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A structured gym workout program changes everything compared to improvising between machines: planned load progression, a coherent split, sessions that actually build on each other from one week to the next.

Foundational Strength lays down the three big lifts over 12 weeks, PPL organises six weekly sessions in a push pull legs split, Mass Gain targets hypertrophy with heavier equipment, and Cutting & Definition keeps the muscle while losing the fat over 9 weeks. Glutes & Legs and Upper Body specialise on one area each, and Women's Gym builds strength and shape together.

Grand Beginner lays the groundwork if you're new to the gym; the other programs all assume a few months of regular training and a genuinely heavier workload already behind you, week in, week out.

Not sure yet?

Try the method first with the Starter Week: three full-body sessions written like our Gym programs, free, no credit card.

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Which gym workout program should you choose?

Start from your goal, not from the machines available. To build muscle, Mass Gain runs 12 weeks of hypertrophy at four sessions a week. To build strength on the squat, bench press and deadlift, Foundational Strength progresses over 12 weeks at three sessions. To lose fat while keeping muscle, Cutting & Definition fits in 9 weeks at four sessions. One goal per cycle: that is what makes progress measurable instead of hopeful.

How many gym sessions a week do you need?

The right volume is the one your calendar can absorb for three months, not the one you sustain for a fortnight. Three sessions are enough for strength work or for starting out. Four open up hypertrophy and cutting, and also carry Hyrox · Full Prep, which adds running to the gym work over 12 weeks. Six belong to PPL, a push pull legs split for experienced lifters. Raising frequency before becoming consistent is the classic trap: consistency first, frequency later, because the order matters more than the number itself.

New to the gym: where should you start?

Complete Beginner walks you through your first six weeks at three sessions a week, machine settings included. And if you would rather judge the method before buying, Starter Week is a free program: one week, three full body sessions, with the same written tracking used across all our programs. Our beginner programs take over from there.

Is a budget gym enough?

Yes. These programs revolve around a barbell, dumbbells and common machines, and every PDF plans alternatives when a piece of equipment is missing. Our guide to training in a low-cost gym shows how to run a full program with the basic equipment of a budget club, without sacrificing any of the progression.

What about women training at the gym?

Women's Gym builds strength and shape over 12 weeks, at three sessions a week. The rest of our women's programs cover the other stages of life, from pregnancy to menopause, at the gym and at home.

PDFs made to be opened between two sets

Each program is a PDF: exercises, sets, rest times, week-by-week progression and alternatives based on what your gym has. You download it once, it opens on the phone sitting by the rack, and it stays yours for good. To look beyond the gym, our strength training programs also cover home setups and minimal equipment.