10 Gym Workouts for Beginners: Build Strength & Confidence in the Gym

Beginners may feel intimidated to go work out at the gym. It’s also overwhelming to walk into a gym with endless machines, weights, and fitness classes. Be it for weight loss, muscle gain, or becoming active — it is important to get started right, to stay that way in the long term.

But here’s some good news: the right approach can be simple. In reality, all you need to kick-start a strong and everlasting fitness regimen is a couple of simple, beginner-level workout routines. In this guide, we will take you through 10 simple, effective gym workouts for beginners meant to help you build strength, endurance, and confidence.

We’ll go through each exercise, show you how to do it properly, and give you advice on how to organize your workout at the gym. You can use these workouts to make a steady progression toward the behavior change of working out with this number of workouts, whether it’s your first time at the gym or getting back into fitness.

Overcoming Fear of Working Out at the Gym

Going to the gym for the first time is very exciting, but it can also be another battle in itself. At the start of your journey, you will likely encounter a number of challenges that can keep you from establishing a regular gym regimen:

• Intimidation by Equipment: The gym has a ton of machines, free weights, and equipment that can be confusing, and you may feel lost on what to do or which ones you should start with.
• Lack of Knowledge: Without knowledge of which exercises to perform, beginners tend to use bad form or perform exercises that aren't right for their goals.
• Overwhelm and Confusion: The sheer volume of options can be dizzying. And should you prioritize cardio or strength training? Are you focused on particular muscles each day? The lack of structure may cause frustration and inconsistency.
• Fear of Judgment: Everyone remembers the first day they walk into a gym; however, there can be feelings of self-consciousness associated with being out of their comfort zone, a fear of judgment from the crowd. The fear stops people from taking the leap or continuing their practice.

These issues can hinder beginners from remaining consistent, leading many to quit long before they witness tangible results.

Why These Problems Matter

Ignoring these common pitfalls will hurt your fitness journey in a few ways:

• Slower Progress: Your progress will be sluggish if you are unsure which exercises to do or how to properly use equipment.
• Lack of Confidence: Whatever you’re doing cannot be the gym, and it will affect your self-confidence. Lack of consistency can make you lose track of your fitness journey.
• Injury Risk: Using the wrong form or lifting weights that are too heavy can cause injuries. Novices in the gym are more susceptible to making form mistakes — and injuries can set you back in your training program for weeks, or even months.
• Unclear Results: Without some semblance of a plan, it’s easy to forget about your goals. Taking an aimless hop from one exercise to the next without a plan won’t yield measurable results.

But there’s no need to worry. Fortunately, by sticking to some basic, effective exercises that work all the major muscle groups, you can build strength and endurance gradually and easily avoid these hazards.

10 Beginner-Friendly Gym Workouts

Now that we’ve covered the most common issues, let's move on to 10 gym workouts that will help you develop a solid fitness base. These exercises are simple and very efficient for training strength as well as increasing endurance and overall fitness.

1. Squats (Bodyweight or with Dumbbells)

What It Does: The squats are a type of compound exercise, which you do mainly for your lower body — especially, the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. They even engage the core, aiding balance and stability.

How to Perform:

• Position yourself in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing slightly outward.
• Bend from your hips and with your knees to lower your body to the floor, keeping your chest high and back straight.
• Lower down until your thighs are parallel to the ground, before pushing through your heels to stand back up.

Tips for Beginners:

• Do bodyweight squats, then add dumbbells as you’re able.
• Pay attention to your form — this is not an exercise to allow your knees to buckle inward or move beyond your toes.

Why It’s Good for Beginners: Squats are easy to do, don’t require any equipment (at least when you start with bodyweight) and work great for lower body strength.

2. Push-Ups

What It Does: Push-ups mainly target the chest, shoulders, and triceps but work the core and lower body for stabilization.

How to Perform:

• Start in a plank with your hands shoulder-width distance apart.
• Go to the floor by bending your elbows, but your body should remain in a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Press into your palms, and return to the starting position.

Tips for Beginners:

• If the standard push-up is too hard, make it easier by doing it on your knees.
• Engage your core and do not allow your hips to sink during the motion.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: Push-ups can be adjusted to your fitness level and deliver an impressive total-body workout, with an emphasis on the upper body.

