Your first month in the gym, minus the guesswork.
Plain-English workout plans, animated exercise guides and sourced nutrition basics for people who have never touched a barbell.
- Free, with no sign-up
- Numbers from health organisations
- No miracle claims, no supplements
How strong am I?
Pick a lift, then tap plates to load a weight you have already lifted with good form.
An empty Olympic barbell weighs 20 kg, a perfectly good place to start. Levels (Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite) compare you with other lifters of your sex and bodyweight. They are a rough guide based on one-rep maximums, and sources differ. Never test a max without a spotter or a coach. For exact numbers, try the calculator on Strength Level.
Where do you want to start?
Learn the big lifts
13 guides: squat, deadlift, bench press, warm-ups, sets and reps.
Workout guides →Work out your calories
Free calculator for daily calories, protein, fat, carbs and your sugar limit.
Open the calculator →Eat with confidence
8 sourced guides on sugar, calories, protein, water and food labels.
Nutrition guides →Build your first week
Pick how many days you can train. This is a sample layout to show the idea, not personal advice.
Tap a day to see each exercise with an animated drawing, sets, reps and a tip. These are common beginner starting points, not personal advice. New to all this? Start with the 3-day full body plan and the warm-up guide.
Sugar limits, in cubes
Health organisations give different numbers because they measure different things. Choose one to see what it looks like in teaspoons.
One teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams. These limits are for free sugars: sugar added to food and drinks, plus sugar in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Sugar in whole fruit and milk does not count. For a number based on your own calories, use the calculator.
Start reading
Short guides for your first weeks. Every nutrition number links to its source.
Beginner full body workout plan: 3 days a week
A simple 3-day full body workout plan for gym beginners, with every exercise, sets, reps, rest times and a 4-week roadmap. Start this week.
Workouts · 6 min readPush, pull, legs explained for beginners
What a push, pull, legs split means, who it suits, a sample week with exercises, and why many beginners start with full body workouts first.
Workouts · 4 min readHow to squat, step by step
Learn how to squat safely: stance, bracing, depth, common mistakes and a progression from bodyweight to goblet to barbell squat for gym beginners.
Workouts · 5 min readHow to deadlift with good form
How to deadlift safely: the hip hinge, step-by-step setup, lockout, common mistakes and easier versions for beginners, with animated drawings.
Workouts · 5 min readHow to bench press safely
A beginner guide to the bench press: setup, grip, bar path, spotter and safety tips, common mistakes and a dumbbell option, with animated drawings.
Workouts · 5 min readPush-ups for beginners: how to build up to your first rep
Can't do a full push-up yet? Learn the correct form and a step-by-step progression from wall push-ups to full push-ups, with animated drawings.
Workouts · 4 min readHow to warm up before lifting: a 10-minute routine
A simple 10-minute warm-up for gym beginners: light cardio, dynamic movements and ramp-up sets so your body is ready to lift.
Workouts · 4 min readSets, reps and rest: how many should you do?
What sets, reps and rest times mean, and what the ACSM guidance suggests for novices: 1–3 sets of 8–12 reps with 1–2 minutes of rest.
Workouts · 5 min readProgressive overload: get stronger without guessing
Progressive overload means gradually asking more of your muscles. Learn simple ways to add weight, reps or sets, and a double-progression method.
Workouts · 4 min readHow many days a week should a beginner train?
How many days a week to train as a beginner, why rest and sleep matter, and sample 2, 3, 4 and 5-day schedules based on official activity guidelines.
Workouts · 5 min readA beginner's guide to gym machines
How to use the most common gym machines safely: leg press, lat pulldown, seated cable row and leg curl, with seat set-up tips and common mistakes.
Workouts · 4 min readYour first day at the gym: what to bring and what to do
Nervous about your first gym session? Here is what to bring, what to wear, a simple 45-minute workout and how to feel at home from day one.
Workouts · 4 min readGym etiquette: the unwritten rules for beginners
The unwritten rules of the gym, from re-racking weights and wiping equipment to sharing machines and using your phone, explained for beginners.
Workouts · 4 min readHow much sugar per day? The official limits
How much sugar is too much? The daily limits from the WHO, the NHS and the American Heart Association, in grams, calories and teaspoons, explained simply.
Nutrition · 5 min readAdded sugar vs natural sugar: what really matters
What is the difference between added, free and natural sugar? Learn what counts toward your daily limit and why whole fruit and milk do not.
Nutrition · 4 min readHow to read a nutrition label in under a minute
Learn to read UK traffic light labels and US Nutrition Facts, including per-100g thresholds, serving size and % Daily Value, step by step.
Nutrition · 5 min readHow many calories do you need? A simple guide
How to estimate your daily calories with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, what the NHS says about averages, and how to use the number safely.
Nutrition · 5 min readHow much protein do you need as a beginner?
How much protein do people who exercise need? The ISSN suggests 1.4–2.0 g per kg a day. See what that looks like in grams and in meals.
Nutrition · 4 min readHow much water should you drink? NHS and EFSA advice
How much water do adults need? The NHS suggests 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day. See what counts, how to tell if you are drinking enough and what to do when you train.
Nutrition · 3 min readHidden sugar: where it hides and how to cut back
Where is sugar hiding in your food? Learn which foods and drinks have free sugars, how to spot them on labels and how to cut down without feeling deprived.
Nutrition · 4 min readHow fast should you lose weight? What the NHS says
What is a healthy rate of weight loss? The NHS suggests 0.5 to 1 kg a week. Learn why crash diets are not advised and how a gentle calorie deficit works.
Nutrition · 4 min read