Fact: no matter how long you've been on the fitness scene for, you don't need fancy workouts. Sometimes, going back to basics is best, and compound exercises are a prime example.

Women's Health Collective trainer Saima Husain swears by them for building muscle and strength, and chances are, you're already familiar, whether you realise it or not. 'They're exercises that work multiple muscle groups simultaneously,' Saima explains. 'Squats, deadlifts, glute bridge, bench press, bent-over row and clean and press are the most common.'

The benefits abound. 'Compound movements allow you to work on your flexibility and muscular imbalances, and also help you to improve your muscle mass and burn calories, if that's your goal. They promise big results in minimum time, as you can lift heavier since you aren't relying on just the one muscle, and your heart-rate increases as your heart needs to work harder to supply blood for energy to several muscle groups at once.'

So, for this month's training plan, Saima has put together two exclusive workouts comprised purely of compound exercises: a 15-minute lower-body compound workout and a 15-minute upper-body compound workout, plus a 15-minute total-body mobility flow to help you increase your range of motion. Each workout is suitable for every level of both strength and fitness, as Saima advises on progression and regression options, and you can choose the weight that suits you, implementing progressive overload by increasing how heavy you lift in small increments each week.

The plan officially kicks off on Monday 6th March, but you’re under no obligation to stick to our timings. Bookmark this page and come back whenever you’re ready, and scroll down to see what Saima recommends once the 28 days are up.

Download and keep our illustrated, mobile-optimised plan for the next time you hit the gym DOWNLOAD PLAN

How to do the 28-day plan

  • Each week, Saima will coach you through three 15 minute workouts: a lower-body compound workout, an upper-body compound workout and a total-body mobility workout.
  • Always start your workouts with Saima's warm-ups, and follow them up with her cool-downs.
  • On the days when you aren't doing a workout, Saima advises either LISS or rest.
  • Rest means a complete rest day.
  • LISS, a.k.a. low-intensity steady-state cardio, means a 30-45 mins on the cross trainer (depending on which week of the plan you're on), or a 60-min walk.

Equipment needed: One exercise mat, barbell, weight plates, a set of dumbbells, bench, a kettlebell, yoga blocks, resistance band. Read on for advice on what weights to go for.

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The plan at a glance

Save or screenshot this handy infographic to help you keep track of what you should be doing and when.

strength training plan
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How heavy should my weights be?

'Weights will vary a lot for the upper and lower-body workouts,' Saima advises. 'For upper, it tends to be the case that you lift considerably lower. If you're a beginner, I would suggest starting with just a barbell (these weigh between 15-25kg alone), then increasing with weight plates in small increments of 2kg. For intermediate exercisers, start with 25-30kg, while advanced exercisers may be ready to go in at 30kg+.

'For your lower-body workouts, beginners should stick to just the barbell, and increase by 2-5kg. Intermediate exercisers may want to start at 35-50kg, and advanced exercisers who feel ready to do so can begin at 50-80kg.

'It should only start to feel really heavy in the last set of each workout. Your second set should feel like a 3 out of 5 on the effort scale, so that you have enough in the tank for your last set. Make sure your core is braced, and you are breathing out on the push of the movement.'

How to make the plan harder/easier

Within each workout, Saima advises progression and regression options for every exercise. Try the progression if you want a challenge, or the regression if you need to take it easy.

Weekly progression options for each workout:

