IN THIS POST

Beginner gym anxiety is all too real. 

If you’re on the overweight side, even just the thought of starting a fitness routine can seem straight-up overwhelming. 

You have so many questions it’s like…

Where do I even start?!

You’re taking a great first step by reading this post. 😉

In this article, I’ll be providing you with the ideal weight loss plan as an overweight beginner. 

By the time you’re done reading, you’ll have a structured fitness plan to follow that’ll put you on the path to becoming the healthiest, fittest, and most confident version of yourself!

We’ll start with strength training, work our way to cardio, and finish up with nutrition.

Make sure you read the ENTIRE article!

Step 1: How to start strength training as a beginner 

You may hear me repeat this a time or two but…

Slow and steady wins the race.

Fitness, esepcially for an obese beginner, is all about graaaadual progression.

You don’t sprint right out of the gate if you’re running a mile.

And you don’t want to take on too much, too soon as a beginner to strength training. 

Speaking of beginners, make sure you download a copy of my introduction to strength training guide.

It lays the groundwork for all things weightlifting and will get you up to speed!

Before we get into your actual weightlifting plan, let’s first talk about the benefits of strength training:

1.) You’ll build and retain muscle mass 

Strength training is how you build muscle.

Muscle means a faster metabolism and more fat loss. 

And ya know that leaner physique you’re envisioning with more definition and tone?

You’ll need muscle to make that a reality! 

2.) It enhances bone density

Your bones become weaker as you age, which increases your risk of fractures.

Strength training is a way to offset this.

Ladies, this is of special importance to you!

Women have a significantly higher chance of developing osteoporosis than men.

3.) You’ll maintain your independence as you age

Building muscle and strength through resistance training allows you to remain active later on in life.

That results in you sustaining the weight loss results you achieve. 

4.) Lifting weights builds confidence and resilience 

Committing to a strength training routine is hard, it takes discipline.

But that’s a good thing because it lets you know you can do hard things.

Pushing through even when you don’t feel motivated is how you gain confidence and resilience. 

Strength training will shift your mindset from “I’m not sure I can do this this” to “I can do absolutely ANYTHING I put my mind to!”

Simple strength training workout plan for beginners

Starting out, you’ll lift twice per week; one upper body workout day and one lower body workout day. 

After 3-4 weeks, you can add a third workout to your week (a total body workout) if you’re feeling up to it.

Again, slow and steady wins the race so there is absolutely ZERO rush.

Only increase to three workouts per week once you feel totally comfortable enough to do so.

Ready for your workout schedule?

Here’s what that could look like working out two days a week (You don’t have to choose the days I did):

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: Lower body workout
• Wednesday: Rest day
• Thursday: Upper body workout
• Friday: Rest day
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Rest day

Just make sure you have at least one full day of rest between workouts.

See how in the workout schedule above I have Wednesday as a complete rest day? 

If you decide to add a third workout to your week, here’s what that could like:

• Monday: Lower body workout
• Tuesday: Rest day
• Wednesday: Upper body workout
• Thursday: Rest day
• Friday: Total body workout
• Saturday: Rest day
• Sunday: Rest day

Now for the fun part; your actual workouts.👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Lower body workout

• Goblet squat (tutorial video): You can use a weight bench or chair to sit back on as you squat down for support
• Leg press (tutorial video)
• Seated leg curl (tutorial video)
• Standing calf raises (video tutorial)

Upper body workout

• Flat dumbbell bench press (video tutorial)
• Lat pulldown (video tutorial)
• Seated dumbbell shoulder press (video tutorial)
• Standing bicep curl (video tutorial)

Total body workout

• Supported reverse lunges (video tutorial): Each leg
• Dumbbell incline bench press (video tutorial)
• Seated leg extension (tutorial video)
• Seated row (video tutorial)

For each workout:

A.) Perform 2-3 sets of each exercise for 8-10 reps each.

B.) Rest 2-3 minutes between each sets.

I’d recommend starting out with two sets per exercise and slowly building up to performing 3 sets of each exercise.

This next point is super important.

You’ll make progress without this the day fishes fly like birds. 

You NEED to apply progressive overload during your workouts.

This is when you gradually increase the amount of weight you lift over time

It’s the stimulus your body needs to build/retain muscle.

For example, let’s say you start out squatting 100 lbs.

If you want to build muscle and see progress, you wouldn’t stay at that same 100 lbs.

You’d steadily, over time, increase the weight to 105 lbs, 110 lbs, and so on.

Make sense?

Some people struggle to know when exactly they should increase the amount of weight they’re lifting. 

If you don’t want that to be you, implement the double progression method!

Step 2: Effective cardio workout schedule for beginners

You might be picturing yourself spending hours on the treadmill, all sweaty and out of breath.  

But that’s not what will help you lose the most fat.

This will:

🚶🏾🚶🏾🚶🏾

Walking.

Yep, you read that right.

Simply taking one foot and placing it in front of the other is the best cardio for fat loss.

It’s easy on the joints (low-impact), which makes it something you can do every single day.

And that means burning more calories. 

The end goal is to work your way up to somewhere between 7,500 and 10,000 steps every single day.

But for now, as a beginner, I want you to simply get 500-1,000 more steps than you currently are (Again, slow and steady wins the race).

Each week, you’re going to add 500-1,000 steps.

So, let’s say you currently get 2,000 steps a day.

Week 1: You’ll aim for 2,500-3,000 steps. 

Week 2: You’ll aim for 3,000-3,500 steps.

Week 3: You’ll aim for 3,500-4,000 steps.

And so on.

Get your steps every single day, even days you’re not lifting weights.

Want to know something else about walking?

It’s insanely beneficial for your overall health.

Research shows walking significantly decrease your all-cause mortality risk (risk of dying from essentially anything). 

You can also add 1-2 LISS (low-intensity steady state) cardio sessions for about 20-30 minutes each per week.

Low-intensity steady state cardio is essentially anything low-impact (E.g. walking on a treadmill, using the elliptical or exercise bike, swimming, etc).

It’s done at an intensity to where you could still hold a conversation if you had to.

FYI, as a overweight beginner you want to stay away from cardio that puts pressure on your joints, such as jumping or sprinting.

Step 3: The importance of nutrition 

To lose weight you have to be in something called a “calorie deficit.”

This when you’re consuming fewer calories than you burn.

So, calories in < calories out.

Nutrition is the main driver of your deficit, so let’s make sure yours is in order.

The first step is figuring out how many calories you need to eat.

This article will walk you through just how to do that.

The second step is determining the type of foods to eat while in a deficit.

The following article details all that for you: How to Eat in a Calorie Deficit. 

Third and final step! 

You know how many calories to eat but how can you be sure you’re actually consuming that amount?

You count calories.

It’s just like budgeting but for weight loss.

You track your income and expenses to save money the same way you count calories to ensure weight loss.

Weight loss plan wrap up

You now have everything you need to start your fitness journey and be on the path to sustainable weight loss

Take things slow (I promise this is the last time I say it 😂) and focus on beng consistent.

At the end of the day, results are merely a reflection of how consistent you are.

I’m proud of you for reading this article and taking the first big step towards improving your health and fitness.

You can do this!

Believe in yourself because I believe in you. 🙂