How My New 4-Week Workout Plan for Weight Loss Will Kickstart Your Fitness Journey (No Equipment Required!)
For a few months, I’ve been toiling away to create something that I feel is really missing in the home-fitness universe:
A 4-week workout plan for weight loss, no equipment required – but that’s DOABLE for beginners and people who are struggling with time, budget, and motivation to work out consistently.
Something simple but effective.
Something that skips the overwhelm and puts emphasis on motivation and encourages progress over perfection.
That incorporates strength, cardio, and the power of easy physical activity throughout the week.
And that something… is finally here!
I’m so excited to introduce: Serial Starter Fix: 28 Doable days to better fitness.
You can head on over here to check out all the details, but today I also wanted to give you a sneak preview of what you can expect once you sign up and why it might be the ideal program specifically for you.
How my 4-Week workout plan works
As I mentioned before, it’s a 4-week workout plan for weight loss and no equipment is required at all! The exercises use your own body weight to create resistance. You can do these workouts from home in your living room or wherever you have enough space to roll out an exercise mat!
The workouts themselves are simple and short. Using my 12-21 Progression System, you will start off with 12-minute strength training workouts and gradually increase to 21-minute sessions by week 4.
There are 3 strength workouts per week. The schedule also includes 1-2 days of cardio per week as well as bonus step-count goals accelerate your progress!
Here’s what Week 1 looks like:
Week 1
Day 1
3000 Steps
Lower Body Workout (6 minutes x 2 sets = 12 Minutes)
- Squats x 20
- Donkey Kicks x 40 (20 per side)
- Alternating Forward Lunges x 20
- Low-Impact Burpees x 10
Day 2
4000 Steps
Day 3
3000 Steps
Upper Body Workout (6 minutes x 2 sets = 12 Minutes)
- Modified pushups x 20
- Tricep dips x 20
- Dolphin to Plank x 20
- Modified Alternating Plank Rotations x 16
Day 4
4000 Steps
Day 5
3000 Steps
Core Workout (6 minutes x 2 sets = 12 Minutes)
- Leg Raises x 20
- Modified V Situp x 25
- Low Plank x 30 seconds
- Side Plank Hip Dips x 20 (10 per side)
Day 6
5000 Steps
Cardio Workout (15 minutes)
Day 7
Rest & Review!
Squat without the squint – No internet phones, apps, or subscriptions Required
Sometimes the old school things are the best things.
Don’t get me wrong – I love a good fitness app. But one problem with apps is you’re always squinting down at your screen to see what’s coming up next.
Not to mention, it can be frustrating if you’re working out in an area with a spotty wifi connection. (I always have this problem if I need to work out in the basement!)
But with my program, you get a PDF workout guide that you can print out on standard printer paper.
The workouts have large pictures and fonts so you can easily follow each exercise.
Also, you get a printable program calendar that you can use to stay on top of your daily goals and write notes.
That’s not to say you can’t use the PDFs on your phone or computer, if you want. But personally, I find having a hardcopy can be so much better in many situations.
Doability is the secret sauce
The thing that I am most passionate about is helping others make exercise a doable, even enjoyable part of their lives. If you’ve followed me on this blog for a while, you will know that I am obsessed with home fitness apps and have used my fair share of them.
But a few years ago when I was a sedentary beginner with a low budget and even lower levels of motivation, a lot of these apps and programs would have overwhelmed me.
I know I wasn’t the only one.
I was only able to get to the level I’m at now by greatly modifying the apps and programs until I was able to keep up.
But honestly, it’s a lot easier said than done.
I wanted to easily fill that gap for others which is out SSF came to be! It accomplishes this goal by:
- Being short enough of a program not to lose focus, but long enough to see results
- Keeping workouts short
- Keeping exercises simple and suitable for beginners
- Keeping the focus on what you can do today with daily checkboxes and weekly motivation emails
- Encouraging casual activity throughout the day with bonus step-count goals
Even if you hate cardio and other workout programs, the way I structured this program makes the workouts easy to stick to.
Short workouts work
As you may have noticed from the Week 1 preview above, this 4-week workout plan starts off one 15-minute cardio session and three strength training sessions in a week. Yet, each session is just 12-15 minutes of active exercise per session. That’s not even an hour of sweating per week, collectively!
Even by the end of the program, the workouts never surpass 21 minutes.
So you might be wondering “is that really enough?”
The short answer is: absolutely – especially as a beginner.
I’ve already written a whole other post about the magic of mini workouts, but to recap: Science has shown that even just 11 minutes of exercise a day, three times a week may be enough to raise your metabolism.
So not only are you torching calories during these workouts, you’re burning more of them when you’re not working out as well!
Shorter workouts are also beneficial for a multitude of other reasons, such as they:
- Decrease your risk of overtraining and injury
- Are way easier to fit into your already-busy life
- Are way less likely to overwhelm you and kill your motivation
No equipment required
No equipment is used in this program either, because let’s face it: squats and lunges are quite challenging enough without throwing dumbbells into the mix.
Weights are a powerful tool for leveling up your fitness, but when you’re just starting out they can almost be more of a hindrance than a help.
(Did I ever mention the time I pulled my deltoid so badly during weighted anterior raises that I was on muscle relaxants for a month? #beginnermistakes.)
As a beginner you’re likely already challenged enough by bodyweight resistance and your focus should be on mastering proper form and maximizing your range of motion.
Further to that, I know that not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated home workout space and may not have the room or the budget for a rack of dumbbells .
If you have enough space to turn around with your arms outstretched to the side and overhead, you have all the space and equipment you need!
Stay motivated
Your motivation levels are crucial to Getting The Things Done. But – for better or worse – external factors can greatly impact that motivation.
That’s why you will be getting weekly check-in emails from me throughout the program.
Once a week, I’ll be offering up some tips to stay on track and assigning weekly motivation assignments that are super quick to do, but can help keep your gusto going.
The program calendar also breaks things down with daily goal boxes so that you can stay focused on what you can today.
The overarching theme of SSF is “progress over perfection”. There’s no “doing it wrong” or shame if you miss a day or need to modify an exercise. as an SSFer, I give you full permission to take ownership of your workouts, modify what you need to, and embrace imperfection.
Harness the power of walking
If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll already know how obssessed I am with walking for exercise, and I credit it for being one of the pivotal components to my own success in fitness.
Yet, I’m astounded at how under-utilized it is in most fitness programs.
One of the best things about walking is that you can sneak in a few steps any time throughout the day without having to get changed into your workout clothes. You just slip on your shoes and off you go!
I wanted to encourage walking in Serial Starter Fix so I incorporated “bonus” step-count goals throughout the program. They aren’t mandatory, but I added them as an encouragement to work some extra physical activity into your day and accelerate your progress.
Serial Starter Fix: The affordable, equipment-free, 4-week workout plan you’ve been searching for
Serial Starter Fix is the product of my passion for home fitness, my personal experience with countless home workout programs, and the knowledge I obtained through my personal training certification with the ISSA.
Right now, this 4-week workout plan – no equipment or subscriptions required – is just $16.99 for lifetime access.
And to celebrate the first week of its launch, I’m offering an additional 20% off until November 1st if you use the code THEFIX20 at checkout!
(Did I mention that if you buy now, you also get in on any upgrades I may make to the program down the road for free?)
Ready to do this thing? See you on the other side!
Corrie Alexander
Corrie Alexander is a former ISSA-certified personal trainer, home fitness advocate, and founder of The Fit Careerist. A proponent of personal growth and a self-proclaimed fitness app-junkie, Corrie shares tips and product reviews with the goal of helping others on their own fitness journey.
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