Beginner Home Workout for Women – Tone Up in 12 Weeks
This home workout program is designed for complete beginners, but it can be adjusted for any level. You can also use this program to get back on track after a break from training for full body conditioning. While the program is optimised as a home workout, it can also be used at the gym.
As a beginner, no matter what your end goal is, your focus should be on working the whole body with full body workouts. Full body workouts will help increase your overall strength, build muscle mass, increase the mobility in all joints and the flexibility of muscles and tendons.
Setting up your workout space at home
Clearing up a space about 1.5-2 times your height in all directions should be enough for this workout. Ideally, you will need, at a minimum, a set of adjustable dumbbells. For some exercises, you can use the edge of a bed/sofa, a chair or the floor instead of a bench.
Adjust the weights in advance as much as possible. If you know how much weight you will use for the first exercises, have them ready before you start your main workout. If you don’t have a well-equipped home gym, you will usually have to adjust the weights between exercises. This is fine and it can happen whether you workout at the gym or at home. Adjust the weight and continue your workout without unnecessary delays.
A workout log can help you stay organised, always choose the right weight for your sets, and monitor your progress. If you are a complete beginner, for the first few workouts, complete the movements using your bodyweight and focus on learning proper form. If you are serious about toning up, building muscle mass and getting stronger at home, invest in some exercise equipment.
The more equipment you have, the better. It adds variety to your workouts and it is quicker to move through the exercises and have an efficient and intense workout. If you need some guidance to get organised for your home workouts, read our article How to Set Up a Micro Home Gym to Build Muscle and Shape your Body on a Budget. Start with the absolute basics – an adjustable dumbbell set – and add to your workout kit as your finances allow and your strength increases. We’ve also written a series of articles to help you decide if home workouts are for you and how to combine gym and home workouts to your best advantage.
Keep a bottle of water near you to avoid making trips to the kitchen and interrupting your workout. Depending on the exercise duration, intensity and your bodyweight, 0.75-2.0 lt. of water should be enough to stay hydrated.
Workout program basic terminology
The 12 week beginner program combines weight training for strength with circuits, supersets, compound sets and trisets for muscle endurance. Cardio exercise will speed up fat-burning and stretching exercises will improve mobility, exercise range of motion (ROM) and promote recuperation. This type of training reduces the duration of your workout while keeping the exercise intensity high. We will explain the basic terminology so that there is no confusion.
Circuit
Circuit workouts include at least one sequence of different exercises targeting various body parts. As all workout parameters can be adjusted to target specific body parts and focus on different fitness goals, the possibilities are endless.
Complete 1 set of the first exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions, then quickly move on to the next with no rest. When you complete 1 set of all exercises in the sequence, you have completed one circuit.
Superset
A superset is a combination of two exercises targeting opposing muscle groups or different body parts.
Complete 1 set of the first exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions and then quickly move on to the second exercise with no rest in between. This is 1 superset.
Compound Set
A compound set is a combination of two exercises that work the same muscle group.
Complete 1 set of the first exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions and then move straight to the second exercise with no rest in between. This is 1 compound set.
Triset
A triset is a combination of three exercises targeting the same muscle group.
Complete 1 set of the first exercise for the prescribed number of repetitions and then move straight to the second and then the third exercise with no rest in between. This is 1 triset.
MHR
MHR stands for ‘maximum heart rate’. You can calculate your MHR by subtracting your age from 220. The intensity of cardiovascular exercise will be calculated as a percentage of your MHR in beats per minute (bpm).
Example: cardio intensity 60%-65% MHR
Target Heart Rate calculation
Age: 40
MHR = 220 – 40 = 180bpm
60% MHR =0.60*MHR = 108bpm
65% MHR = 0.65*MHR= 117bpm
Your target heart rate should fall within the 108-117bpm range.
To take your pulse, put two fingers on your carotid artery (neck) or radial artery (wrist) and count your heart beats for 15 seconds using a stopwatch. Multiply by 4 and you will get your bpm. Alternatively, use a sports watch.
The warm-up routine
For your warm-up, you will be doing a series of dynamic exercises to loosen up the joints and prepare your muscles for an efficient workout. Don’t let the long list of exercises intimidate you, as they are bodyweight mobility exercises and you will do only a few reps of each exercise. Once you have done the warm-up sequence a few times, it will be easy to remember.
We’ve split the moves into 5 groups. The prescribed number of repetitions is for each exercise. The warm-up exercises should be performed with moderate intensity, as you don’t want to overstretch your tendons and muscles or accumulate fatigue. The kick moves are dynamic but gentle at the same time. Do the following warm-up exercises in a sequence, with no rest in between:
This should get you ready and energised for your main workout.
The main workout
Each workout session consists of a 10 minute warm-up, a 30-40 minute resistance training session, 20-30 minutes of cardio, and 15 minutes of full body stretching.
Aerobic exercise is highly recommended for optimal cardiovascular health and it will definitely speed up your weight loss goals. On the other hand, too much cardio can interfere with your efforts to increase your strength or build muscle, and it can lead to overtraining or contribute to muscle loss.
