Gym Machine Workout Routine for Beginners (with PDF)

Free-weight exercises often require a lot of technique, strength, and stability for optimal results. Fixed machine resistance exercises, on the other hand, work on a stable pattern. They’re easier to do, provide better results, and decrease the risk of injuries.

As such, it’s always good to have a proper gym machine workout routine. Using machines at the gym is good for both beginners and experts. Beginners can use these fixed machines to learn weightlifting movements without injuring themselves accidentally.

Bodybuilding experts can use these machines to engage in volume-based training and bulk up quickly.

In a modern gym, there is sufficient equipment to help you devise a complete weight machine workout plan. From arms and legs to chest and triceps, there’s a machine for every major muscle group you want to target.

So, without further ado, let’s move on to the nitty-gritty of our specialized machine workout routine.

Weight Machine Workout Principles

Before we move on to our comprehensive machine workout plan, let’s first understand the science behind it.

Many people continue to debate over the effectiveness of machine-based training versus free-weight training. The difference, however, is pretty clear.

Machines are simpler to work with because they don’t need the bodybuilder to adjust their form or movement with each repetition. They work on a set pattern, allowing people to concentrate on the resistance rather than their form or stability.

Because machines have fixed movements, it’s unlikely that you’ll pull a muscle or sustain any accidental injury while working out. Lifting free weights, on the other hand, involve a tricker range of motion that might result in injuries if the form isn’t correct.

Machine-based workouts are also better if you are trying to isolate a specific muscle group. For instance, leg extension machines are pretty good if you want to enhance your quadricep muscles. Thus, gym machines can help people who want to strengthen or train a specific muscle group. This concept also applies to bodybuilders who are rehabilitating an injury.

In machine-based resistance training, your body automatically adjusts its form. As a result, bodybuilders don’t get any room for cheating during repetitions when there is muscle fatigue. In this regard, machine-based workouts are more effective.

Finally, machine-based workouts are quicker. You don’t have to spend precious minutes at the gym trying to find the right weights. All you need to do is insert a pin if you want to increase the resistance.

These are the many advantages that our gym machine workout plan will reap for fast and efficient bodybuilding.

Our workout plan will follow the bro split. In other words, you’ll be training a specific muscle each day of the week. This will ensure that you are focusing on volume-based training while getting sufficient rest for muscle recovery.

The inclusion of muscle-building techniques like drop sets and AMRAPs (as many repetitions as possible) will further enhance the volume and intensity of your training. This will result in optimum hypertrophy and muscle strength after weeks of strenuous training.

Many people claim that free-weight exercises are better as they help stabilize and strengthen the core. But our gym equipment workout plan will feature an ab workout every other day. Thus, you’ll constantly be working on your core for the holistic development of the body.

So, now that we know everything about a machine-based gym workout plan let’s move on to the actual schedule.

Gym Machine Workout Schedule

In our workout program, we’ll be adopting the bro split. Here, you shall be targeting specific muscle groups on each day of the week. Apart from that, you’ll also be working on your abdominal muscles every other day to stabilize your core.

As per this schedule, there will be sufficient time for rest and recovery. You’ll have the weekends off to relax and prepare for the next week’s grind.

The fundamental principle of a bro split is to focus on volume-based resistance training by progressively overloading the muscles.

You can do this by increasing the repetitions or weights while exercising over a period of time.

Progressive overloading is the best way to give your muscles enough stimulus to promote healthy growth.

The best part is that a 5-day strength training on machines is very effective for beginner bodybuilders. It’s all about making the workouts more intense after each week.

Here is the 5-day schedule that you must follow religiously:

1. Day 1- Chest
2. Day 2- Shoulder
3. Day 3- Back
4. Day 4- Arms
5. Day 5- Legs
6. Day 6- Rest
7. Day 7- Rest

As you can see, our workout plan focuses on all muscle groups, including abs. Often, people forget to work on some important muscles like legs while following other splits. In this case, however, you shall have balanced growth in all parts of your body.

In the bro split, there will be no chance of any form of muscle imbalance. Machine-based resistance training will further eliminate any chances of imbalance as improper form and cheat repetitions are out of the question.

Following this schedule will allow you to exercise all the muscle fibers while providing adequate training volume to each.

Gym Machine Workout Routine

Following a beginner gym machine workout routine is the best way to progress in bodybuilding. Such workouts promote mechanical overload placed on different muscle groups, thereby providing maximum stimulation.

In addition, gym machines also control the bodybuilder’s range of motion. Therefore, it places force on the part where the muscle is strongest. This type of stimulation is safe and avoids the possibility of any injury while stimulating growth.

When there are so many advantages to using machine-based exercises at the gym, it makes no sense to follow a free-weight workout routine. The only complaint people have with gym machines is that there is not enough flexibility to incorporate different exercises.

But that is not the case. If you have a proper gym machine workout routine, you’ll know what exercises to work with each day of the week.

Here’s a comprehensive 5-day machine-based workout program that you can follow:

Day 1: Chest

• Machine chest press / Smith machine chest press- 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Machine incline chest press / Smith machine incline chest press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Machine decline chest press / Smith machine decline chest press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Cable chest press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Cable crossover / Peck deck flys- 3 sets of AMRAPs
• Machine crunch- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Decline crunch- 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 2: Shoulder

• Machine shoulder press / Smith machine shoulder press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Single arm half kneeling landmine press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Cable front raise- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Cable lateral raise- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Reverse peck deck fly- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Smith machine shrugs- 3 sets of 8 reps

Day 3: Back

• Smith machine bent-over row- 3 sets of 8 reps
• Lat pull down- 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Cable row- 3 sets of 10 reps
• T bar machine row- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Seated machine row- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Ab coaster machine- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Cable crunch- 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 4: Arms

• Preacher machine curl- 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Cable bicep curl / Rope hammer curl- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Low pulley cable single arm bicep curl- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Cable triceps pushdown- 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Behind the neck cable tricep extension- 3 sets of 10 reps
• One-arm cable tricep pushdown / cable tricep kickbacks- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Wrist curls on machine- 2 sets of 15-20 reps
• Reverse wrist curls on machine- 2 sets of 15-20 reps

Day 5: Legs

• Smith machine squat- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Hack squat- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Leg press- 3 sets of 10 reps
• Leg extension – 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Lying leg curl- 2 sets of 10 reps + 1 drop set
• Seated calf raise- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Machine crunch- 3 sets of 15 reps
• Ab roller wheel- 3 sets of 15 reps

Day 6: Rest

Day 7: Rest

Using machines at the gym is the best way to create a metabolic overload for rapid muscle regeneration. It occurs when you exhaust your muscles to the point where they cannot contract any further. Therefore, you won’t be able to lift anymore when you hit a metabolic overload.

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The best way to force a metabolic overload on your muscles is to use techniques like AMRAP sets and drop sets. Machine-based workouts provide the safest and the most time-efficient ways to carry out these intensity boosting techniques and promote muscle growth.

If you have a proper machine workout routine at your disposal, you can overcome any training plateau and progress safely in your workouts.

Gym Machine Workout Plan PDF

You’ll certainly be working with gym machines. But you’re not a machine yourself and cannot remember all the exercises.

Therefore, we have a printable PDF of our routine that you can use. You can also keep the PDF file on your phone and use it as a reference in between different sets.

You can download our printable 5-day workout plan from here.

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Winding Up

Machine-based workouts are best for volume-based training and building strength. They’re also safer and less prone to causing injuries.

With a proper workout schedule, machine-based exercises can make your bodybuilding journey progressively simpler.