Kira Mei is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach helping UK adults over 40 get fit, eat well, and build sustainable habits.
PureGym Glasgow has five sites across the city — Sauchiehall Street, Great Western Retail Park, Parkhead, Silverburn, and Pollokshaws Road. Every one of them has a squat rack, a bench press station, a cable machine, and a lat pulldown. Every one of them has PTs on the gym floor charging between £40 and £60 per session to show you a beginner workout that is structurally identical across all five sites. This page is that workout. Use it for free.
PureGym Glasgow beginner workouts that produce results in the first eight weeks use three full-body sessions per week, six compound movements at three sets of eight reps, and a weekly progression rule that adds one rep per lift until week four, then adds load. That is the programme. The specifics follow.
What Makes a Beginner Workout at PureGym Glasgow Different from an Advanced One
Nothing, structurally. The six compound lifts — squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, row, lat pulldown — are the foundation of every effective resistance training programme regardless of experience level. What differs between a beginner and an advanced programme is the loading, the volume, and the frequency. Beginners use less weight, lower weekly volume, and higher session frequency (relative to recovery capacity) than advanced lifters. The movements themselves do not change.
This matters because it means you do not need a beginner-specific workout designed for your exact situation. You need the standard six lifts with beginner-appropriate loading and a structured progression method. PTs at PureGym Glasgow Sauchiehall Street charge a premium to tell you this over six sessions when this page tells you the same thing once.
The PureGym Glasgow Beginner Workout Plan
Session A — Three times in first two weeks on non-consecutive days
- Barbell back squat: 3 × 8 at a weight where the last rep is challenging, 90 seconds rest
- Barbell bench press (or chest press machine if no spotter): 3 × 8, 90 seconds rest
- Seated cable row: 3 × 8, 60 seconds rest
Session B — Alternated with Session A from week two onwards
- Romanian deadlift: 3 × 6, 90 seconds rest
- Seated overhead press: 3 × 8, 90 seconds rest
- Lat pulldown: 3 × 8, 60 seconds rest
Run these on Monday, Wednesday, Friday or any three non-consecutive days. Forty minutes per session including a 5-minute warm-up. PureGym Glasgow Great Western has rowers on the mezzanine — use one before hitting the free weights floor.
Progression at PureGym Glasgow
Week 1 through 4: add one rep per lift per week (3 × 8, 3 × 9, 3 × 10, 3 × 11). At week five, add 2.5 kg to barbell lifts and one stack increment on cables, drop back to 3 × 8, repeat. Write this down in Notes after every session. Glasgow PTs call this "progressive overload." It is the only mechanism by which strength is built. It is not a proprietary method requiring ongoing PT fees to access.
Glasgow-Specific: What to Do When PureGym Is Busy
PureGym Glasgow Sauchiehall Street peaks between 5pm and 8pm Monday to Thursday. The squat rack queues during these hours. Solutions in order of preference: train before 4pm or after 8pm; use the leg press as a temporary squat substitute (not a permanent swap); or use PureGym Glasgow Parkhead which is consistently quieter than the city-centre site.
The NHS recommends strength-building activity twice a week minimum. Three sessions per week at off-peak hours is the most reliable way to hit this recommendation in a city-centre Glasgow gym without scheduling friction.
After Eight Weeks
Eight weeks on this plan builds the neuromuscular base for an upper/lower four-day split — the next logical training block. The British Heart Foundation notes that sustained strength training beyond three months is where measurable long-term health benefits compound. Week eight is the platform, not the ceiling.
Kira Mei's Training Blueprint is the full structured eight-week progression, with session-by-session tracking and form cues for each lift. One payment, no monthly fee, no PT required. Get the Training Blueprint at kiramei.co.uk/training.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, nutritional, or professional fitness advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.