Gym Workouts for Overweight Beginners

If you are overweight and not happy about how you look, going to a health club could be a daunting task. The thought of other slim and athletic bodies might be intimidating to some. Also, others might have nowhere to start, whereas, in many clubs, you are on your own to create a workout routine. 

If this sounds like you, I have a general guide you can follow to get you started on the right path. In most clubs, you will have the same equipment like the chest press machine, lat pulldown, leg extension machineand so forth and so on. There could be some variations in the equipment and if you are still confused on how to use it, you may be able to find a video on how to use that particular brand of equipment on YouTube.

I will provide you with three different workout plans. One will be with just dumbbells, the second will be a combination of dumbbells and machines and the third will have just machines. I have two pdf's

you can download for free.

Exercise Plan One - Weight Machines

Some of the exercises on the pdf have a machine that may not be found at your health club or recreation center. I have provided videos on different machine that you may substitute at your facility. If you are a beginner to weight machines, I would do this program for 6 - 8 weeks and then move on to Exercise Plan Two.

Leg Press Machine

Tricep Machine 

Back Extension Machine

Back Extension Machine Two

Exercise Plan Two - Dumbbells and Machine

After you have gotten stronger and you have more mobility, the

exercise plan could be done another six to eight weeks after doing exercise plan one. 

Exercise Plan Three - Just Dumbbells

After four to six months of exercising with plan one and plan two, you can again switch it up to cause muscle confusion to give your body an extra challenge. It will also stimulate and increase muscle growth along with an increase in strength and mobility. Plan three is great if you are stuck inside and can't get to the gym. 

Warm-up 

Make sure you are warming up before you start weight training. Nothing is more devastating if you have to take time off due to an injury. To prevent that, make sure you do a five-minute warm-up routine before lifting weights. A simple warm-up could be five minutes on the elliptical trainer with arms. You can also warm up following the instructor in this video. 5-minute dynamic warm-up for strength training

Cool-down 

Finish your exercise session with stretching. I love the following video because it stretches the total body. It's a 10-minute standing stretch routine. Standing Stretches 10 minute workout

Progression

Now that you have started on your program, how do you increase how much you lift? 

Progressing in a weight training program involves gradually increasing the intensity, volume, or challenge of your workouts over time. This is called progressive overload, and it’s essential for building strength, muscle, and endurance. Here’s how you can approach it:

1. Increase the Weight

• Start by gradually increasing the amount of weight you lift. Aim to increase it by small increments, typically 2.5-5 lbs (1-2 kg) per week or every few sessions, depending on your strength level and how manageable the weight feels.

2. Add More Repetitions or Sets

• If increasing weight feels too difficult, you can add more reps (e.g., going from 8 to 10 reps) or more sets (e.g., from 3 to 4 sets). This adds volume, which helps stimulate muscle growth and endurance.

3. Increase Frequency

• Another way to progress is to increase how often you perform each exercise or target each muscle group. For example, instead of training each body part once a week, try training it twice if your schedule and recovery allow.

If you are ready to start, jump right in and don't be self conscience about exercising at the gym. Most of us are not watching others, we just want to work out and get out.