Intermediate

You've already trained consistently 2-3 times a week for a while and are ready for the next step: Workout split, training 4 times a week. Great!

In the Intermediate Workout Guide you train:

upper body 2/week
lower body 2/week
total of 4 times/week
& rest 1-2 days before training the same muscle groups again

Exercises

For optimal muscle growth you need to train each muscle group 2-3 times a week (at least 3 sets/session). Which is why the workout split requires 4 workouts/week to optimally grow your strength.

Give your muscles the best opportunity to get stronger by doing the same exercises for 4 weeks. But if it’s too boring, switch it up! You don’t need to train the optimal way for strength, it’s better to do it less optimal if it means you’ll keep going. Consistency trumps efficiency.

Upper body workout

These are excellent compound exercises for your upper body. 1-3 is enough but if you can get Row in there too, that’s great.

Start with dumbbell versions of the Shoulder Press and Bench Press if the Barbell feels to heavy.

Lower body workout

Squat
Kick Back, or Leg Curl
Deadlift

Do the Deadlift last because it hits your entire body and will leave you feeling happy and fatigued, not in the mood to do another exercise.

This is the first workout session were we recommend a non compound exercise (i.e. an isolation exercise). This is because the Squat and Deadlifts are so great that it won't take away from the workout session. Another reason is that other great lower body compound exercises are not good for Plus Size Beginners (such as lounges, hip thrusts or step exercises, due to to much pressure on joints and difficulty in doing floor exercises)

Kick Backs or Leg Curls targets the hamstrings. They are not primarily targeted in either the Deadlift or the Squat.

If you are not Plus Size, consider switching nr. 2 to a calf exercise instead as calves are barely targeted in the Squat and Deadlift. They are however trained every day for Plus Size People just by walking and living, which is why a hamstring exercise is suggested here instead.

Adaptation

It is ok to switch the exercises for other ones. Choose more compound exercises than isolation exercises. Find other exercises here.

It is ok to do more (4+) or less (1-3) exercises. Adapt to what you feel you can do in your allotted time at the gym, but don’t overdo it. If you feel too fatigued at the end, do less exercises.

Weight, sets and reps

Either aim for 3 sets of 10 reps. Or try what’s called 5 by 5. That is 5 sets of 5 reps. You can choose one exercise in the upper- and one in lower- workout sessions to do 5 by 5 and stick to 3*10 for the other exercises to save time.

Rest for about 2 min between each set.

Use Progressive Overload to adjust the weight i.e. start at a low weight and add weight or reps in small increments. You add when at the last workout session you felt you could do a few more reps at the end of the last set.

Probably that will be every week or so. Example of how that can look:

Week 1: 3 sets, 10 reps, 40lbs (18kg)

Week 2: 3 sets, 12 reps, 40lbs (18kg)

Week 3: 3 sets, 8 reps, 45lbs (20kg)

Week 4: 3 sets, 10 reps 45lbs (20kg)

…

Bring a notebook & pen or take notes in your phone so you remember the warm-up-sets (see below) and how many sets, reps and weight you did.

Warm up & cool down

You DO NOT need to start with cardio! If you want to warm up your heart and lungs, do 1-5mins of cardio. Else skip it.

You DO need to warm up the muscles, joints etc. you’re about to use before each exercise! You do this by doing warm-up-sets.

If you’re aiming for 3 sets of 10 reps at 40lbs. The warm-up-sets might be 1 set of 8 reps at 20lbs, then another warm-up-set of 8 reps at 30lbs before starting the 3 sets of 10 reps at 40.

If you’re starting at a weight you cannot halve:

Do the movement without weights a few times to warm up the muscles, joints etc.
Do a warm-up-set at full weight, but less than half the reps. E.g. 3 repetitions instead of 10. Again just to warm up the muscle, joints etc.

You DO NOT need to cool down. No stretching, cardio or anything else is needed after. You only need to add flexibility training if you’re feeling stiff, and you’ll probably get more out of flexibility training if you do those sessions separate from the strength training sessions.

Go home and be proud you went to the gym. Give yourself some positivity. You are doing it, taking the steps! And any step is better than staying on the couch.