Beginners are well served by almost any sensible program. In the first months, the difference between a good plan and an excellent one is small; the difference between a plan you follow and one you abandon is enormous. That should take some pressure off choosing.
What follows is a short list of what a first program genuinely needs, and an equally important list of what it can safely leave out.
What it needs
Movement patterns, not body parts. Cover a squat (goblet squat, leg press), a hinge (Romanian deadlift, hip thrust), a push (push-up, dumbbell press), a pull (row, pulldown), and something you carry or brace with (farmer carry, plank). That covers most of the body with five or six exercises.
Frequency of about twice a week per pattern. Two or three full-body sessions a week does this neatly. Each session can be 45–60 minutes including a warm-up.
A progression rule decided in advance. For example: two to three sets of 8–12 reps; when you hit 12 on every set, add the smallest load available—often 5 lb for dumbbells, 5–10 lb for a barbell lower-body lift.
What it doesn't need
Variety. Rotating exercises every week feels productive but makes progress impossible to measure. Keep the same main exercises for at least eight weeks.
Maximum effort. Training to complete failure on every set is not necessary and makes technique harder to learn. Most sets should end with a couple of good reps still in the tank.
Long sessions, specialist equipment or supplements. A set of adjustable dumbbells and a bench can run a perfectly good first program.
A sample week
Monday and Thursday, the same session: goblet squat 3 x 8–12, dumbbell bench press 3 x 8–12, Romanian deadlift 3 x 8–12, one-arm dumbbell row 3 x 8–12 each side, farmer carry 3 x 30–40 yards. Rest roughly 90 seconds to two minutes between sets.
This is an example, not a prescription. Swap any exercise for one you can do comfortably with good control. The structure matters more than the specific choices.
What to do this week
Choose two fixed days. Write down five or six exercises covering the patterns above. Start with loads that feel moderate—you should finish each set feeling you could have done two or three more reps. Record every set.
Then resist the urge to change anything for eight weeks. The program will feel repetitive by week four. That is the program working.