If possible, do your cardio sessions on your days off from resistance training to prevent overtraining. Moreover, if your lifestyle is sedentary, doing some cardio on your days off from weight training will help you stay active and focused on your fitness and diet plan. If you don’t have the luxury of doing your cardio sessions on separate days, do it after your workout and before your stretching routine or incorporate it into your resistance training session as instructed in the program tables.
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Weeks 1-6
During the first phase of the program, all exercises are performed in a circuit. Each circuit includes 14 exercises. Complete 1 set of each exercise within a circuit for the prescribed number of repetitions. Repeat for the prescribed number of circuits.
| Weeks | 1 | 2-4 | 5-6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workouts per week | 2 | 3 | 3-4 |
| Rest between workouts | 2 days | 1-2 days | 0-1 day |
| Number of circuits per workout | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Week 1 | Weeks 2-4 | Weeks 5-6 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercises | Reps / Duration | Reps / Duration | Reps / Duration | |
| Warm-up | Dynamic, whole body | 5-10 min | 5-10 min | 5-10 min |
| Glutes – Thighs | Hip Thrusts | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Thighs – Glutes | Plié Squat | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Thighs – Glutes | Stationary Lunge | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Thighs – Glutes – Shoulders – Back | Granny Shot Squat | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Glutes – Hamstrings – Lower Back | Romanian Deadlift (RDL) | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Calves | Standing Calf Raise | 15 | 15 | 12-15 |
| Calves | Donkey Calf Raise | 15 | 15 | 12-15 |
| Back – Upper Chest | Dumbbell Pullover | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Chest – Shoulders | Flat bench dumbbell press (or floor dumbbell press) | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Shoulders – Triceps | Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Biceps | Dumbbell Curls | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Triceps | Bench Dips | 15 | 15 | 10-12 |
| Abs | Pelvic Tilt | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Abs | Crunch | AMAP* | AMAP* | AMAP* |
| Cardio | 20 min 60%-65% MHR | 20 min 60%-65% MHR | 20-30 min 60%-65% MHR | |
| Stretching | Full body | 15 min 20 sec each stretch | 15 min 20 sec each stretch | 15 min 20 sec each stretch |
*AMAP: as many repetitions as possible – until you reach muscle failure or feel a good burn in your muscles.
Notes:
Weeks 7-12
The second phase of the program is a combination of supersets, compound sets and trisets. Complete all sets for each superset, compound set or triset before moving on to the next.
| Weeks | 7-9 | 10-12 |
|---|---|---|
| Workouts per week | 3-4 | 3-4 |
| Rest between workouts | 0-1 day | 0-1 day |
| Number of Supersets / Compound Sets / Trisets per workout | 3 | 4 |
| Weeks 7-9 | Weeks 10-12 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exercises | Reps / Duration | Reps / Duration | ||
| Warm-up | Dynamic, whole body | 5-10 min | 5-10 min | |
| Superset | Glutes – Thighs | Hip Thrusts | 10-12 | 8-10 |
| Back – Upper Chest | Dumbbell Pullover | 10-12 | 8-10 | |
| Superset | Thighs – Glutes | Plié Squat | 10-12 | 8-10 |
| Chest | Flat bench dumbbell flye (or floor dumbbell flye) | 10-12 | 8-10 | |
| Superset | Thighs – Glutes | Stationary Lunge | 10-12 | 8-10 |
| Shoulders – Triceps – Core | Standing One Arm Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 10-12 | 8-10 | |
| Superset | Thighs – Glutes – Shoulders – Back | Granny Shot Squat | 10-12 | 8-10 |
| Triceps | Dumbbell Overhead Extension | 10-12 | 8-10 | |
| Superset | Glutes – Hams – Lower Back | Romanian Deadlift (RDL) | 10-12 | 8-10 |
| Biceps | Dumbbell Hammer Curls | 10-12 | 8-10 | |
| Compound Set | Calves | Standing Calf Raise | 12-15 | 10-12 |
| Calves | Seated Calf Raise | 12-15 | 10-12 | |
| Triset | Abs | Pelvic Tilt | 15 | 15 |
| Abs | Reverse Crunch | AMAP* | AMAP* | |
| Abs | Crunch | AMAP* | AMAP* | |
| Cardio | 20-30 min 70%-75% MHR | 20-30 min 70%-75% MHR | ||
| Stretching | Full body | 15 min 20 sec each stretch | 15 min 20 sec each stretch |
*AMAP: as many repetitions as possible – until you reach muscle failure or feel a good burn in your muscles.
Notes:
Adjustments to focus on weight loss or strength
The exercise techniques used in this program are used to increase the exercise intensity, keep the heart rate elevated, and increase energy expenditure. To promote weight loss and fat-burning even more:
To focus on getting stronger:
Conclusion
As your body adapts to the exercise stimuli, you have developed the mobility and flexibility to train safely and you have mastered exercise technique, you can progress if you prefer with different workout splits, and more advanced exercises and techniques that are more specific to your goals.
For individuals who workout for general fitness and aren’t competing in physique competitions (bikini, physique, bodybuilding), full body workouts and two day split routines (e.g. upper/lower, push/pull) are the most effective and time efficient. They can be adjusted to prioritise different body parts and to focus on specific goals.
If you don’t have the luxury of organizing your life around your workouts, sticking with full-body or two-day split routines repeated for 3-4 days per week should bring the results you’re after.
