{"id":96822,"date":"2025-07-27T13:37:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T13:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/96822\/"},"modified":"2025-07-27T13:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T13:37:21","slug":"all-you-need-to-build-gym-confidence-and-full-body-muscle-is-this-trainers-16-week-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/96822\/","title":{"rendered":"All you need to build gym confidence and full-body muscle is this trainer\u2019s 16-week plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re just getting to grips with the gym, you\u2019d be forgiven for thinking it\u2019s best to keep things simple. Stick to one piece of equipment and build your confidence gradually.<\/p>\n

Do that, says experienced trainer Alex Marks<\/a> of London PT studio On Your Marks<\/a>, and you\u2019d be missing out on the best thing about joining a gym\u2014learning new skills.<\/p>\n

With more than 15 years under his belt, Marks has refined a 16-week training plan that he now uses with all his new clients to build muscle and gym confidence.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

It comprises three full-body workouts per week, each made up of six exercises that incorporate hinge movements, pushes, pulls, isometric holds<\/a> and unilateral<\/a> (one-sided) lifts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I have a beginner walk into my gym, these are the skills that we learn from day one,\u201d Marks tells Fit&Well, insisting he wouldn\u2019t water the session down for someone new to resistance training.<\/p>\n

The 18 exercises in this plan, he says, deliver maximum bang for your buck. \u201cThey are really functional moves that you can progress, and they teach solid foundations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using a pyramid as an analogy for anyone\u2019s resistance training journey, Marks says learning good technique should take up most of your time and attention when just getting started.<\/p>\n

Start your week with achievable workout ideas, health tips and wellbeing advice in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Once those foundations are rock solid, you can then progress to playing with tempo, the middle section of the pyramid. \u201cThen the sexy part, the part everybody wants to fast forward to, is the load\u2014the amount of weight that you\u2019re lifting,\u201d says Marks.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften people forgo the first two and rush to the top of the pyramid, but you can\u2019t ignore technique or tempo, or you\u2019re letting your ego win and that\u2019s where injuries occur.\u2019<\/p>\n

For any beginner looking to build muscle, he adds, these exercises are \u201cthe gold standard and strong as any to introduce yourself into the world of resistance training\u201d.<\/p>\n

16-week beginner gym workout planHow to follow this training plan<\/p>\n

Each workout is split into three supersets, in which your goal is to perform exercises A and B back-to-back with minimal rest. After completing exercise B, rest for 60 seconds, then repeat.<\/p>\n

Marks recommends using light weights for week one while you familiarize yourself with each exercise, then learning to master the tempo of each lift in week two by focusing on moving through each exercise with control.<\/p>\n

From week three onward, you can start gradually increasing the load you use for each exercise. This is known as progressive overload<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Choose a weight that allows you to lift within the suggested rep range for each exercise. For example, if it states 8-10 you should be able to hit 8-10 reps in every set. If you can\u2019t hit eight, you\u2019ve gone too heavy. If you can lift more than 10 you\u2019ve gone too light.<\/p>\n

\u201cStick with this plan for 16 weeks, note down the sets, reps and load you lift with each exercise, and explore the ceiling of what your body is capable of,\u201d says Marks.<\/p>\n

Equipment<\/p>\n

The three workouts in Marks\u2019 training plan require a range of equipment. For the first workout, you need dumbbells, a thick, long looped resistance band and an adjustable weight bench.<\/p>\n

For the second and third sessions, you need dumbbells, a weight bench and a cable machine, and additionally, a back extension machine and a Bosu ball for the third workout.<\/p>\n

In case all the cable machines are taken, I’ve added in dumbbell alternatives for those exercises.<\/p>\n

Session 1 | Monday: Lower hinge and upper pull<\/p>\n