A Week of Fitness Workouts for Absolute Beginners

Schedule for Basic Cardio, Strength, and Stretching

man stretching on a bench

Verywell / Ryan Kelly

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If you're a beginning exerciser or its been a long time since you worked out, you may be wondering exactly where to start. You'll need to decide how much cardio and strength training you should do. Fitting it all in while avoiding getting too sore or, worse, getting injured, is a challenge as well.

Overview

Your first step is learning the basics of how to set up a workout program. Luckily, you don't have to figure it out yourself. Experts have already come up with the most important components of creating a quality exercise routine and that involves focusing on F.I.T.T.

The F.I.T.T. principle guides exercisers in setting up a complete workout program, whether you're doing cardio, strength training, or both. Using this principle, you can manipulate different aspects of your workout to make changes, progress to higher levels, and keep things interesting.

F.I.T.T.

These are the elements of F.I.T.T. and how to change them for your workout program:

  • Frequency: This refers to how often you exercise. If you check out the program below, you'll notice you're doing cardio three times and strength training three times, which follows the basic exercise guidelines for getting started and improving your health. Over time, you can add more frequency to your cardio workouts as you build endurance and get more comfortable with exercise.
  • Intensity: This refers to how hard you're working. As you get started, your focus will be on cardio workouts at a moderate intensity, or about a level 5 to 6 on a 10-point perceived exertion scale. As you progress, you can gradually change the intensity levels of your workouts with interval training.
  • Time: This refers to how long your workouts are. Your cardio workouts start at 20 to 25 minutes. Each week, add a few minutes to your workouts to progress without overdoing it. 
  • Type: The type of exercise can be walking, running, cycling, weight training, Pilates, etc. It's important to start out with activities you enjoy, but it's also important to cross-train and mix things up to keep both your body and mind engaged. Once you establish an exercise habit, consider trying a variety of activities to keep things interesting.

When you workout at a sufficient intensity, time and frequency, you'll start to see changes in your weight, body fat, endurance, and strength. When your body adjusts to your current FITT levels, it's time to manipulate one or more of them.

The workouts are only suggestions and won't work for everyone, so please modify them as needed to fit your fitness level, schedule, and preferences.

If you feel extra sore or tired, take a rest day. If you feel you're not being challenged, increase the intensity, duration or frequency to work harder.

Cardio for Beginners

You can use any cardio machine or activity for this workout. Cardio machines include the treadmill, elliptical trainer, stationary cycle, rowing machine, ski machine, and stairstepper. Cardio activities include brisk walking, running, cycling, and swimming.

Complete each segment of the workout, setting speed, incline, resistance, or ramps to match the suggested perceived exertion levels. This is very subjective and it may take you a few workouts to match how you're feeling with how hard you're working.

Your baseline level should feel harder than your warm up, taking you just out of your comfort zone. Keep in mind that your settings may change as you get deeper into the workout and start to get tired. 

The idea is to find your baseline wherever it may be, even if you have to reduce your speed, incline, resistance, etc. Modify the workout as needed to fit your fitness level. Slow down or stop the workout if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

  1. Warm up at an easy-moderate pace (5 minutes). You should feel comfortable and be able to talk easily. Allow your heart rate to rise gradually by slowly increasing your pace, resistance. or incline throughout the warmup. This is a perceived exertion of 4.
  2. Baseline (5 minutes): Increase speed, incline or resistance (or use a combination) to find your baseline. In this phase, you should be just a little out of your comfort zone and feel that you're working, but able to talk, a perceived exertion of 5.
  3. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (2 minutes): Start with one to two increments at a time and go from there until you feel you're working a little harder than at baseline. This is a perceived exertion of 6.
  4. Reduce your incline, resistance, ramps or speed (3 minutes): Get back to your baseline level.
  5. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (1 minute) until you feel you're working a little harder than baseline.
  6. Return to baseline (3 minutes). Reduce incline, resistance, ramps and/or speed to baseline.
  7. Increase your incline, resistance or ramps (1 minute) until you feel you're working a little harder than baseline.
  8. Return to baseline (3 minutes). Reduce incline, resistance, ramps and/or speed.
  9. Cooldown (2 minutes): Reduce incline, resistance, ramps, or speed until you're working at a comfortable level to end your workout.

Beginner Workout Plan

 Day 1  Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6
Cardio  25 min. machine  15 min. walk  21 min. machine Active rest 15 min. brisk walk 25 min. machine
Strength 2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 min.   2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 min. 2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 min.
Stretch 5 min. 5 to 10 min. 5 min. 5 to 10 min. 5 min.

