The Complete Beginner's Guide to the Gym

Bench Press

The main chest exercise. Barbell or dumbbell, flat bench. Hits the full pec with heavy load, this is your primary chest builder.

1. Lie flat on the bench. Feet flat on the floor, back slightly arched.
2. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Unrack the bar and hold it directly above your chest.
3. Lower the bar slowly to your mid-chest, elbows at roughly 45 degrees from your body (not flared straight out).
4. Press back up to the start position. Do not lock out elbows at the top.

Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together and down throughout. If the bar drifts toward your neck or you lose the arch, the weight is too heavy.

Incline Dumbbell Press

Set the bench to 30-45 degrees. Hits the upper chest which the flat bench underworks. A fuller chest comes from training both upper and lower fibres.

1. Set bench to 30-45 degrees. Sit with dumbbells resting on your thighs.
2. Kick the dumbbells up as you lie back. Hold them at shoulder level, palms facing forward.
3. Press up and slightly inward until dumbbells nearly touch above your upper chest.
4. Lower slowly back to shoulder level. Feel the stretch at the bottom.

Use lighter weight than flat bench. The incline position is mechanically harder. Your ego will want to go heavy. Do not listen to your ego.

Push-up

Underrated. A proper push-up hits chest, triceps, and shoulders simultaneously. Great as a warm-up or a finisher when you have no equipment.

1. Hands slightly wider than shoulder-width, fingers pointing forward.
2. Body forms a straight line from head to heels. No sagging hips.
3. Lower your chest to just above the floor, elbows at roughly 45 degrees.
4. Push back up to full arm extension. Squeeze chest at the top.

If regular push-ups are too easy, elevate your feet on a bench. Too hard? Start with hands elevated on a bench instead.

Lat Pulldown

Best vertical pull for beginners. Targets the latissimus dorsi, the wide back muscle responsible for that V-shape. Safer to learn than pull-ups and allows you to precisely control the weight.

1. Sit at the cable machine with your thighs secured under the pad. Grip the bar wider than shoulder-width, overhand grip.
2. Lean back slightly (about 15-20 degrees). This is your starting position throughout.
3. Pull the bar down to your upper chest by driving your elbows toward the floor and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
4. Return slowly to the start, feeling the lats stretch at the top. Do not let your torso sway.

Think "elbows to back pockets." Lead the movement with your elbows, not your hands. If your biceps are burning more than your back, you are pulling with your arms instead of your lats.

Bent-Over Row

The horizontal pulling counterpart to the bench press. Hits lats, rhomboids, traps, and rear delts all at once. One of the best overall back exercises you can do.

1. Stand with feet hip-width, barbell over mid-foot. Hinge at the hips until your torso is at roughly 45-60 degrees. Slight bend in knees.
2. Grip the bar at shoulder-width, overhand grip. Back flat, core braced.
3. Row the bar to your lower chest/upper stomach, driving elbows past your torso and squeezing shoulder blades together at the top.
4. Lower the bar back to the start under control. Do not let your lower back round.

If your lower back is rounding, you are going too heavy. The back must stay flat. Dumbbell rows are a good alternative if the barbell version is hard to control early on.

Seated Cable Row

Great for midback thickness, the rhomboids and lower traps. The cable provides constant tension throughout the range of motion, which free weights cannot.

1. Sit at the cable row machine, feet on the platform, knees slightly bent. Grip the handle with both hands.
2. Sit upright, chest up, slight arch in lower back. This is your starting position.
3. Row the handle to your stomach, driving elbows back and squeezing shoulder blades together hard at the peak.
4. Return slowly to the start, allowing your shoulder blades to spread and feeling the stretch in your back.

Do not swing your torso back on every rep. A slight lean back at the peak is fine. Full body swinging means the weight is too heavy and your back is doing nothing.

Overhead Press (OHP)

The main shoulder exercise. Barbell or dumbbell, standing or seated. Hits all three heads with the front and side getting the most work. A strong OHP is a good measure of overall upper body strength.

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width, bar resting on upper chest/front of shoulders, grip just outside shoulder-width.
2. Brace your core hard. Press the bar straight up, tucking your chin back slightly as the bar passes your face.
3. At the top, bar should be directly over your mid-foot. Lock out arms, squeeze shoulders.
4. Lower back to shoulder level under control. Do not use your legs to help, that is a push press, a different exercise.

