Performing a workout five days a week is beneficial for beginners. This gives a novice strength trainer plenty of time to perform exercises, helping you master the technique and mechanics of weighted exercises. Split up your strength-training routines by only concentrating on one or two muscle groups at a time. For example, on day one train your arms and chest, and on day two target your back muscles. Day three can be dedicated to your shoulders, day four to your legs and day five can be spent training your abdominal muscles. Or you may choose to train two to three muscle groups every day so that you can train each muscle group twice a week. Split up your five-day workout plan any way you wish. However, allow each muscle group at least 48 hours of rest before retraining. Designate two days a week for rest from strength training. Strive to complete at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day in addition to your strength training workouts.
Day One
Concentrate on strengthening your arms and chest the first training day of the week. On a flat weight bench, perform dumbbell flies and bench presses with either dumbbells or a barbell. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and bend your elbows slightly, pointing them away from your body. Bring the weights together in front of your body, then lower the weights out to the side, keeping a slight bend in your arms. Bench presses are performed by raising and lowering two dumbbells or a barbell into the air above you by straightening and bending your arms. Incline the bench and strengthen your upper chest muscles with incline flies and incline chest presses.
Move on to your biceps and triceps by performing dumbbell or barbell curls, triceps extensions, preacher curls and close-grip barbell presses. Dumbbell and barbell curls both use the same motion to strengthen the biceps, as you raise the weight toward your biceps. Triceps extensions may be performed with one or two dumbbells; hold one dumbbell with both hands or hold a dumbbell in each hand and raise the weights above your head, then bend your arms to lower the weights behind your head. Preacher curls are performed on a preacher bench with two dumbbells or a barbell. Stretch your straightened arms down the bench, holding your weights in your hands with an underhanded grip. Curl the weights toward your upper body at the angle formed by the preacher bench. Perform close-grip barbell presses just like a basic bench press, except keep your hands closer together on the bar.
Day Two
Your back is a large muscle group, so training this group of muscles by itself is ideal for a beginner. Start by performing a lower-back-strengthening dead lift. Place a barbell on the floor and stand behind it. Bend at the hips and bend your knees to grasp the bar and raise it. Keep your arms straight and down in front of you, so that the bar rests in front of your thighs when you stand straight. Bent-over rows target your central back muscles. Grasp the bar with a shoulder-width grip and pull the bar toward your navel. Finish your back workout with chin lifts. Hold a barbell with a grip slightly wider than shoulder width. Keep your forearms over the top of the bar as you raise the bar to your chin.
Day Three
Train your shoulders on your third workout day. Use dumbbells for all three shoulder-strengthening exercises. Begin with military presses, in which you begin with the weights at shoulder-height, then raise the weights into the air by straightening your arms. Move on to front raises, keeping your arms straight throughout the exercise, raising your arms from your sides straight out in front of you until your arms are parallel with the floor. Finish your shoulder routine with side lateral raises. Hold your dumbbells in front of your body with your palms facing each other and a slight bend in your arms. Raise your arms out to your sides until your arms are parallel with the floor.
Day Four
Day four is for training your legs. Perform body weight lunges by stepping forward on one foot and bending both legs until each forms a 90-degree angle. Move on to another upper-leg exercise, the weighted squat. Hold a dumbbell in each hand with your arms straight by your sides. Bend forward at the hips and bend your knees to lower your buttocks toward the floor. Maintain a straight back throughout this movement. Finish your leg workout with calf raises. Holding a dumbbell in each hand for additional resistance, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your legs straight on the edge of a stair or step. Raise up on your tip-toes and hold this position for one count.
Day Five
Perform abdominal-strengthening exercises on the last day of workouts for the week. Start with exercise ball crunches, in which you perform a basic crunch with your back and buttocks resting on an exercise ball and your feet flat on the floor. Move on to Roman chair leg lifts. Suspend your legs below you as you prop yourself up in the Roman chair on your elbows and forearms. Bring your bent knees to your chest. Finish your abdominal workout by performing twisting crunches to target your obliques. Perform a basic crunch on a flat surface, but as your chest approaches your bent knees, twist your torso from left to right.
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