Your cardio workout on days one and six is 25 minutes long, but you should workout at your fitness level. If you need to start with 10 or 15 minutes just to see how things feel, feel free to do that.

You'll also have a very basic strength workout that you'll do either before or after your cardio workout. It's your choice. The strength workout involves doing two sets of each exercise with a brief rest between sets.

You'll end with a relaxing 5-minute stretch. You may be tempted to skip it, but the stretch is just as important as the cardio and strength training. It eases tension and allows your body to get back to its pre-exercise state.

Day 1: Cardio, Strength, and Stretch

  • Workout 1: 25-Minute Basic Cardio Workout
    • Type: Cardio
    • Length: 25 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
  • Workout 2: Basic Strength
    • Type: Strength Training
    • Length: 2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: Light dumbbells, an exercise ball or chair, and a mat
  • Workout 3: Basic Stretch
    • Type: Flexibility
    • Length: 5 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: None

Day 2: Walking and Stretch

Today is kind of like a recovery day and a chance for you to do some light cardio. While structured exercise is great for you, moving more every day can also contribute to your overall calorie burn. Today you'll do that and finish up with a seated stretch for the back, neck and, shoulders.

  • Workout 1: Find at least 15 minutes for a brisk walk today.
  • Workout 2: Seated Stretch
  • Type: Flexibility
  • Length: 5-10 Minutes
  • Level: Beginner
  • Equipment Required: None

Day 3: Cardio, Strength, and Stretch

You have a different cardio workout today that involves some light interval training. This involves pushing you just a little out of your comfort zone, but not too far. Just enough to start to test your limits.

You can do this on any machine or activity of your choice, such as an air walker or an air glider. As before, your strength workout stays the same as the previous workout and, of course, don't forget to end with a stretch.

  • Workout 1: Basic Intervals: This is similar to the basic cardio routine, but a slightly shorter and more intense workout.
    Type: Cardio
  • Length: 21 Minutes
  • Level: Beginner
  • Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
  • Workout 2: Basic Strength
    Type: Strength Training
  • Length: 2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 Minutes
  • Level: Beginner
  • Equipment Required: Light dumbbells, an exercise ball or chair, and a mat
  • Workout 3: Basic Stretch
    Type: Flexibility
  • Length: 5 Minutes
  • Level: Beginner
  • Equipment Required: None

Day 4: Active Rest

There's nothing on your schedule today, but try to stay active as much as you can by taking breaks, walking, stretching and moving. Some ideas:

  • Play an active exergame such as Wii Fit or anything that gets you moving.
  • Do some crunches or pushups while you watch TV.
  • Turn off the TV early and stretch for a few minutes before bed.
  • Walk the dog for an extra 5 minutes.
  • Roll around on an exercise ball.

Day 5: Walking and Stretch

Again, today is like an active recovery. You'll simply find time to walk, all at once or spread throughout the day, and then stretch.

  • Workout 1: Find at least 15 minutes for a brisk walk today.
  • Workout 2: Seated Stretch
    • Type: Flexibility
    • Length: 5-10 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: None

Day 6: Cardio, Strength, and Stretch

Your workouts today are the same as on your first day. If you're feeling sore or fatigued at this point, you may want to take an extra rest day or only do two days of cardio and strength training. This is where the experimentation comes in as you figure out what your body can and can't do.

  • Workout 1: 25-Minute Cardio
    • Type: Cardio
    • Length: 25 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: Any cardio machine
  • Workout 2: Basic Strength
    • Type: Strength Training
    • Length: 2 sets of each exercise, 10-20 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: Light dumbbells, an exercise ball or chair, and a mat
  • Workout 3: Basic Stretch
    • Type: Strength Training
    • Length: 5 Minutes
    • Level: Beginner
    • Equipment Required: None

A Word From Verywell

This is an optimal basic structure to follow for your weekly workout program. Feel free to accommodate it to your body's needs and your personal fitness goals and preferences. Use the F.I.T.T. principle to progress from week to week, adding more frequency, higher intensity, heavier weights, longer workouts, or different types of workouts that work best for you.

3 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. Herbert RD, de Noronha M, Kamper SJ. Stretching to Prevent or Reduce Muscle Soreness After Exercise. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011. 2011 Jul 6;(7):CD004577. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004577.pub3.

  3. von Loeffelholz C, Birkenfeld A. The role of non-exercise activity thermogenesis in human obesity. Endotext [Internet]. 2018 Apr 9. MDText. com, Inc.

By Paige Waehner, CPT
Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer," and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness."