So you’ve decided to get fit. Whether that means losing 100 pounds (like these people did) or gaining more muscle strength and definition, it can be tough knowing where to start.
With tons of conflicting advice on the internet and weird terms like HIIT and DOMS, it might seem like everything is stacked against you when you’re trying to reach your goals.
But don’t give up. There are plenty of beginner workouts and programs that can make the process of getting in shape less daunting.
Pro tip: Watch and learn more about how Beachbody On Demand works:
How to Get in Shape
It’s important to remember that you won’t lose weight or build muscle overnight — it’s a process.
And that process includes a combination of fitness, nutrition, and accountability. Armed with these three things, you’re more likely to find success in getting fit.
1. Exercise
The beauty of exercise is that there a ton of ways to do it. Running, swimming, dancing, weightlifting, boxing… the list goes on.
So pick an activity or workout that you enjoy doing! This will be crucial in helping you stick with it.
If you dread your workout, then motivation will be hard to come by. Below, we go into details on some of the best beginner workouts on Beachbody On Demand.
From dance to cardio to weightlifting, there are plenty of options to choose from. They are all comprehensive programs that give you everything you need to succeed — no guesswork required. It’s like having your own personal trainer!
2. Eat right
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Abs are made in the kitchen.” Well, it turns out all muscles are made in the kitchen.
You can exercise until your dying day, but your muscles aren’t going to thrive without proper fuel. You need the right nutrients to prepare your body for a workout, and your muscles need them to recover after a workout, too. And no, that doesn’t mean only eating chicken and broccoli.
A healthy diet consists of all kinds of foods, but in the right portions. (Here’s how many servings you should eat of each food group.)
If that sounds too intimidating, start with an even smaller step. Add just one healthy meal or snack into your day, like Shakeology.
It’s not a quick-fix pill, but it’s an easy way to get important nutrients into your body to fuel your workouts.
3. Keep yourself accountable
This is where the magic really happens. It’s easy to say you’re going to work out and eat right, but that all falls apart without accountability.
If you have the willpower of steel, you can probably keep yourself accountable. But most people need the support of an accountability partner (or two) to keep them on track when their willpower starts to slip.
Look for support in friends or family members.
4. Know the basics
What’s the best time of day to work out? How much weight should you lift? What should you eat before you exercise?
You’ll probably run into questions like these when you first start a fitness plan.
Get the answers to these questions and more in our breakdown of beginner workout tips. While you’re at it, check out this list of things you can do before your first workout that will make things easier down the road.
The Best Beginner Workouts
Fitness shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why Beachbody offers different kinds of beginner workout programs to fit different preferences.
Love to dance? Want to try out weightlifting? Need a low-impact workout? We’ve got you covered. Pick a program that fits your needs, commit to it, and watch the results roll in.
Full-Body Workouts for Beginners:
A Little Obsessed
Type: cardio, strength/muscle building
Time: 30 minutes/day for 5 days
Equipment: dumbbells, resistance loops, strength slides
Trainer: Autumn Calabrese
This five-day program is designed to prepare you for Autumn’s more intense program, 80 Day Obsession.
The workouts are just 30 minutes long, and while each one has a different theme (booty, legs, cardio, etc.), they’ll help you burn fat and build muscle all over.
There’s also an eating plan that uses portion-control containers to introduce you to the idea of timed-nutrition, a key element of the program that dials in what you eat and when you eat it to optimize your results.
If you’re not sure if you’re ready for 80 Day Obsession, start with A Little Obsessed. The workouts are similar in both programs so you can get used to using the resistance loops and strength slides, but A Little Obsessed is slightly easier and can help you to work up to the more advanced program.
Clean Week
Time: 30 minutes/day for 7 days
Equipment: dumbbells or resistance band
Trainer: Megan Davies
If you’re hesitant to commit to multiple weeks (or months) of a workout program, then Clean Week is for you.
This 7-day program will introduce you to the basics of fitness and nutrition to help kick-start healthy habits. Talk about a perfect workout routine for beginners!
