5 Quick Workouts for Absolute Beginners

New to working out? These effective exercises will get you started!

When you’re out of shape, starting a new fitness routine can be hard. You might feel embarrassed by your body, or perhaps you don’t even know where to begin. Don’t let your lack of experience or know-how prevent from adopting a healthier lifestyle, though. Getting into shape will not only increase your life expectancy and ability to tackle day-to-day activities with ease, but it will also improve your overall quality of life and leave you feeling confident and happy.

Believe it or not, taking that first step toward a healthier you is easier than you think. We’ve created a quick workout that is designed for absolute beginners. Not only are these moves simple enough to perform in the comfort and privacy of your own living room, they don’t require any sort of equipment, and they can easily be modified to meet any fitness level. Remember, it is always a good idea to get a doctor’s permission before starting any new fitness program. Take that first step today!

Equipment Needed: yoga mat

What to Do: Review the videos below and perform each exercise for the amount of reps  suggested.

5 Quick and Easy Workout Moves for Absolute Beginners

1. The Modified Plank– The plank pose is a personal trainer favorite because it is simple enough to perform anywhere, and it works your body’s entire core. It also can help to elongate the spine, strengthen the arms and wrists, and increase balance. Hold the pose for 15 seconds, and then release. Repeat 2x.

Looking to target those abs some more? Try our At Home Beginner Ab Routine.

2. The Superman Pose– The Superman Pose targets the three main muscles that run along the spine and helps to prevent injuries, improve posture, and eliminate back and neck pain. Repeat the exercise 5 times.

3. Side-Lying Leg Lifts– Side-lying leg lifts are easy for anyone to perform and target the hips and outer thighs. Repeat 10-15 times on each side.

4. Assisted Squats– This beginner move is a modified version of traditional squats and targets the muscles of the lower body, including the thighs, hips, and butt. It is also effective at building core strength and strengthening the bones, ligaments, and tendons of the lower body. Repeat 10-15 times.

As you increase the strength of your lower legs, you might also like to try our Sexy Legs Workout for Beginners.

5. Modified Pushups– Like traditional pushups, modified pushups target the arms, chest, shoulders, and core. Repeat 10-15 times.

Modified Plank

Superman Pose

Side-Lying Leg Lifts

Assisted Squats

Modified Pushups

In order to reach your healthy goals, you will also need to incorporate cardiovascular and flexibility exercises in addition to the above workout moves. Our Running Tips for Absolute Beginners and our Yoga Workout for Beginners can help get you started.

Don’t forget the importance of proper nutrition. Try our Ultimate Grocery Shopping Guide to help you navigate through the grocery store with ease.

Be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Pinterest to be the first to try out new workouts and view our latest fitness resources.

This post may include affiliate links.

Kym Votruba

More by Kym

23 Comments

  1. FINALLY a REAL EASY workout. Everytime I checked out easy workouts it kept having me do push ups and real hard cardio. I'm not at this point yet, and I need the real basics. I'll be using this, thank you !

    1. Great! So happy you like our workouts for beginners. 🙂 In January we'll have a calendar with beginner workouts for everyday of the month. It will be called,
      "30-Day Beginner's Workout Plan".

    1. Steve, It depends on many variables, age, sex, weight, height, etc.. We aren’t able to calculate an exact number of calories burned.

    1. Farah, That depends on you. If you feel the current level is no longer a challenge, move to the next one. 🙂

  2. How many times should I do the superman pose to call it a “1x”?? I’m not sure how long I should do this

    1. Working out is for everyone, regardless of size. Exercise promotes a healthy metabolism, heart, brain, and on and on. The key is finding a program that’s right for you…and we have tons of FREE workouts on the site. 🙂

  3. I started the plank exercise but my back started aching in seconds..is this normal or am I doing it wrong?

    1. You shouldn’t experience any pain during the exercise. If your pain doesn’t subside, it might be a good idea to visit a doctor.

  4. This has definitely helped me get started to put exercise into my daily routine! In only a few weeks I’ve noticed better posture and my daily tasks that would have exhausted me before seem like nothing now. Thanks so much for helping me get started.

  5. I want to know if this excersize is good for someone who is in the right weight and shape without being mascular and how many times do I have to excersize to have a toned body without burning too much calories and be in a good health and toned body?

  6. I am so glad I found this website and I can finally go back to excercise. I haven’t done it in 2 years and you can really tell looking at me. I managed to do all the exercises and I feel awesome.

  7. I was diagnosed with cancer a year ago. I have literally spent the past year doing nothing physical.
    I am a ridiculously flabby and out of shape.
    My oncologist is ok with me starting to exercise, and this looks like a good way for me start.
    I am very stiff all over, but especially in my back and shoulders.
    Can you suggest some stretches for me to do before I start to exercise?

  8. hi, I am Monali, I am so glad I found this awesome website and I can finally go back to exercise. thank you so much giving this valuable information. I am very passionate about exercise after seeing this article.

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