There are many different routines for the beginner, but I am going to give you one that most people use and also one I started with myself. This workout is designed to hit all your major muscle groups in one day, 3 times a week. This should be followed for about 3 months, this will give you a good base and also help you familiarize yourself with the exercise movements and the different equipment.

Before you start your workout, try to walk or run on a treadmill, ride a stationary bike or just do some jumping jacks for a minimum of 5-10 minutes to get your blood moving and to help warm up your joints.

Follow the sets and reps as they are laid out for each month and in the order they are written. You can also split this routine up into 4 days if you think it is too much.

Here is how you can do that,do exercises 1-7 on Monday, then on Tuesday do 8-15, rest on Wednesday, Thurs. do 1-7 again and Fri. 8-15.

you can also do the entire workout on Mon, Wed and Fri, it is your choice.

So here is the workout:

Exercises

Month 1 Do 1 Set of 10 Reps

Month 2 Do Sets of 8 Reps

Month3 ! set of 6 and 1 Set of 10 Reps

1. Bench Press
2. Pec-Deck Flye
3. Behind Neck Pres
4. Upright Row
5. Squat
6. Leg Extension
7. Lying Leg Curl
8. Seated Cable Row
9. Lat Pull Down to the Front
10. Standing E-Z Bar Curl
11. Lying Triceps Extension
12. Back Extension
13, Reverse Crunch
14. Crunch
15. Standing Calf Raise

Workout Guidelines for Month 1
During this first month of training, continue to familiarize yourself with the different exercises and keeping good form. Many people starting out will make huge gains in their first few months, so the one thing you need to do is stay consistent.

You want to train at least 2-3 times a week with a day off between so you do not overtrain. Overtraining will lead to less gains and will increase your chances of getting injured.

Perform the exercises listed or if one does not feel right, replace it with another one that works that same muscle group. If you don't know another one ask someone who works there or another gym member, most will be happy to assist you.

Perform the reps listed also. You can also increase the weight you use if it feels too easy. You should try to increase the weight each week by 5-10 pounds to keep your muscles growing.

Now sometimes you are going to feel weaker than other days, so if your tired one day, don't be afraid to cut back on the weight that day, remember consistency is the key to progress.

Workout Guidelines for Month 2
In month 2 you are going to make a few changes to your routine. This will help speed up your training progress because you will be doing 2 sets instead of just one.

Now in this month everything is going to remain the same as the 1st month.

Continue to train the same amount of days and don't forget about warming up first.
Follow the rep scheme as it is laid out for you, and remember to use good form.

Remember to challenge yourself and try to increase the weight you use. You will complete your first set then rest about 1 minute then do your next set, this is going to be a little more difficult, but you should be able to complete it.
If the second set is too easy you need to increase the weight, you want to finish the last rep and know you probably could not complete another one unless you had some help. This is called working the muscle to failure, which is a good thing.

You should also be noticing some changes in your strength and your body too, this will in turn motivate you even more and it becomes fun.

Workout Guidelines for Month 3
Now is the time you should be seeing results in your body, whether it is losing weight or gaining muscle mass. This in itself will help motivate you to keep going, so get busy and here are a few more guidelines to get you through the 3rd month.

Keep doing 2 sets per exercise, but we will be changing the number of reps you do. For the first set of each move you need to go as heavy as you can without sacrificing good form for six reps. After a brief rest period, drop the weight enough to allow you to get ten reps on the next set.

You will probably have to test different weights to see how to adjust properly so you can complete your sets as described. You may also want to put these in a journal or training log, so your not just guessing but going off of what you did the last time in the gym. This will also help you focus on increasing the weight which in turn will lead to greater strength and gains.

Alternating lower and higher reps also will keep your muscles confused which will keep you from hitting a plateau. This is where your gains stop coming and most people will get discouraged and quit, so we do not want that. This will also help to build some muscle endurance.

Now you have an excellent base to go off of and can start implementing other techniques which will increase your workload and your muscles.