Workout Routines for the Gym – Your Guide to Smart Training
Maximize your gym sessions with structured workout routines for the gym designed for all fitness levels. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your training, these step-by-step plans help you build strength, improve endurance, and track progress. Follow expert-designed workouts to make every session count and reach your fitness goals faster.
Top 10 Gym Workouts
5 Day Compound Exercise Only Workout
This is a 5 compound exercise only workout that focuses upon using compound movements and motions to target the muscles for growth. With this routine the main goal and focus is to build muscle as these exercises are some of the best muscle building workouts. A compound exercise is a workout that uses more than one joint and more than one muscle group to target the specific muscle that you are currently targeting. *** Notes : You can add cardio into any of your exercise days or on rest days.
Full Body Gym Workout
<b>Who is this workout for?</b> This workout is designed for a gym or fitness center where a squat rack and bench press is available. It focuses upon heavy lifts to increase muscle mass and gaining during exercise performance. Based on your goals: - 8 reps for strength - 10 to 15 reps for tone and hypertrophy <b>Notes</b> You are able to insert cardio exercises into the days being performed. If you would like to perform more cardio, you can substitute rest days for cardio days. <b>Warming Up</b> Especially for compound lifts we recommend warming up with lighter weights before your working sets. A common warmup scheme is 10-15 sets with a very light weight, followed by intermediate sets until you do 1 rep of your working weight. <b>Reps, Sets and Rest</b> There are many different rep schemes that'll help you reach your goals. We've set 3 sets of 8 reps by default, but feel free to change it to your own liking. <b>Getting Help</b> If you need some help getting started, join our <a href = "https://www.facebook.com/groups/892082267621303">facebook group</a> and our team and existing community would be happy to help!
Gym Strength Machine Circuit
Walk into any gym around the country and you'll find machine-based strength equipment. Some gyms, like SNAP Fitness, where I workout, have a dedicated area with strength machines set up as a circuit. This program replicates the equipment found in most gyms where you can complete this full body strength circuit in about 35-minutes, 3x/week. Day 1: The first workout of the week has 10 total exercises, 30-second interval sets, and includes some supersets. Day 2: Includes 10 total exercises, 35-second intervals, supersets. Day 3: This 3rd session of the week offers 10 exercises, 40-second interval sets with a few supersets too. Stay Strong, MICHAEL WOOD, CSCS Jefit Team
Garage Gym Workout #2
These are two workouts that I actually do from home in my gym out in the garage. Both are full body workouts, don't require a ton of exercise equipment and should take about an hour of your time, depending on your fitness level. Finally, there are a few supersets that you'll be asked to perform. Stay Strong! Michael Wood, CSCS Jefit Team Member
Upper Body Gym Workout
This is a 30-minute, intermediate session, that focuses on building strength in all the major muscles that make up the upper body. This does not include the core due to time constraint. Many of the sessions are to be performed as supersets (back-to-back sets with minimal rest). Perform this routine 3 times each week for the next 4-6 weeks. Work your legs and core twice a week on the days in between these three sessions. Sets are to be performed for time (40-seconds) versus repetitions. The goal is to perform as many repetitions in the desired time for 3 sets. Stay Strong Together, MICHAEL WOOD, CSCS Jefit
28-Day Cutting (Basic Gym Equipment)
This is a 28-Day cutting program for beginners using basic gym equipment like dumbbells, bench, jump rope and a stability ball. A sample training week looks like the following: Day 1: Legs/Back/Bicep & Core Day 2: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Day 3 Cardio workout Day 4: Legs/Back/Bicep & Core Day 5: Chest, Shoulders & Triceps Day 6: Cardio Day 7: Foam Roll & Flexibility Repeat for weeks 2, 3 & 4. The volume of work (sets x reps.) increases each subsequent week over the course of the 4-week program. Stay Strong Together, MICHAEL WOOD, CSCS Jefit
Strength Machine Gym Circuit
Walk into any gym around the country and you'll find machine-based strength equipment. Some gyms, like SNAP Fitness, where I workout, have a dedicated area with strength machines set up as a circuit. This program replicates the equipment found in most gyms where you can complete this full body strength circuit in about 35-minutes, 3x/week. Day 1: The first workout of the week has 10 total exercises, 30-second interval sets, and includes some supersets. Day 2: Includes 10 total exercises, 35-second intervals, supersets. Day 3: This 3rd session of the week offers 10 exercises, 40-second interval sets with a few supersets too. Stay Strong Together, MICHAEL WOOD, CSCS Jefit
