30 Day Fitness Challenge for Beginners

It’s no secret we’re all spending a lot more time at home lately. And while it’s super tempting to lounge on the sofa in your pjs all day, there’s never been a better opportunity to get fit! The idea of a 30 day fitness challenge for beginners may fill your soul with dread, but trust us when we say – you’ll feel a whole lot better for it.

Exercise can provide so many benefits, both physically and mentally. Taking care of our mental and physical wellbeing is now more important than ever, and exercise can help you on your way.

But if you’ve never put on a set of gym leggings before, the concept of starting a brand-new fitness regime may seem daunting. This is why we’ve put together a simple yet super effective 30 day fitness challenge for beginners! 

Designed to get your body moving in a safe, fun way with no gym equipment required, you can kickstart your fitness journey from your living room. Even if you’ve never exercised properly before.

30 Day Fitness Challenge for Beginners – Why 30 Days? 

Simply saying “I’m going to exercise every day for a week” isn’t long enough to form a brand-new fitness habit. Once the week is over, you won’t have any further challenges to push yourself with. You could end up right back where you started, all motivation gone and your hard work undone. 

30 days is a month-long commitment, with plenty of time to slowly work up to exercises you never thought you could do. And once the 30 days are up, your mind-set towards fitness will have transformed for the better. This makes future workouts easier, with consistent progress being made!

Week 1

If you’re feeling super pumped and motivated to start, this is the perfect attitude to have! But whilst hugely positive, it could tempt you to jump straight in to the deep end. While pushing yourself is important to make progress, slow and steady definitely wins the race here. Especially if you’ve never exercised properly before. 

If you push yourself too hard, you could cause serious injury. Not only will this ruin your fitness journey before it’s even started, you’ll feel very frustrated. 

For your first week, keeping workouts short and simple is key – but you’ll still feel the burn! We’ve come up with 4 easy routines you can follow throughout the week. And on the remaining 3 days, take yourself out for a 20 minute walk for an ‘active rest day’.

Workout 1:

30 seconds jumping jacks

30-seconds forward lunges, alternating each leg

30 seconds squats 

1 minute rest

Repeat 4 times 

Workout 2: 

30 seconds push ups (on knees)

30-seconds mountain climbers

30 seconds forward lunges, alternating each leg

1 minute rest

Repeat 4 times

Workout 3: 

30 seconds sit ups 

1 minute glute bridges

30 second plank

1 minute rest

Repeat 4 times

Workout 4:

30 seconds high knees

30-seconds squats

30 seconds jumping jacks 

1 minute rest

Repeat 4 times

Covering virtually all areas of your body, these 4 workouts are a great introduction to fitness! And by filling-up your extra 3 days with a walk, you’ll never have a day you’re inactive.

Week 2

As you get into your second week, we’re still following the same workouts as the week before. Just with a little more intensity!

Workout 1: 

30 seconds jumping jacks

1 minute squats

1-minute forward lunges

1 minute rest

Repeat 4 times

Workout 2:

30 seconds mountain climbers

1 minute push ups (on knees)

1 minute forward lunges

1-minute rest 

Repeat 4 times

Workout 3:

1 minute sit ups 

1-minute glute bridges

30 second plank 

1-minute rest

Repeat 4 times 

Workout 4:

30 seconds high knees

30 seconds jump squats

1 minute jumping jacks

1-minute rest 

Repeat 4 times

Remaining pretty similar to week 1, week 2’s workouts involve a little more intensity. Perfect for boosting endurance and pushing your body a little further. And on your 3 spare days, try increasing your walk from 20 minutes to a brisk 30. 

Week 3

After a full two weeks of daily exercise, you might feel you’ve ‘earned’ some time off fitness. But it’s at this exact point you need to power through. Avoid temptation to slack off, and you’ll successfully triumph over the potential midway hump of lacking motivation.

Workout 1: 

1 minute jumping jacks

1-minute squats 

1 minute forward lunges

1-minute rest

Repeat 4 times 

Workout 2:

30 seconds mountain climbers

30 seconds regular push ups

1 minute forward lunges 

1-minute rest

Repeat 5 times

Workout 3:

30 seconds crunches

1-minute glute bridges

30 second wall sit

1-minute rest

Repeat 5 times

Workout 4:

30 seconds high knees

1 minute jump squats

1-minute jumping jacks

1 minute rest

Repeat 5 times

On your 3 remaining days, try incorporating light jogging into your 30 minute walks. Alternate between briskly walking and jogging every 5 minutes. And if you feel you can jog for longer, go for it!

Week 4

The final full week! If you reach this point without taking a break or losing motivation, you should be super proud. Getting into fitness for the very first time is a big challenge in itself, and you’re sure to have experienced some benefits by now.

This last stage involves the most intense bunch of workouts yet, designed to build on the endurance you’ve achieved so far. If you want to enhance progress even more, try incorporating a vibration plate into your workouts.

Scientifically proven to aid weight loss and tone muscle, a vibrating plate is a great home fitness accessory. Ideal alongside ab exercises, push ups, regular squats and lunges, check out our ultimate guide to choosing your perfect vibration plate.

Workout 1: 

1 minute jumping jacks

1-minute jump squats

1 minute forward lunges

1-minute rest

Repeat 4 times

Workout 2: 

1 minute mountain climbers

1 minute regular push ups 

30 second plank

1-minute rest

Repeat 5 times

Workout 3:

1 minute sit ups

1-minute glute bridges

30 second wall sit 

1-minute rest

Repeat 5 times

Workout 4: 

1 minute high knees

1-minute jump squats

30 seconds burpees 

1-minute rest 

Repeat 5 times

On your remaining 3 days (plus an extra 2 to reach the ultimate goal of 30!), try jogging for longer during your half hour walks. Try jogging continuously for 6-8 minutes, then walk for 5. Keep repeating until your 30 minutes is up, or carry on for as long as you can!

And there you have it. A complete 30 day fitness challenge for beginners you can easily enjoy from the comfort of home! And once finished, you’ll definitely have more motivation than ever for working out. You’ll even be able to come up with different workouts to try, taking your fitness journey to new levels over future weeks. 

But as with any type of beginner exercise routine, listening to your body is crucial. Especially during the first week, don’t force yourself to complete all exercise timings if you can’t manage. Only do what you’re capable of, and stop if you experience pain. And if you confidently feel you can work for even longer than our given timings, go for it!

Whilst exercise is undoubtedly important during these times, maintaining a healthy mind set is equally key. We hope you’re all staying safe and well, and we hope this 30 day challenge has inspired you to start something new.