3. Lat Pulldown

What It Does: Fitness level: Intermediate. Main muscles targeted: The lat pulldown machine is an upper back exercise that mainly targets the latissimus dorsi (lats) but also works the biceps and shoulders.

How to Perform:

• Stand at the lat pulldown machine with your hands on the bar wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Pull the bar down to your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
• Lower the bar slowly back to the starting position.

Tips for Beginners:

• Begin with a low enough weight to practice the motion before adding resistance.
• Do not swing your body or use momentum to help you pull the bar down.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: The lat pulldown is a controlled exercise that builds back strength and stability without the injury risk involved with pull-ups.

4. Dumbbell Rows

What It Does: Doing dumbbell rows involve the back, shoulders, and biceps, as well as the core for stabilization.

How to Perform:

• Brace yourself on a bench with one knee and hand with a flat back.
• You’ll hold a dumbbell in the opposite hand and row the weight toward your torso, squeezing your shoulder blade at the top.
• Lower the dumbbell with control back to the starting position.

Tips for Beginners:

• Use a light dumbbell to get the form down before moving up in weight.
• Tighten your core to prevent flexing your back.

Why It’s Good for Beginners: Dumbbell rows work your upper back and are easy to modify depending on your fitness level.

5. Plank

What It Does: The plank is an isometric move that primarily works the core, but also works the shoulders, chest, and legs.

How to Perform:

• Begin in a forearm plank position with the elbows below the shoulders and the body in a straight line.
• Hold for 20-30 seconds, before gradually adding a few seconds every time.

Tips for Beginners:

• Focus on keeping your body in a straight line and avoid letting your hips sag.
• Hold this position for a breath or two, maintaining a strong core and even breath.

Why It’s Good for Beginners: The plank is easy to do, no equipment is needed, and it’s effective for building core strength and stability.

6. Leg Press Machine

What It Does: When performing the leg press, the press machine targets the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes while posing less risk than squats.

How to Perform:

• Sit on the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart on the footplate.
• Push the platform away from you, extending your legs, then lower the weight back down slowly by bending your knees.

Tips for Beginners:

• Use light weight and try to execute a controlled sequence.
• Do not lock your knees out at the top of the motion.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: The leg press machine is also relatively beginner-friendly and because you’re seated, it’s a great way to build lower body strength without the balance and form issues that can accompany free-weight squats.

7. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

What It Does: The dumbbell shoulder press targets the shoulders (specifically, the deltoids) but also engages the triceps and upper chest.

How to Perform:

• Hold one dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Pushing the dumbbells overhead until your arms are fully extended.
• Bring the dumbbells back down to shoulder height.

Tips for Beginners:

• Learn the movement with a light weight.
• Maintain a braced core and avoid allowing your back to arch as you press the weights over your head.

Why It’s Good for Newbies: The dumbbell shoulder press builds upper body strength and can be done with light weights to prevent overdoing it.

8. Walking on the Treadmill

What It Does: Walking is a great low-impact cardio exercise that helps increase your endurance, burn calories and support heart health.

How to Perform:

• Secure the treadmill at a comfortable walking cadence and slope.
• Walk 20-30 minutes, slowly building up as you develop stamina.

Tips for Beginners:

• When your fitness improves, start at a moderate pace and gradually

increase incline or speed.

• Don’t overdo it initially; walking briskly for even short intervals can lead to major benefits.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: This is one of the most straightforward cardio exercises and easy on the joints.

9. Dumbbell Bicep Curls

What It Does: Bicep curls are a basic movement that builds the muscles in your arms — primarily the biceps.

How to Perform:

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward.
• Curl the dumbbells toward your shoulders, squeezing the biceps at the top of the curl.
• Lower the dumbbells back down slowly.

Tips for Beginners:

• Use light weights until you master the proper form.
• Focus on keeping the elbows close to your body to maximize the biceps’ involvement.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: It’s an effective isolation movement for arm strength and requires minimal equipment.

10. Stationary Bike

What It Does: Cycling on a stationary bike is another great low-impact cardio exercise that also strengthens your legs.

How to Perform:

• Set the bike to a moderate resistance level.
• Pedal for 20-30 minutes at a steady pace.

Tips for Beginners:

• Keep a steady pace, adjusting the resistance if needed as you progress.
• Adjust the seat height for optimal comfort.

Why It’s Great for Beginners: This exercise is gentle on the joints and provides a solid cardiovascular workout.