Garage Gym Workout 1
This is an intermediate level strength training workout for all individuals who like to workout in their garage gym (like me) or from home. Begin each session with 10-minutes of cardio to warm-up. This can be via any type of cardio that you have may have at home. For me it's either an indoor bike or Concept II rowing machine. If not, walk, run or jump rope. You get the picture. Follow this program 4-weeks, performing three weekly sessions using a M-W-F or Tue-Thur-Sat training schedule format. Make one training day light, the next session moderate and the third day, a high intensity workout. Each session will have a light warm-up following cardio. Those are designated by the sets where you perform just one set for each. On your "off days" (Tue/Thur or one day during the weekend) would be a great time to add 1-2 days of leg work if needed. Optional: Perform a Jefit Fitness Assessment before and after this 4-week training plan and see how much you can improve. Stay Strong Together, MICHAEL WOOD, CSCS Jefit
Barbell Circuit Training
Circuit training was designed to perform a set amount of exercises in a row (circuit) without any rest in between each set of the exercise. In this JEFIT Barbell circuit routine, the main focus upon this routine is to build strength and increase muscle endurance but also maintaining a lean physique. You will be targeting all of the main muscle group through 8 various multijoint exercises that help strengthen and build the muscles. The key to any circuit training routine is to make sure that you do not rest in between sets or in between exercises until you complete all of the exercises in the circuit. This will keep your metabolic rate up ensuring that you burn as many calories as possible without sacrificing strength. *** Notes : When performing circuit training, you want to make sure that you are using a weight on the barbell that you are able to perform all of the required weight/sets and circuits that have been set. If you use a weight that you are unable to manage, you can possibly injure yourself or not get the full benefit of performing this circuit routine.
Workout Tips & Advice to
Elevate Your Fitness Journey
A great workout routine for the gym should be built according to your fitness goals, whether it's bulking, gaining strength, or enhancing endurance. Generally, an efficient training plan includes: Compound exercises: Squats, deadlifts, and push-ups Isolation exercises: Targeting specific muscle groups, such as leg extensions and bicep curls Progressive overload: Gradually increasing resistance to ensure continuous muscle growth If you want to learn how to maximize your training efficiency using gym equipment, check out Maximizing Strength and Muscle Growth with Gym Machines.
For beginners, it's best to start with a combination of machine exercises and free weight training to ensure proper posture and minimize the risk of injury. Full-body workouts: Suitable for beginners, performed 3-4 times per week Split routine: Separates upper and lower body training, gradually increasing intensity For more details, check out How Jefit App Improves Workout Efficiency in the Gym.
Gym equipment can help you target specific muscle groups effectively: Leg exercises: Leg press, Hack squat Back exercises: Lat pulldown, Seated row Chest exercises: Chest press, Shoulder press Full-body exercises: Cable machines For a complete guide on how to optimize your muscle-building plan using gym equipment, read Maximizing Strength and Muscle Growth with Gym Machines.
Protein is essential for muscle recovery and growth. When following workout routines for the gym, maintaining adequate protein intake is crucial. Here are some of the best protein sources: Animal proteins: Chicken breast, beef, fish, eggs, dairy Plant proteins: Soybeans, nuts, quinoa, tofu For a deeper dive into scientifically incorporating protein into your diet to enhance training results, check out Best Protein Sources for Bodybuilders and Gym-Goers.
3-5 sessions per week are ideal for steady progress, but the frequency should be adjusted based on your recovery rate and fitness goals. Here’s a rough breakdown: Strength training Mobility & flexibility work Recovery exercises For a detailed breakdown on how to maximize gym efficiency, read How Jefit App Improves Workout Efficiency in the Gym.
Logging your training data is key to adjusting your plan and improving efficiency. Using JEFIT, you can record sets, reps, weights, and rest time, allowing you to track progress with a clear performance curve. The more data you log, the better Jefit can provide personalized workout recommendations, helping you optimize your workout routines for the gym.