Health
Health program for beginners: strength at least twice a week
For starting out, coming back or training after 40 or 60. Two or three strength days, cardio on other days, effort well short of failure, adjusted to pain and age.
- Every session written outExercises, sets, reps and effort for every day, with steps and common mistakes for each exercise. No piecing it together from videos.
- Mindful of back, knee and neckMarked pain makes the early weeks easier, and exercises that load that area get a gentler swap or one set fewer. A sore neck or shoulder adds a short block for them.
- Effort set by age and experienceFrom 60, exercises stay at 2 sets and there are no hard intervals. Intervals come only after 6 months of training and with 4 or more days a week.
24 studies on PubMed sit behind this program's rules, each one linked below. Anything that is convention is labelled as convention.
Who it is for
- Anyone who doesn't know where to start: each day's plan gives the exercises, sets, reps and effort.
- Anyone coming back after a long break or years without exercise.
- People over 40 or 60 who want strength and fitness without heavy loads.
- Desk workers with a stiff neck or shoulder: when the neck or shoulder is marked, strength days get a short neck and shoulder block.
- Anyone with 2 to 6 free days a week and 30 to 90 minutes a session, around work and family.
- Anyone who answered yes on the health questions: the app recommends this program and a talk with a doctor first.
- Training at the gym, at home with dumbbells, or with bodyweight only.
Who it is not for
- Preparing for a powerlifting meet or a max test: that is the powerlifting program.
- Maximum muscle growth: that is the bodybuilding program.
- Preparing for a run, a bike race or another endurance event: that is the conditioning program.
- Anyone who wants every set taken to failure: here a set stops a few reps short of it.
- Anyone under 18.
- Replacing advice from a doctor or physiotherapist after an injury or surgery. The program does not diagnose anything.
What it does
Strength twice a week for every major muscle
Two full body strength days, three with 5 or 6 days a week. At first 2 sets per exercise, 8 to 12 reps on the bigger lifts, 10 to 15 on the smaller ones. Two days a week is the dose in the WHO guidelines.
Sets well short of failure
Effort is rated by RPE (how hard it was, 1 to 10). Week one is RPE 6, about 4 reps left in the tank. In studies strength rose similarly across a wide range of reps in reserve; failure is not needed.
Cardio on the days between
The other days are easy cardio at a pace where you can talk in full sentences: walk, run, cycle or row, up to 60 minutes. When cardio comes to less than 150 minutes a week, the plan adds brisk walking on two free days.
Intervals only when the time is right
One interval session a week (4 minute efforts, several of them) comes only with 4 or more days, at least 6 months of training, no yes on the health questions, and under 60. In studies intervals raised VO2max at least as much as steady cardio.
Warm up by moving, stretch after or on rest days
Before a session: general warm-up and warm-up sets, no static stretching. Stretching before strength sessions for weeks slightly blunted strength gains in studies; stretching at other times did not.
Mobility from full range lifting
Lifting with load through the full range raised range of motion about as much as stretching in studies. Anyone who needs more range gets a short stretching plan: about 5 minutes a week per area, 3 areas at most.
Example: week one, age 45, no training experience, 3 days of 45 minutes, gym
Monday
Strength A, about 39 minutes, every set at RPE 6
- Back squat: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Incline dumbbell press: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Chest-supported row: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Seated leg curl: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Cable lateral raise: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Overhead cable triceps extension: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Cable crunch: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
Wednesday
Easy cardio, 45 minutes
- A pace where you can talk in full sentences
- Walk, run, cycle or row, whatever you will keep doing
Friday
Strength B, about 40 minutes, every set at RPE 6
- Romanian deadlift: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Lat pulldown: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Bench press: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Leg press: 2 sets of 8 to 12, rest 90 s
- Rear delt fly: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Incline dumbbell curl: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Standing calf raise: 2 sets of 10 to 15, rest 60 s
- Brisk walking on two free days, about 30 minutes each, to reach 150 minutes of cardio a week
How you progress
The recommended length is 8 weeks. The first 4 are the foundation: learn the movements at comfortable effort, RPE 6 to 7. Then progress: up to RPE 7.5, still well short of failure. After a yes on the health questions the first 2 weeks are lighter (RPE 7 at most, two thirds of the sets); from 60 the plan keeps 2 sets per exercise and no hard intervals.
