Strength and Flex exercise plan: week by week
A week-by-week breakdown with links to video clips of the 5-week Strength and Flex exercise plan for beginners.
Do each podcast at least 3 times within a week before moving on to the next podcast.
Once you have finished the programme, you can keep using podcast 5 to keep your activity levels up.
Podcast 1
A gentle workout with music, starting with a warm-up followed by a series of strength and flexibility exercises, finishing off with a cool-down.
Duration: 35:28
Warm up
5 shoulder rolls as you walk (both shoulders)
10 chest presses as you walk (pushing both hands away from you, then bringing them back in with your elbows pointing out)
10 arm rows as you walk (keeping your elbows tucked in while you pull imaginary oars back and forth)
10 knee bends as you walk
Watch a video clip of the warm-up routine
Strength workout
10 pull-ups
Flexibility workout
Cool down
Podcast 2
We have made some of the podcast 1 exercises a bit more challenging and increased the length of your workout.
Duration: 36:31
Warm up
check your posture
5 shoulder rolls as you walk
10 chest presses as you walk
10 arm rows as you walk
10 knee bends as you walk
Strength workout
10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 deep squats
Flexibility workout
thigh stretches
calf stretches
seated hamstring stretches
chest stretches
upper back stretches
Cool down
Podcast 3
We have added some new moves and increased the difficulty level of some of the podcast 2 exercises.
Duration: 35:32
Warm up
check your posture
5 shoulder rolls as you walk
10 chest presses as you walk
10 arm rows as you walk
10 knee bends as you walk
Strength workout
10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 wide squats
Flexibility workout
thigh stretches
calf stretches
seated hamstring stretches
chest stretches
upper back stretches
tricep stretches
Cool down
Podcast 4
We have introduced some new exercises and stepped up the intensity and length of your workout.
Duration: 45:12
Warm up
check your posture
5 shoulder rolls as you walk
10 chest presses as you walk
10 arm rows as you walk
10 knee bends as you walk
Strength workout
10 sit-to-stands
10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 wide squats
10 bench dips
Flexibility workout
thigh stretches
calf stretches
seated hamstring stretches – deeper stretch
chest stretches
upper back stretches
tricep stretches
Cool down
Podcast 5
For the last podcast in this series, we have made some of the podcast 4 exercises more challenging.
Duration: 43:32
Warm up
check your posture
5 shoulder rolls as you walk
10 chest presses as you walk
10 arm rows as you walk
10 knee bends as you walk
Strength workout
10 standing press-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 pull-ups – option to increase difficulty
10 wide squats
10 bench dips
10 wide pull-ups
Flexibility workout
thigh stretches
calf stretches – deeper stretch
seated hamstring stretches – deeper stretch
chest stretches
upper back stretches
tricep stretches
Cool down
Page last reviewed: Tue Apr 2019 Next review due: Sat Apr 2022