Clean Week covers everything from cardio to strength to flexibility, and the easy-to-follow meal plan includes recipes and meal-prep tips to make clean eating super simple.
This is ideal for someone who isn’t sure where to start with fitness, or what kind of exercise is right for them.
3 Week Yoga Retreat
Time: 10–30 minutes/day for 21 days
Equipment: yoga mat
Trainers: Vytas, Elise, Ted, and Faith
Beginners shouldn’t be intimidated by yoga — it’s an excellent full-body workout that’s also low-impact. The 3 Week Yoga Retreat will guide you through 3 weeks of basic yoga classes to help you gain a solid foundation.
You’ll do a new class for 21 straight days, with the goal of improving your flexibility, increasing your balance, and relieving stress.
There is also a Beginner Basics section that breaks down core yoga techniques, like breathing, balance, and the proper way to do basic moves like downward dog and child’s pose.
This program is just straight yoga without any extra fluff. By the end of these 3 weeks, your entire body will be worked, and you should have the confidence to hold your own in most any yoga class.
Mes de Más
Time: 30 minutes/day for 30 days
Equipment: yoga mat, PT Sandbag (optional)
Trainer: Idalis Velazquez
Mes de Más is Beachbody’s first-ever Spanish-language program with NASM-certified personal trainer Idalis Velazquez.
The only equipment you’ll need for the 24 cardio and resistance workouts is a yoga mat — you’ll do a different workout 6 days a week, and then rest on the 7th day. You won’t need a lot of space to work out, and you’ll be done in half an hour, at the most.
Idalis makes meal planning for this program so easy. You’ll know exactly what amounts and types of food to eat each day — even if you have zero experience with nutrition.
Plus, the online recipe book on Beachbody On Demand will include classic Latin American dishes, so you won’t have to give up all the flavors you love!
Beginner Strength-Training Workouts:
SHIFT SHOP
Time: 25–45 minutes/day for 21 days
Equipment: dumbbells or resistance band, agility markers, PT Sandbag (optional)
Trainer: Chris Downing
The first Beachbody program from trainer Chris Downing, this 3-week program utilizes a unique ramp-up method to help ease you into fitness.
This means that the workouts increase in length, intensity, and complexity each week, starting with 25 minutes and going up to 45 minutes. They alternate between strength training and cardio, allowing you to get comfortable with lifting weights while still having variety.
Chris also created four additional workouts to take the “shift” to a whole new level.
You’ll still use his breakthrough ramp-up method of increasing your daily workout by 10 minutes every week, but this time we’ve added a Prep Week and new workouts designed to test your speed and strength as you get faster and stronger.
You’ll start Prep Week with 15-minute Quick Shift workouts that give you a taste of what’s ahead and two Proving Grounds workouts that score your starting performance.
There is a modifier that demonstrates each exercise, so beginners can do the less-intense moves until they build up the strength to do them full-out.
The nutrition plan is also a key component of this program, helping you refine your diet to maximize muscle growth and fat loss.
P90
Time: 45–60 minutes/day for 90 days
Equipment: dumbbells, pull-up bar or resistance band with door attachment
Trainer: Tony Horton
Each phase of P90 is designed to gradually ease your body into better shape than ever before. It’s an excellent workout routine for beginners who want to lose weight and try a program with both strength training and cardio.
If you want to really focus on strength training, then you can choose the resistance-based schedule that has more of a focus on weightlifting, and includes 6 days of workouts each week.
HIIT Workouts for Beginners (High-Intensity Interval Training):
21 Day Fix
Time: 10–30 minutes/day for 21 days
Equipment: dumbbells or resistance band and exercise mat
Trainer: Autumn Calabrese
This 3-week program includes 13 workouts and one simple nutrition plan.
Many of the workouts are HIIT-style routines that combine cardio and strength training, and there’s also 1 day of yoga each week to facilitate recovery.
Most beginners start this program by following the modifier in the videos, and progress to the main exercises (demonstrated by Autumn) as their fitness level improves.