What the research says
WHO 2020 guidelines: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and 2 strength days a week. A guideline is not a trial; the studies behind it are mostly observational.
At the start, 1 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, 2 to 3 times a week.
Studies in older adults used 2 sessions a week of 2 to 3 sets.
Brisk walking counts as base aerobic work.
When the neck or shoulder is marked, strength days get a short neck and shoulder block, dosed as in two trials in office workers: about 60 minutes a week in total.
Strength rose similarly across a wide range of reps in reserve.
Training to failure is not required for strength or muscle overall.
Multiple sets per exercise gave more muscle growth than single sets.
Intervals raise VO2max at least as much as steady cardio.
Static stretching before strength sessions for weeks slightly blunted strength gains; at other times it did not.
Lifting with load through the full range raises range of motion about as much as stretching.
About 5 minutes of stretching a week per muscle raises range of motion.
Stretching before or after exercise did not meaningfully reduce muscle soreness.
Planning when and where to exercise raises activity, with small to moderate effects.
Specific goals raise how much people exercise.
What is convention
Research does not pin these rules down. We use them because they hold up in practice.
- The rise in effort from RPE 6 to 7.5 over 8 weeks, and the split into foundation and progress.
- The lighter first 2 weeks after a yes on the health questions: no trial sets a starting dose after such an answer.
- From 60: no hard intervals.
- Which exercise loads the knee, back, shoulder or neck is coaching judgement. With pain and no diagnosis that exercise gets a set fewer or a gentler swap, and effort stays at RPE 7 or less for the first 2 weeks.
- Pregnancy: no trial sets these limits. The whole program stays at RPE 7 or less, with no heavy singles and a note that the doctor's or midwife's advice comes first.
- Stretching plan: 30 second holds, 3 areas at most, 3 times a week, rest days first.
Questions
I don't know where to start. What happens in week one?
You answer questions about your days, minutes, equipment and experience and get a plan. In the example with 3 days of 45 minutes, week one has two strength days, 2 sets per exercise at RPE 6 (about 4 reps left in the tank), and one day of easy cardio. Every exercise has how-to notes, common mistakes and a video.
Is the program right for my age, even after 60?
Yes. From 60 the plan keeps 2 sets per exercise, leaves out hard intervals and keeps cardio easy. Effort rises slowly and stays well short of failure.
My back, knee or neck hurts. Can I still train?
You mark the pain in the questionnaire. Which exercise loads the knee, back, shoulder or neck is coaching judgement: with pain and no diagnosis that exercise gets a set fewer or a gentler swap, and effort stays at RPE 7 or less for the first 2 weeks. After an injury or surgery without clearance from a doctor or physiotherapist, the program does not load that area. The program does not diagnose anything: for pain that does not go away, see a doctor or physiotherapist first.
I'm afraid of hurting myself. How hard will it be?
Effort is rated by RPE (how hard it was, 1 to 10). Week one is RPE 6, about 4 reps left in the tank, and over 8 weeks it tops out at RPE 7.5. No set goes to failure. In studies strength rose similarly across a wide range of reps in reserve.
What if I answered yes on a health question?
The app recommends this program and a talk with a doctor first. The first 2 weeks are lighter: RPE 7 at most and two thirds of the sets. There are no intervals.
Can I train while pregnant?
Your doctor's or midwife's advice comes first. The program stays at RPE 7 or less throughout, with no heavy singles, and every session reminds you to check with them. If anything feels wrong, stop and talk to them.
I'm short on time. How much do I need a week?
You pick 2 to 6 days and 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes a session. With 2 days of 30 minutes, both are strength days of about 30 minutes each.
The gym feels intimidating. Can I train at home?
Yes. At home the program uses dumbbells or bodyweight only: squats, push-ups, inverted rows, glute bridges, planks and similar.
Do I need to hire a trainer to start?
No. The plan gives the exercises, sets, reps and effort for each day, and every exercise has how-to notes and common mistakes, most also a video. The program does not correct your form live, so a session with a trainer at the start can help, but it is not required.
Do I need to stretch?
Not necessarily. Full range lifting raises range of motion about as much as stretching. If you need more range you get a short plan for rest days, never right before a strength session.