    • Week one:
      15-min lower-body compound workout, do 3 sets of 5 reps. Aim to add 2-5kg with each set. As this is the first week, start with a weight you can comfortably manage for 8-10 reps.
      15-min upper-body compound workout, do 3 sets of 5 reps. Aim to add 2kg - 5kg with each set. As this is the first week, start with a weight you can comfortably manage for 8-10 reps.
      15-min mobility workout, follow the video and do no more than 2 rounds, as shown.
    • Week two:
      15-min lower-body compound workout, do 3 sets of 3 reps. Start with the same weight you used in the second set of week 1, and again, aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min upper-body compound workout, do 3 sets of 3 reps. Start with the same weight as the second set from week 1, and again, aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min mobility workout, follow the video and do no more than 2 rounds, as shown.
    • Week three:
      15-min lower-body compound workout, do 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps and 1 set of 2 reps. Start with the same weight you used in the second set of week 2, and aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min upper-body compound workout, do 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps and 1 set of 2 reps. Start with the same weight you used in the second set of week 2, and aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min mobility workout, follow the video, then run through the whole flow once more, for 3 total rounds.
    • Week four:
      15-min lower-body compound workout, do 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps and 1 set of 2 reps. Start with the same weight you used in the second set of week 3, and aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min upper-body compound workout, do 1 set of 5 reps, 1 set of 3 reps and 1 set of 2 reps. Start with the same weight you used in the second set of week 3, and aim to add 2-5kg with each set.
      15-min mobility workout, follow the video, then run through the whole flow once more, for 3 total rounds.
    • Each week, Saima also advises increasing the amount of LISS you do to make it harder. For example, on week one, Saima advises 30 minutes of LISS, and on week three, she recommends increasing that to 45 minutes, then to 60 minutes by week four.

    Feel free to adapt your LISS durations to suit how you feel on the day - sticking to 15 minutes each week is totally fine.

    Your 28-day compound exercise workout plan

        Workout 1: 20-min lower-body compound workout

        Equipment: 1 exercise mat, barbell, weight plates and foam pad for glute bridges.

        preview for Women's Health Collective: Saima Husain 20 Minute Lower-Body Workout

        Warm-up:

        • 8 x glute bridge + overhead reach
        • 8 x alternating lying hamstring swings
        • 10 x alternating world's greatest stretch
        • 10 x alternating cossack squat

        Workout:

        Complete 3 sets of 5 of the following exercises, with 15 secs rest between each set. Then take a 30 second rest before moving on to the next exercise.

        • 3 x 5 squats
        • 3 x 5 barbell glute bridge
        • 3 x 5 barbell deadlift

        Cool-down:

        • 40 secs x supine twist (left)
        • 40 secs x supine twist (right)
        • 30 secs x pigeon stretch (left)
        • 30 secs x pigeon stretch (right)

        Workout 2: 20-min upper-body compound workout

        Equipment: exercise mat, bench, medium dumbbells, barbell, weight plates.

        preview for Women's Health Collective: 20 Minute Upper Body Workout with Saima Husain

        Warm-up:

        • 1 min x child's pose, reach forward, to the left, to the right
        • 30 secs x prone YTW holds
        • 30 secs x plank negative holds

        Workout:

        Complete 3 sets of 5 of the following exercises, with 15 secs rest between each set. Then take a 30 second rest before moving on to the next exercise.

        • 3 x 5 bench press
        • 3 x 5 clean and press
        • 3 x 5 bent-over row

          Cool-down:

          • 1 min x child's pose
          • 1 min x glute stretch (left)
          • 1 min x glute stretch (right)
          • 30 secs x overhead tricep stretch (left)
          • 30 secs x overhead tricep stretch (right)

          Workout 3: 25-min total-body mobility workout

          Equipment: exercise mat, medium kettlebell, long resistance band.

          preview for Women's Health: 25 Minute Full-Body Mobility Workout with Saima Husain

          Workout:

          Hold each move for 30 secs, before moving on to the next. Run through the whole workout twice.

          • Open book sweeps
          • Shoulder rotations
          • Kneeling thoracic T-spine opener
          • Banded overhead sweeps
          • Prone swimmers
          • Pike + scapular retractions
          • Couch stretch
          • Banded hamstring stretch
          • Kneeling hip opener
          • Squat prying
          • Squat + hinge

          What to do when the 4 weeks is up

          'After the four weeks, you can continue this training programme for another two months, but start each new month by adding 2.5 kg for each lift, and remember to factor in deload weeks within each month. Rest and recovery is essential for muscle growth and strength, as this is when you give your fibres the opportunity to fully repair and therefore, grow back stronger.'