Resistance training: a beginner programme for weight loss
Last reviewed by retainfo editorial team. How we review content.
Resistance training is the single most effective thing you can do to keep muscle while losing weight fast. It does not need a gym, a membership or more than about 40 minutes twice a week. This page gives you a programme you can start today.
What the NHS recommends
UK physical activity guidelines ask every adult to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, on top of 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity.[1] The NHS strength and flexibility pages describe exercises you can do at home with no equipment.[4] The programme below follows the same principles with a bit more structure.
The beginner programme
Two full-body sessions a week, on non-consecutive days (for example Monday and Thursday). Each has seven exercises. Do Session A one day and Session B the next time; if you train three times a week, alternate A, B, A, then B, A, B the week after.
Every exercise has a home version using bodyweight or things you already own, and a dumbbell or gym version. Start with whichever you can do with good form for the lower number of repetitions. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between sets.
Session A
| # | Movement | Home version | Dumbbell or gym version | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Squat | Sit-to-stand from a chair, then squat to the chair without sitting | Goblet squat holding one dumbbell at your chest | 2–3 × 8–12 |
| 2 | Push | Incline press-up with hands on a worktop or stairs | Dumbbell floor press or bench press | 2–3 × 8–12 |
| 3 | Hip hinge | Glute bridge lying on the floor | Dumbbell Romanian deadlift | 2–3 × 10–15 |
| 4 | Pull | Bent-over row holding a filled rucksack | Single-arm dumbbell row | 2–3 × 8–12 each side |
| 5 | Single leg | Step-up onto the bottom stair | Dumbbell step-up onto a box | 2 × 8–10 each leg |
| 6 | Trunk | Dead bug (lying on your back, opposite arm and leg) | Plank | 2 × 20–40 seconds |
| 7 | Carry | Walk with a heavy shopping bag in each hand | Farmer's carry with dumbbells | 2 × 30–40 metres |
Session B
| # | Movement | Home version | Dumbbell or gym version | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Split squat | Static lunge holding a chair for balance | Dumbbell split squat | 2–3 × 8–10 each leg |
| 2 | Overhead push | Overhead press with two water bottles or tins | Dumbbell shoulder press (seated if easier) | 2–3 × 8–12 |
| 3 | Hip | Single-leg glute bridge | Dumbbell hip thrust with shoulders on a sofa or bench | 2–3 × 10–15 |
| 4 | Pull | Towel row: loop a towel round a sturdy post and pull your chest towards it | Seated cable row or lat pulldown | 2–3 × 8–12 |
| 5 | Legs | Wall sit | Leg press | 2 × 20–40 seconds / 2 × 10–15 |
| 6 | Trunk | Side plank on knees | Side plank on feet, or Pallof press | 2 × 15–30 seconds each side |
| 7 | Calves | Calf raise on a step | Calf raise holding dumbbells | 2 × 15–20 |
Warm up first with five minutes of brisk walking or marching on the spot, then one easy set of the first two exercises with no weight. The whole session should take 30 to 45 minutes.
How to progress
Progressive overload simply means asking a little more of your muscles over time. Without it, they adapt to the current load and stop. The easiest system:
- Start at the bottom of the rep range (for example, 8 reps) with a weight or version you can manage cleanly.
- Each session, try to add one or two reps per set.
- When you can do the top of the range (12 reps) on every set, two sessions running, make it harder: add weight (1 to 2 kg per dumbbell is plenty), move from the home version to the loaded version, or add a third set.
- Drop back to the bottom of the rep range and repeat.
Write the numbers down. A notebook or a notes app is the only piece of equipment that is genuinely essential, because progress you cannot see is progress you cannot build on. If a lift goes backwards for two or three sessions in a row, you are probably under-eating, under-sleeping or doing too much; see sleep and recovery before pushing harder.
Home or gym?
Both work. Home wins on cost and convenience, and a pair of adjustable dumbbells will keep you progressing for a year or more. A gym wins when bodyweight exercises stop being challenging, when you want machines that are kinder to sore joints, or when you would like someone to check your form. Most council leisure centres offer a free induction, and many run supervised beginner sessions. Some NHS weight-management services include exercise referral; ask your GP about the NHS route.
Safety when carrying extra weight
- Start light and learn the movement first. Weight comes later. The first two weeks are about form, not effort.
- Protect your joints. Extra body weight already loads your knees, hips and lower back. Choose versions without jumping or deep bending until you are stronger: sit-to-stands rather than deep squats, step-ups rather than lunges, incline press-ups rather than floor press-ups. Supportive trainers help.
- Breathe. Do not hold your breath during the hard part of a lift. Exhale as you push or pull.
- Sharp pain means stop. Muscle burn and next-day soreness are normal. Sharp, catching or joint pain is not; swap the exercise for a gentler version and, if it persists, see a GP or physiotherapist.
- Existing conditions. If you have heart disease, uncontrolled blood pressure, diabetes treated with insulin, or a joint replacement, tell your GP or nurse that you are starting strength training. The NHS advice is that these guidelines are suitable for disabled adults and people with long-term conditions, adapted to what you can do.[1]
- If you are losing weight very fast, keep the volume low (two sets rather than three) during the steepest weeks and build up as the rate of loss slows. Your body has less to recover with.
Resistance training protects muscle; it does not on its own protect your heart and lungs. Cardio and steps covers the other half of the NHS guidelines, and preserving muscle explains why both matter during fast weight loss.
References
- Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64. NHS, 1 January 2026. NHS / NICE guidance
- Neeland IJ, Linge J, Birkenfeld AL Changes in lean body mass with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies and mitigation strategies. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2024 (doi:10.1111/dom.15728), 27 June 2024. Primary source
- Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2025 (doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.04.023), 30 May 2025. Primary source
- Strength and flexibility exercises. NHS, 1 January 2026. NHS / NICE guidance