What confuses beginners most in a weights room isn’t the weight but the number of choices: dozens of machines, exercises and programmes. The good news is that your first weeks need no more than five basic movements done well.
Five movements are enough to start
- Squat: holding a kettlebell at your chest first, then with a barbell later.
- Romanian deadlift: to learn to hinge at the hip with a straight back.
- Press: a dumbbell bench press, or an overhead press.
- Pull: a dumbbell row or the cable pulldown.
- Carry: walking with a weight in each hand to build grip and core.
How the weeks are laid out
Three sessions a week with a rest day between them, each lasting 45 to 60 minutes:
| Weeks | Focus | Load |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – 2 | Learning the movements with very light weights | 2 – 3 sets × 10 easy reps |
| 3 – 5 | Adding a little weight each week | 3 sets × 8 reps |
| 6 – 8 | Settling the technique and moving to the barbell | 3 – 4 sets × 5 – 6 reps |
The two-rep rule
Choose a weight that lets you finish the reps with roughly two reps “in the tank”. If you complete every set with clean technique and still have more than that, add a small weight next session.
Write everything down
A small notebook or a note on your phone: the exercise, the weight and the reps. After eight weeks you’ll read your progress in numbers, and that is the strongest reason to keep going.
When to ask a coach
If you feel sharp pain, not just muscle fatigue, or you aren’t sure about your back position in the squat and deadlift, one session with a coach saves you weeks of mistakes. At Hadeed every membership starts with a free induction session.
