muscle-building workout plan at home, you can also use your stairs.

This exercise uses just bodyweight to build up your calf muscles. Complete 12 – 15 reps for three sets, taking up to 45 seconds between sets to rest if needed.

Check out this video from The Quadfather himself, discussing his tips for building monster calves. Use this video as motivation to keep you going so you can get to this level someday.

Wrapping Up

This beginner’s muscle building workout plan is designed to give you a way to workout at home. If the gym isn’t an option right now, try this workout routine.

Complete this routine two to three times per week, giving yourself at least 24 hours to rest in between sessions. In a few weeks’ time, you should start to notice more strength and muscle mass.

We’ve got lots of other workout routines to choose from. When you’re ready, check out our training library to help you build some serious muscle mass. Use Vintage Build™ to help get you there even faster.

What are your favorite beginner muscle building exercises? Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym? We’d love to hear more about your workout routine in the comments below.