Warmup Do 10 minutes of aerobic exercise such as jogging or walking. Exercise 1: Squat lift* Using a squat rack and empty barbell (you can add weights after completing one full workout if it feels too light to you), hold on to the bar while standing and lower yourself down to a squatting position. As a beginner you can start with half squats (going down halfway) or air squats, where you aren’t lifting anything. Exercise 2: Bench press or chest press Lie flat on a weight bench holding an empty above your chest. Using a spotter, lift the barbell up by straightening your arms, then place it back down. A chest press uses the same technique but with dumbbells. Exercise 3: Deadlift While standing with an empty barbell at your feet, bend down from the knees, grab the barbell, and lift it above your head, then place it back down. Exercise 4: Crunch Lie down on the floor on a mat. While contracting your abdominal muscles, lift your shoulders upward and curl slightly forward, then lie back down flat. Exercise 5: Seated cable row Using a weighted horizontal cable machine, sit on the platform with your knees bent and grasp the cables. Pull the handle back toward your lower abdomen, then return it to the forward position. Exercise 6: Tricep pushdown Using a triceps pushdown cable machine, grasp the cable bar at about chest level. With elbows tucked in, push down on the bar until your elbows are fully extended, then release. Exercise 7: Lat pulldown Using a weighted pulldown machine, sit on the seat with your feet on the floor. Grasp the bar and pull down until it’s level with your chin, then slowly return bar to the starting position. Exercise 8: Overhead press While standing and holding an empty barbell at your upper chest level, lift the barbell over your head until your arms are fully extended. Return the barbell to your chest. Exercise 9: Bicep curl Using a set of 5 lb. dumbbells, start by standing with hands gripping dumbbells and palms facing toward your thighs. Lift one dumbbell at a time, bending your arm at the elbow while rotating the palm to face up. (A rep counts as lifting and lowering both arms.) Cooldown Allow your body to gradually cool down by walking in place and stretching for about 5 minutes. *For this and the following exercises, do 1 set each of 12 reps. Over the next few weeks of your workout routine, gradually build up to 3 sets of 15 reps.