Here’s how the plan works.
This beginner-friendly plan gives you five home workouts to repeat for four weeks. That is enough time to learn the movements, find the right weights, and build numbers worth beating.
Your exercise options will update based on the equipment you have. Before each workout, choose supersets or AMRAP and the workout will reorganize itself so it is easy to follow.
Same movements. Better reps. More weight when you've earned it. That's the point.
You can run every workout as supersets or a 20-minute AMRAP. The exercises stay the same either way.
Tell me what you have.
Every workout works with dumbbells and floor space. Select any additional equipment you own and the plan will swap in the exercise options that fit your setup.
If an exercise has more than one available option, tap the version you want on that exercise card. Use the same version for all four weeks so you can clearly see your progress.
Same workout. Two ways to run it.
Warm up for two or three minutes. Before each workout, tap the format you want to use. Supersets are selected by default.
Two supersets + one straight set
- Superset 1A + 1B for 2 sets.
- Superset 2A + 2B for 2 sets.
- Complete Exercise 5 for 2 straight sets.
- Set 1 stops 1–2 reps from failure. Set 2 goes to technical failure.
- Rest 45–75 seconds after each completed superset or straight set.
Time: About 20 minutes, then core.
Five movements on one clock
- Cycle through movements 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and 5 in order.
- Complete the listed reps and rest only as needed.
- Normal rounds stay about 1–2 reps from failure.
- Around minute 17–18, begin the final round and take each movement to technical failure.
- Finish that round even if it runs slightly past 20 minutes.
Time: 20 minutes, then core.
Technical failure means clean reps are done
The set ends when the next clean rep is no longer there. It does not mean squeezing out an RDL, lunge, row, or press after your position and control have disappeared. Gravity has enough lawyers.
Repeat the plan. Track the progress.
Run the workouts in order and put two rest days where they fit your week. They do not need to happen on five consecutive days.
| Week | What to do | What counts as progress |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choose starting weights, exercise versions, and a workout format. Record every result. | A complete baseline with clean reps. |
| 2 | Keep the same weights and exercise versions. | More reps, more completed work, or the same work with better control. |
| 3 | Add the smallest available weight when the current weight is clearly mastered. | Clean reps stay inside the intended effort range. |
| 4 | Repeat the Week 3 setup. | Beat Week 3 or your best prior result at the same weight. |
More clean reps at the same weight or the same reps with more weight both count as progress.WORKOUT 01Upper →
Chest, back, shoulders, and biceps.
Balanced upper-body work with one horizontal push, two pulls, an overhead press, and direct biceps work.
Push-Up
8 reps
Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
10 reps
Dumbbell Standing Overhead Press
8 reps
Dumbbell Pullover on Floor
10 reps
Dumbbell Biceps Curl
10 reps
Front Plank
30 seconds · 2–3 sets
Keep your torso steady on the rows. If every rep includes a shrug and a small earthquake, the weight is running the workout.
Quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
A squat-dominant day with a true hinge, unilateral work, calves, and knee-flexion hamstring work.
Dumbbell Goblet Squat
10 reps
Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
10 reps
Dumbbell Rear Lunge
6 reps per side
Dumbbell Standing Calf Raise
15 reps
Sliding Leg Curl With Towel
8 reps
Side Plank
20 seconds per side · 2–3 sets
Use the bench leg curl only if you can secure the dumbbell confidently. Otherwise the towel version is the smarter beginner choice.
Chest, side shoulders, and triceps.
Chest and triceps get the work without sneaking in another full overhead-press day.
Dumbbell Floor Chest Press
10 reps
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
10 reps
Dumbbell Floor Squeeze Press
10 reps
Dumbbell Standing Triceps Extension
10 reps
Push-Up
8 reps
Lying Leg Raise
10 reps · 2–3 sets
Your lateral raise will use less weight than your presses. That is normal. Swinging heavier dumbbells upward is not a promotion.
Back, rear shoulders, and biceps.
Two back movements, one rear-delt movement, and two curls with different grips and shoulder positions.
Dumbbell One-Arm Row
8 reps per side
Dumbbell Pullover on Floor
10 reps
Dumbbell Rear Fly
10 reps
Dumbbell Hammer Curl
10 reps
Dumbbell Drag Biceps Curl
10 reps
Russian Twist
20 total reps · 2–3 sets
Rear flies need less weight than rows. If the dumbbells are dragging you across the garage, your rear delts are not the problem.
Glutes, hamstrings, and a second squat pattern.
This one leans harder into the posterior chain while keeping enough squat and lunge work to train the whole lower body.
Dumbbell Bar-Grip Sumo Squat
10 reps
Dumbbell Staggered-Stance RDL
8 reps per side
Dumbbell Glute Bridge
12 reps
Dumbbell Walking Lunge
6 reps per side
Wall Sit
30 seconds
Hollow Hold
30 seconds · 2–3 sets
The staggered RDL is still a hinge. Send your hips back, keep most of the work on the front leg, and stop where your hamstrings tell you the range ends.
Compare. Don't guess.
Put Week 1 beside Week 4. Compare the weight used, reps, control, and recovery. If those improved, the plan worked. It does not need to make you crawl out of the room to count.
This four-week plan is one beginner version of the first phase. Coaching adds individual exercise choices, schedule changes, nutrition guidance, accountability, and someone paying attention when real life starts trying to rewrite the plan.
Want me to build and adjust the rest around you?
I help do-it-all dads show up for themselves, lose fat, and get jacked without pretending work and family are getting in the way.
If you want the workouts, nutrition, and accountability fitted to your actual life, apply below. We'll set up a time to chat and see if my program will work for you.
Apply for coachingWhy the plan is built this way.
Consistency, appropriate effort, and progressive overload matter more than making the routine complicated. These sources support the programming principles, not a claim that this exact template is the only way to train.
- American College of Sports Medicine · 2026Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance.↗
- Superset training review · 2025Time efficiency and training adaptations from paired-set resistance training.↗
- Proximity to failure meta-analysis · 2024Strength and muscle outcomes across different repetitions in reserve.↗
- Kassiano et al. · 2022Planned exercise variation, strength, and muscle growth.↗
BROWSER TRACKERTrack all four weeks on this deviceTap to expand+
Each week includes Days 1–5. Choose supersets or AMRAP for each day and enter the fields that match.