OHP is hard. Most beginners press far less than they expect. Start light, get the movement pattern right first. Dumbbells are more beginner-friendly if the barbell version feels unstable.

Lateral Raise

The one exercise that directly targets the side deltoid. This is what creates shoulder width and the round "capped" look. Cannot be replaced by compound movements.

1. Stand holding dumbbells at your sides, palms facing inward. Slight bend in elbows throughout.
2. Raise both arms out to the sides until they are parallel with the floor (no higher). Lead with your elbows, not your hands.
3. At the top, tilt your pinky finger slightly upward, like pouring out a glass of water.
4. Lower slowly back to the start. Do not let momentum swing the weights up.

Use lighter weight than you think. Most people go too heavy, shrug their traps, and use momentum. 5-8kg done correctly does far more than 15kg done sloppily.

Face Pull

The most overlooked exercise in the gym. Targets the rear deltoid and rotator cuff, critical for shoulder health. If you bench press and do not face pull, you are building an imbalance that will eventually hurt you.

1. Set a cable machine at face height with a rope attachment. Stand back so the cable is taut.
2. Grip the rope with both hands, palms facing each other. Step back slightly.
3. Pull the rope toward your face, flaring your elbows out and slightly upward. At the peak, your hands should be beside your ears, elbows at shoulder height or above.
4. Return slowly to the start. Full stretch at the front.

This is a shoulder health exercise, not an ego exercise. Light weight, high reps, full range of motion. Do it every session. Your future self will thank you.

Barbell Curl

The classic bicep exercise. Allows you to load the most weight of any curl variation. Trains both heads of the bicep plus the brachialis underneath.

1. Stand holding the barbell with an underhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart. Arms fully extended, bar at thigh level.
2. Keeping your upper arms pinned to your sides (elbows do not move), curl the bar up toward your shoulders.
3. Squeeze the bicep hard at the top. Pause briefly.
4. Lower the bar slowly back to full extension. The lowering (eccentric) phase is where most growth happens, do not drop it.

Do not swing your body. If you are leaning back and using momentum, the weight is too heavy. Drop it. Strict reps beat cheated reps every time.

Hammer Curl

Neutral grip (palms facing each other). Hits the brachialis, the muscle under the bicep that pushes it up and creates arm thickness from the side. Also builds the brachioradialis in the forearm.

1. Hold dumbbells at your sides, palms facing your body (neutral grip). Upper arms pinned to sides.
2. Curl both dumbbells up simultaneously, keeping the palms-facing-inward position throughout. Do not rotate the wrists.
3. Squeeze at the top, then lower slowly back to start.

Can also be done alternating arms. Slightly heavier than regular curls for most people since the brachialis is a strong muscle.

Tricep Pushdown

Cable machine, rope or straight bar attachment. The best starting point for tricep training, easy to learn, constant tension from the cable, and easy to load progressively.

1. Set the cable to the highest position. Grip the rope (or bar) with both hands, elbows close to your sides.
2. Keep your upper arms completely still, only your forearms move.
3. Push the attachment down until your arms are fully extended. If using a rope, spread the handles apart slightly at the bottom to fully contract the tricep.
4. Return slowly, feel the tricep stretch at the top. Do not let your elbows flare outward.

Elbows stay pinned to your ribs throughout. If they are swinging forward as you push down, reduce the weight.

Overhead Tricep Extension

Targets the long head of the tricep, the biggest portion and the one that hangs down when you raise your arm. The overhead position is the only way to fully stretch the long head, so this exercise is not optional if you want complete arm development.

1. Hold one dumbbell with both hands, grip the top plate, arms extended overhead.
2. Keeping your upper arms close to your head (elbows pointing forward), lower the dumbbell behind your head by bending at the elbows.
3. Lower until you feel a deep stretch in the tricep, typically your forearms are past parallel.
4. Press back up to full extension. Squeeze triceps hard at the top.

Elbows will flare out as you fatigue. Fight it. Keep them pointing forward and close to your head throughout. Can also use a cable with a rope behind the head.

Plank

The foundation of core training. Builds isometric strength in the deep abdominals, obliques, and lower back simultaneously. Learn this before anything else.

1. Get into a push-up position, then drop to your forearms. Elbows directly under your shoulders.
2. Body forms a straight line from head to heels. Do not let your hips sag or pike up.
3. Squeeze everything: glutes tight, core braced hard, shoulders away from your ears.
4. Hold. Breathe steadily. Do not hold your breath.