The nutrition plan uses color-coded portion-control containers, so you don’t have to count calories; instead, you’ll learn what proper portions look like. Many people do this program for multiple rounds, getting stronger and more advanced as they move along.
Beginner Dance Workouts:
YOUv2
Time: 30 minutes/day for 4 weeks
Equipment: weighted gloves (optional)
Trainer: Leandro Carvalho
With six easy-to-follow dance routines, YOUv2 is a fun way for beginners to get moving. Five days a week, Leandro leads you through cardio-dance routines set to hits from the ’80s and ’90s.
The simple routines in this program are great for people who are looking to be more active but are beginners to fitness.
And the nutrition plan is just as easy to follow. It’s not a strict diet; instead, it encourages you to make small changes to gradually help you eat healthier.
This program also includes a journal and motivational calendar to keep you on track and accountable to your goals.
Country Heat
Time: 30 minutes/day for 30 days
Equipment: none
Trainer: Autumn Calabrese
Get an introduction to cardio exercise with this country-style dance program. With simple, low-impact moves, Autumn Calabrese leads you through fun dance routines to help you burn calories and work up a sweat.
Country Heat includes six different dance workouts set to popular country songs that you’ll do 6 days a week. Each workout has a “breakdown” video, where Autumn walks you through each move slowly to help you pick up the steps.
You don’t have to worry about learning a full routine — you’re just following the steps as Autumn calls them out.
CIZE
Time: 30–50 minutes/day for 4 weeks
Equipment: none
Trainer: Shaun T
CIZE is a choreography-based program that teaches you a different dance routine set to pop and hip-hop music each week.
Even if you think you can’t dance, you can still do this program. In each routine, Shaun T breaks down the dance moves step by step, making dancing easier than ever before. You’ll be moving the entire time to keep your heart rate up while you’re having fun.
There’s a specific beginner workout calendar that you can start with, and then an advanced calendar you can try after you become more comfortable with the moves.
Depending on the calendar you choose, you’ll be dancing either 6 or 7 days each week. This is slightly more physically demanding that Country Heat and requires more coordination, but with Shaun T’s guidance, it’s still great for beginners.
Low-Impact Workouts for Beginners:
PiYo
Time: 13–45 minutes/day for 60 days
Equipment: yoga mat
Trainer: Chalene Johnson
This program combines the best of yoga and Pilates into a single program, with some extra cardio and strengthening exercises thrown into the mix.
And all of the moves are low-impact, so you can be gentle on your joints. The workouts are set to a fast pace, keeping your heart rate elevated and helping you burn fat while you sculpt your muscles — no jumping or weights required.
Other than a yoga mat, you don’t need any equipment for this program. The main schedule features 10 different workouts, and the deluxe program includes two additional videos (which use strength slides). This program has you working out 6 days per week.
Brazil Butt Lift
Time: 10–50 minutes/day for 60 days
Equipment: exercise band and towel
Trainer: Leandro Carvalho
Are you a beginner to fitness who wants to focus on your booty? Then try Brazil Butt Lift! This program will help lift, firm, and round your butt.
Depending on your goal, you can choose between four workout calendars: volumizer, lift, slim, and classic. Each incorporates the workouts in different ways to sculpt your booty just how you want, and they’ll also help you slim down all over thanks to the cardio component of the routines.
And this isn’t just a program for women — strengthening your glutes can reduce the chance of injury, and that’s something beneficial for everyone.
Active Maternity
Time: 25–35 minutes/workout during pre- and post-pregnancy
Equipment: dumbbells
Trainer: Autumn Calabrese
This beginner workout program is specific for moms-to-be or brand-new moms. The Active Maternity series includes four workouts to help you stay active and exercise correctly for your changing body.
Workouts for the first and second trimester help you build and strengthen the areas most affected by pregnancy.
The third trimester focuses on holding each move for 10 seconds, approximating the length of each push in the last act of labor.
Finally, the postnatal workout will help you ease back into exercise by safely increasing your strength and endurance.