Where I started
I started lifting in February 2023 with no real idea what I was doing, so I paid an online personal trainer to teach me. I got from over 90kg down to 72kg at 5’11″, leanest around 10 to 12% body fat, and now I run bulking and cutting cycles. None of it came from a clever programme. It came from repeating the same lifts, adding a little over time, eating enough protein and turning up. This page is that, written down.
1. Train with progression
Pick a routine you can repeat. Keep the main lifts long enough to learn them, then make the work a little more demanding over time: another good-quality rep, a little more load, another set, or better control. The point is a training signal you can recover from, not a different workout every Monday.
Use the four levers of progressive overload if you need a simple way to decide what changes next. The training-split recommender can help you choose a schedule you will actually attend. If you have five days and want more volume, there is a free 5-day gym split.
The ACSM's 2026 resistance training evidence review puts consistency first. For most healthy adults, training the major muscle groups at least twice a week matters more than a complicated programme. Bands, bodyweight and weights can all work. You do not have to take every set to failure. If you are new, two full-body sessions you can repeat may be a better start than chasing the perfect split.
Already keeping a training log? The one rep max calculator can compare estimated strength from similar sets. You do not need to test a maximum to start building muscle.
A simple three-session starting point
New to the gym? The three-day beginner gym plan alternates two full-body sessions, each with a squat, hinge, push and pull, so each of those movements is trained three times a week. Never been in a gym? Start with your first gym session. Training at home instead? See beginner strength training at home.
If a three-session routine fits you, the existing 3-day gym split PDF is a simple push, pull and legs routine. It gives you the same exercises and rep ranges to repeat, rather than a new workout every Monday. There is a phone version too.
| Session | Exercises in the PDF |
|---|---|
| Day 1 Push | Barbell bench press 4 × 6–8; overhead press 3 × 8–10; incline dumbbell press 3 × 10–12; tricep pushdown 3 × 12–15. |
| Day 2 Pull | Barbell row 4 × 6–8; pull-ups (or assisted) 3 × 8–10; cable row 3 × 10–12; barbell curl 3 × 12–15. |
| Day 3 Legs | Back squat 4 × 6–8; Romanian deadlift 3 × 8–10; leg press 3 × 10–12; calf raise 4 × 15–20. |
The PDF is an optional push/pull/legs example, not a required beginner schedule. Its two to three rest days between sessions mean each push, pull or legs focus comes around roughly every nine to twelve days. For a beginner aiming to train each major muscle group twice weekly, two repeatable full-body sessions are a clearer starting option. Start with a weight you can control and log the load and reps you actually complete. If an exercise causes pain, or you have a health condition or past injury, get qualified individual advice rather than forcing a template.
2. Eat enough energy
Food supports training, but there is no magic surplus that suits everybody. The research does not give one exact number. Training history, what you eat now and how your body responds all matter.1
Start with an estimated maintenance figure from the TDEE calculator. If you want to log your intake while learning what works, FoodSussed, our calorie and macro tracker, is coming soon to Google Play. If strength, recovery and the longer trend say you need more food, make a small change and review again rather than jumping to a large bulk.
3. Eat adequate protein
For healthy adults lifting weights, around 1.6g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day is a useful starting point. A review of 49 studies found that going above that did not add further average muscle gains.2 It is an average from research, not a target to force down when normal food already covers it.
Use the protein guide for normal-food examples, or the macro calculator after you have a calorie starting point. To get that protein without a lot of extra calories, the Protein Swap Lab compares foods by protein per 100 calories using real Irish labels.
Everyday Irish sources, with protein per 100g, per portion and per 100 calories: chicken breast, eggs, tinned tuna, Greek yoghurt, lean beef mince and porridge oats. The protein foods hub ranks Irish supermarket staples by protein per 100 calories.
4. Recover well enough to repeat it
Recovery is the boring bit that makes the plan repeatable: sleep, rest days, enough food, and a training load you can come back to. If every session is getting worse, simplify the plan first and get qualified help if pain, illness or a health condition is part of the problem.
