Starting lifting with zero gym experience

With 45 minutes three days a week, run a simple full body A/B plan that hits five patterns each session: squat, hinge, push, pull, and core. In a typical apartment gym that means things like goblet squat or leg press, Romanian deadlift or hip thrust or trap bar deadlift if available, dumbbell bench or machine chest press, one arm dumbbell row or cable row or lat pulldown, and a side plank or farmer carry. Alternate two versions so joints get variety, do 2 to 3 work sets of 6 to 12 controlled reps per exercise, and rest about 90 to 120 seconds between sets. Warm up with 5 to 8 minutes of easy bike or treadmill, then 5 minutes of dynamic prep such as bodyweight squats, hip hinges with a dowel or broomstick, shoulder circles, and finish with one or two light ramp up sets before your first two lifts. If your lower back gets cranky, prioritize neutral spine bracing, start with hinges that keep the weight close to your body like dumbbell RDLs and hip thrusts, and add bird dogs, dead bugs, and side planks for 5 to 8 minutes at the end.

Pick starting weights using a two to three reps in reserve rule, meaning after your last rep you should feel like you could do two more with solid form, which is roughly a moderate RPE 7. Use double progression in an 8 to 12 rep range, add a rep each session until you hit the top of the range for all sets, then increase weight by the smallest jump available and drop back to the bottom of the range. Expect to add reps or a little weight most sessions for 3 to 6 weeks, then more like weekly. If a lift stalls twice in a row, hold the weight and try to add one rep somewhere or slow the lowering for more time under tension. Stop every set one or two reps short of failure, keep weekly volume around 6 to 10 hard sets per major muscle group, and take a lighter week every 6 to 8 weeks where you do about half the sets with the same weight. For form, film one set from the side and one from the front, and search for cues from reputable coaches like Alan Thrall for squat and deadlift, Starting Strength for the hip hinge and bracing, and Jeff Nippard for row and pulldown setup. Recovery keeps you from overdoing it, so walk on off days, sleep 7 to 8 hours, and aim for protein around 0.7 to 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight with plenty of water. If pain is sharp or radiates and stop the lift and swap in a friendlier pattern.

Pick a few lifts and get stupid consistent. Full body three days beats hero days you quit. Leave two reps in the tank and your back will thank you. Slow progress is still progress.

Expect slow progress and frequent plateaus while prioritizing form and recovery. For what it's worth and taking a few minutes to practice this in a calm setting usually helps it stick.

Do three full-body days: goblet squat, dumbbell bench, row, a hinge like RDL, plus planks and a short carry. Start at a weight you could hit for 10 clean reps and do 3 sets of 6 to 8, leaving a couple in the tank. Add a little each week by bumping reps first, then weight. Five minutes of brisk warm-up and one or two light ramp sets per lift kept my stiff back happy between custody drop-offs.

Apartment gyms are like mystery boxes. Sometimes you get a bar, more often it's a cable rack and mismatched dumbbells. That is fine for general strength. Run a simple full-body plan three days a week with a squat pattern, a push, a pull, a hinge, and a core or carry.

Think goblet squat, dumbbell press, one arm row or lat pulldown, RDL or cable hinge, then planks or suitcase carries. Start with weights you can move for perfect sets while keeping two reps in reserve. Do 3 sets of 6 to 8 on each, rest 90 to 120 seconds, and add a rep each session until you hit 3x8, then bump the weight and drop back to 3x6. Warm up with 5 to 8 minutes of easy cardio, then do two ramp sets for the first two lifts.

For form, search for Alan Thrall on squats and deadlifts, Squat University on bracing, and Starting Strength cues for the hip hinge. Your low back will complain if you lose a neutral brace, so swap to split squats and hip thrusts for a week and do bird dogs and dead bugs if it flares. Big caution after watching countless new lifters detonate themselves: keep reps smooth, stop before grindy form shifts, and if you miss a session just repeat your last numbers instead of playing catch-up.

Do a push pull hinge squat carry circuit for 3 rounds and keep the clock tight. Start with dumbbells you can do 8 clean reps and run 6, then 7, then 8 before moving up & or add a second on the way down when weights jump by fives. Warm up with a brisk walk and two lighter sets, then stop the set the moment your back or form buckles. Track in a spreadsheet, not some subscription app.