Best Workout Plans for Women

Finding the ideal workout plan can be a pretty frustrating experience for women. There are so many different types of workout programs plastered all over the internet that it can be extremely confusing - and frustrating - trying to figure out which plan to follow.

The reality is that there is no standard plan that is ideal for all women. Every woman is unique and everyone has their own training goals. In this article, our aim is to provide some guidance so that you can find the best workout plan to meet your training style, goals, and situation.

The first step in identifying the best workout plan for you is to ask yourself some questions about what you want to achieve and what your situation allows. Consider your answers to the following:

1. What is your number one workout goal; fat loss, muscle gain, strength improvement, cardiovascular endurance, or something else?
2. How many days do you work out right now; how many days will work for you going forward?
3. How much time can you realistically deviate to each training session?
4. Are you wanting to train at home or at the gym?
5. What type of workout do you prefer and most enjoy? Ultimately, that is what you are most likely to stick to.

Once you have answers to these questions, you will have narrowed down your options considerably. Let’s now take a look at the best workout plans for women to achieve different goals.

Many women build their workouts around certain parts of the body that they want to prioritize, such as their butt or abs. This is often because they don’t understand that you cannot spot reduce body fat. So doing endless reps of crunches or leg raises is not going to give you a six-pack. A far better idea is to train the whole body in one workout. [1]

The healthiest, and most productive way to exercise is to work all of the main muscles of your body. Doing so promotes equal muscle and strength development and helps you burn more calories for fat loss.

A full-body workout involves doing compound exercises that work more than one exercise together. In total, you perform 7 or 8 exercises for 3 or 4 sets per exercise. This is typically done 3 times per week on alternate days.

Here is an example of a full body workout for women:

• Squats: 3 sets of 15/12/10 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 12 reps
• Deadlift: 3 x 12 reps
• Military Press: 3 x 10
• Tricep Pressdowns: 3 x 12
• Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3 x 12

And here is how a weekly workout would look …

For many women, the glutes and thighs are the areas that they want to focus on in their training. These are the areas that fat naturally accumulates on the female body. The following workout allows you to target these trouble spots while also maintaining balance with the rest of the body.

• Bulgarian Split Squats: 3 x 15 reps
• Reverse Lunges: 2 x 12 reps
• Glute Bridge: 3 x 15 reps
• Cable Kickback: 2 x 12 reps
• Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 12
• Lat Pulldown: 3 x 15
• Tricep Pushdowns: 2 x 15

This workout should be done 2-3 times per week. Here’s how to program this workout into your weekly schedule while also including calorie burning exercise to trim off excess weight in your problems areas:

Here’s a workout plan you should try:

A full body circuit routine combines resistance exercises to work your muscles with cardio exercises to get your heart beating faster and burn calories. You order the exercises so as to alternate back and forth between a strength and a cardio movement. You move through the whole circuit with no rest and then take a two-minute break before repeating it. This has proven to be a very effective way to shred calories while also stimulating your muscles.

Here is a sample circuit routine that is very effective:

• Dumbbell squat: 15 reps
• Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds
• Lunges: 12 reps (each leg)
• High Knees: 30 seconds
• Dumbbell Bench Press: 15 reps
• Burpees: 30 seconds
• Kettlebell Swing: 12 reps
• Butt Kicks: 30 seconds

Circuit training requires that you are able to move directly from one exercise to the next. This can be tricky when the gym is busy. To do it you will have to carve out a little area where you have the gear you need. If you are working out at home, you will find it easier to do this type of workout because you won’t have to fight for space or equipment.

HIIT stands for high intensity interval training. A HIIT workout is hard and fast, ramping up the intensity with short bursts of max-effort work followed by even shorter rest periods.This is a very effective way to train for fat loss because it brings on the enhanced post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) effect for several hours after the workout. This is due to a greater demand for oxygen, which boosts your metabolism.

You need a base level of fitness to be able to handle HIIT training. You can use a wide range of exercises as the basis of the workout, with the most common being running on a treadmill (or on a field), using an exercise cycle, or a rowing machine, But it can also be done with bodyweight exercises such as burpees.

Here is a sample HIIT workout that targets the traditional female problem areas of the hips and butt:

• 3-degree incline treadmill: 2-minute warm-up at slowly building speed
• 20 seconds: treadmill sprint at Level 10
• 10 seconds rest (throw legs to the sides of the running belt)
• Repeat for 8 rounds
• 2-minute warm down

You should do this workout no more than three times per week, with at least a day between workouts.

If your goal is to bodybuild or develop a lean, muscular physique, split routine training is the way to go. This involves dividing the body up so that certain body parts are worked together on different days. There are a lot of different ways to divide up your body parts. One of the most effective and a very popular option for many female trainers is Push/Pull/Legs.

With a Push/Pull/Legs program you train your upper body push muscles the first day, the pulling muscles the next day and legs on the third day. You have the option of training each muscle group once or twice per week, depending on your experience level and circumstances.

Here is what a Push/Pull/Legs plan might look like:

Muscles worked: chest, triceps, shoulders

• Bench Press: 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
• Incline Flyes: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Lying Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Tricep Pushdowns: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Overhead Shoulder Press: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Cable side Laterals: 3 sets of 12 reps

Muscles worked: back, trapezius, biceps

• Lat Pulldowns: 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
• Seated Rowing: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Cable Shrugs: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Scapular Retractions: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Alternate Dumbbell Curls: 3 sets of 15/12/10 reps
• Cable Curls:3 sets of 12 reps

Muscle worked: Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings, Calves

• Squats: 4 sets of 15, 12, 10, 8 reps
• Lunges: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Straight Legged Deadlifts: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Seated Leg Curls: 3 sets of 12 reps
• Leg Press Calf Raises: 3 sets of 20 reps

Here is how a split routine could work over a week …

You now have access to the four best workout plans for women based on specific training goals. If you’re still not sure which one is the best fit for you, why not give each workout a trial for a month to discover which one provides the best results and feels right for your training personality and situation. That’s the one to stick with over the long term.