5. Choose maintenance or a surplus from your starting point
A new lifter, somebody coming back after time away and a lean experienced lifter do not need the same food plan. Long calorie deficits can make muscle gain harder.3
If you are already lean and well trained, eating a bit more may help. A huge bulk is not a shortcut. Start near maintenance, watch training and bodyweight over several weeks, then make one small change. The skinny-fat guide explains the maintenance option without turning “recomp” into another programme to buy.
Want the next step in one place?
The free Year Two guide brings progressive overload, choosing a maintenance, surplus or cut phase, and plateau checks together in one PDF. Preview it on the page and choose the standard or phone version. No email or signup.
6. Track a trend
Review more than one data point
Track what you can repeat: lifts, bodyweight, measurements, photos, or how clothes fit. One workout or one weigh-in is noise. The body-fat calculator can add a tape-measure estimate to that longer trend.
There is no honest promise for exactly how fast muscle will arrive or how much fat will come with it. The useful check is boring: are the same lifts moving forward, is the plan still recoverable, and is the longer bodyweight trend roughly where you meant it to be?
Pick your situation
- Not heavy, just soft? That is usually skinny fat. The guide helps you decide whether muscle, fat loss or both matters most right now.
- Still losing weight? Keep lifting while you do it. How to lose weight in Ireland covers the fat-loss side.
- Lost the weight and want to build now? The free Year Two guide helps you choose between maintenance, a surplus or a cut.
- Worried about getting bulky? Weight training for women covers what actually changes.
- Short on time? Training around work and kids covers routines that fit a full week.
How long does it take to build muscle?
Think in months and years, not a dramatic 12-week reveal. A beginner can get stronger quickly because practice matters as well as muscle growth, but that does not mean every early kilo on the bar or scale is new muscle.
Do not judge the plan from one mirror check. Compare similar photos, measurements and lifts over several months. If none of them is moving, check the basics before replacing the whole routine: did you train consistently, keep the main exercises long enough to improve them, work hard enough, eat enough and recover well enough to repeat the sessions?
How much muscle can you gain in a year?
There is no honest fixed number that applies to everybody. Training age, starting point, genetics, age, sex, food, programme quality and consistency all change the result. A one-year transformation post can be motivating, but it cannot tell you how much of the change was muscle, fat, water, lighting or a different starting history. Use your own repeated measurements and training log.
Your next step
Brand new to the gym? The free Day One pack gives you beginner gym guidance, a calorie starting point and a checklist, and links to the free 3, 4 and 5-day gym splits. No email, no signup.
Training a while and not sure what to change? The free Year Two guide covers progressive overload, choosing a maintenance, surplus or cut phase, and plateau checks.
Questions people ask me
How often should I train to build muscle?
For most healthy adults, training each major muscle group at least twice a week matters more than a complicated programme. Two repeatable full-body sessions are a good start for a beginner.
How much protein do I need to build muscle?
Around 1.6g per kilo of bodyweight a day is a useful starting point for healthy adults lifting weights. Going above that did not add further average gains in a review of 49 studies.
Do I need to bulk to build muscle?
No. A huge bulk is not a shortcut. Start near maintenance, watch your lifts and bodyweight over several weeks, then make one small change if you need more food.
Can I build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
It is possible, but the best starting point depends on where you are now. The Year Two guide helps you choose between maintenance, a surplus or a cut.
How long does it take to see muscle?
Think in months and years, not a 12-week reveal. Compare similar photos, measurements and lifts over several months rather than judging one mirror check.
About the author
Keith O’Beirne went from 90kg to 72kg around a full-time job and two kids, after paying a personal trainer to learn the basics. He is not a doctor, dietitian or coach and does not sell coaching — he writes No Nonsense Fitness to give away what he paid to learn, free, with no ads. Based in Dublin.
Sources and limitations
The protein review pooled 49 resistance-training studies. The energy-deficit review compared muscle and strength changes during longer deficits. Both report group averages. Neither can promise what one person will gain.
- Slater GJ et al. Is an energy surplus required to maximise hypertrophy? (2019). The review says the specific surplus required is unknown.
- Morton RW et al. Protein supplementation and resistance-training gains (2018). The 1.6g/kg/day finding is an average break point, not an individual prescription.
- Murphy C and Koehler K. Energy deficiency and resistance-training gains (2022). This meta-analysis covers prolonged deficits and does not define every starting point.