Quality over duration. A 30-second plank with perfect form beats a 90-second plank with your hips sagging. When 60 seconds is easy, try adding weight on your back or move to a harder variation.

Dead Bug

Underrated beginner exercise. Trains the deep core stabilisers and teaches you to brace your spine while your limbs move, exactly what happens during heavy lifting. A lot of back pain problems improve significantly with this exercise.

1. Lie on your back. Raise your arms straight above your chest. Raise your knees to 90 degrees (like you are sitting in a chair). Lower back pressed firmly into the floor.
2. Slowly extend your right arm overhead while simultaneously extending your left leg until it is near the floor (do not let it touch).
3. Return to the start. Repeat on the opposite side (left arm + right leg).
4. Throughout, your lower back must stay flat on the floor. If it arches, you have gone too far.

Slow and controlled. This is a technique exercise, not a cardio exercise. If you are moving fast, you are doing it wrong. Take 2-3 seconds per movement.

Hanging Leg Raise

Once the plank is easy, add loaded core flexion. Hanging leg raises target the lower abs and hip flexors under heavy load. Hard when done properly. Most people use too much swing.

1. Hang from a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, arms fully extended.
2. Brace your core. Raise both legs by curling your hips, do not just lift from the hip flexors, think about pulling your pelvis up toward your ribs.
3. Raise until your legs are parallel to the floor (beginner) or higher (advanced).
4. Lower slowly, do not drop. Control the descent to maximise time under tension.

Too hard? Do lying leg raises on the floor first. Too easy? Raise your legs straight up past 90 degrees, bringing your feet toward the ceiling.

Back Squat

The king of all exercises. Trains quads, hamstrings, glutes, and core simultaneously under the heaviest load of any leg exercise. Learn this movement pattern properly and it will serve you for life.

1. Set the bar on the rack at shoulder height. Step under it, rest it across your upper traps (not on your neck), and grip the bar slightly wider than your shoulders.
2. Unrack, step back, and stand with feet shoulder-width or slightly wider, toes pointed slightly outward.
3. Brace your core like you are about to take a punch. Push your knees out in line with your toes as you squat down.
4. Squat until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor (crease of the hip below the knee). Drive back up through your heels, keeping chest up throughout.

Film your squats from the side. Most beginners do not go deep enough, lean too far forward, or let their knees cave inward. Fix your form before loading heavy. Goblet squat with a dumbbell is a great learning tool before moving to the barbell.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

The best hamstring and glute exercise available. Unlike the back squat which is quad-dominant, the RDL specifically targets the posterior chain, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.

1. Stand holding the barbell at hip level, overhand grip. Feet hip-width apart.
2. With a slight bend in the knees (keep this bend constant throughout), hinge at the hips, push them back behind you. Back stays completely flat.
3. Lower the bar down the front of your legs until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, typically when the bar is just below the knee.
4. Drive your hips forward to return to the start. Squeeze your glutes at the top.

The RDL is not a deadlift from the floor, the bar stays above the knees. The movement is all hips. If your back is rounding, you are either going too low or the weight is too heavy. Start with dumbbells if the barbell is awkward.

Leg Press

Machine-based squat alternative. Quad-focused, easier to learn than the barbell squat, and allows you to push heavy loads safely. Good as a secondary leg exercise or during periods when your squat form needs work.

1. Sit in the leg press machine. Place feet shoulder-width on the platform, roughly in the middle.
2. Release the safety handles. Lower the platform toward your chest by bending your knees, go until your knees are at roughly 90 degrees. Lower back stays flat against the seat.
3. Press the platform back up by driving through your heels. Do not lock out your knees at the top.

Do not set your feet too low, it puts excessive stress on the knees. Do not set them too high, it shifts load entirely to glutes and reduces quad work. Experiment with placement.

Calf Raise

Most people skip calves. Most people have underdeveloped calves. The gastrocnemius and soleus together make up the lower leg. They respond best to high reps and are notoriously stubborn, which is why most people quit on them.

1. Stand on the edge of a step or calf raise machine, heels hanging off the edge.
2. Lower your heels as far as possible, feel the full stretch in the calf at the bottom.
3. Rise up onto the balls of your feet as high as possible. Pause at the top for 1-2 seconds.
4. Lower slowly back to the stretched position. Do not bounce at the bottom.

Calves are stubborn because they carry your body weight all day. They are used to volume. High reps, full range of motion, and the pause at the top is what actually makes them grow.