You walk into the gym and you see that same old visual. Girls on the treadmills. Guys over on the deadlifts. You don’t really want to be grunting and screaming as you power lift 400 pounds, yet you also don’t really want to just walk around on a treadmill for an hour. Here are the best gym workout routines for women….
There has to be something in the middle, right?
Well thankfully, there is!
We have a few great workouts for women, each depending on what you’re looking to accomplish. So whether you want to drop weight, build up that killer booty or just tone up around the entire body, we’ve got the best gym workout routines for women.
Diet Tips For Women
Before we get into the best workout routines, we want to dig into the diet. We’re not going to tell you what diet to use right here.
However, you do need to focus on your diet in addition to workout out.
You’ll never see abs if you don’t fine-tune your diet, because as the saying goes: your abs are made in the kitchen. Alright, so that’s not entirely true. You’re perfect and strengthen your abs through workouts, but you shed the fat and show off your abs through diet.
So drink plenty of water (at least eight glasses of eight ounces) a day, cut the sugar and fats and focus on lean proteins, non-processed grains (100% whole wheat), veggies and fruit. Supplements like Bio Complete 3 are amazing for women’s bodies and can aid in a workout routine.
This, combined with your workouts, will begin to improve your overall physique in no time.
Perhaps you’re not really sure what kind of workout you want or what would be best for you? Maybe you’ve just gone with the flow but never really focused on one type of workout over another. If you have specific goals keep reading on.
However, we’ve got some tips for you for what to workout based on your body type.
Do you have a pear shape?
If so, you know your booty gets more of the attention. With this body type, you’ll want to really focus on your shoulders and your arms. Plus, getting generally tighter will help turn the pear into an hourglass.
If you have very few curves you’ll want to target your glutes and thighs. This booty centric workout will not only help lift your butt and strengthen your legs, but it will help give you a bit more curve in the midsection.
If you have an athletic body type your shoulders are broader and your hips are narrower. You’ll want to tighten the core muscles while focusing on your booty to give it a bit more shape.
Perhaps you have more of an hourglass or curvy figure. When this happens you’ll want to work your entire body and add some tone and shape to your arms and legs. This will help tighten everything and emphasize your curves.
These are just some general guidelines for what you might want to focus on while working out. We highly recommend a full body workout as it will prevent one area of the body from over developing and another area of the body under developing. However you decide to move forward though, always keep your current body shape in mind (Mayo Clinic, 2018).
Booty and Legs Workout
If you want to strengthen and target your butt, you’re going to need weight. Here’s how to have a big booty and tone up your legs.
Even if you want to go lighter on weight for your upper body, going heavier with your legs is totally fine. If you have a body where curves or a larger butt is not your strong suit, you’ll want to go heavier as this will help break down the muscle fibers.
As your muscle fibers rebuild, it will help strengthen and increase the size of your butt. What’s great about the lower body is because the muscles are larger, you can put more weight on it and increase the size faster.
Each of these following lifts performs four sets of eight to 12 reps unless otherwise noted:
- Leg press
- Barbell squat
- Barbell deadlift
- Seated leg curl
- Bulgarian split squat (4 sets of each side)
- Side leg raises (3 sets of 20-30 reps each side)
- Weighted glutebridge (3 sets of 20-25 reps)
- Jump squat (3 sets 20-25 reps)
This booty, leg and hamstring heavy workout are perfect for when you want to increase the strength and/or size of your butt. If you want to simply tone, go lighter on the weights. If you want to increase size, increase the weight.
If you can push out more than the 12 reps, your weight is too low (International Osteoporosis Foundation, 2017).
Chest and Back
If you have the straight figure, you’ll want to add some curve not only to your butt and legs but to your shoulders, chest, and back.
You want to do the same if you have a pear shape. As with the other cases, if you want to simply tone, go with lighter weights. If you want to increase size, go for heavier weights. Also, some of these lifts you can either do on the floor or on a bench (like the chest press).
We highly recommend always using a bench. You’ll get a greater range of motion and you’ll increase your stretch. When you lower the weights down, this works your back. If you do the lift on the floor you won’t have this kind of range of motion, which cheats your back muscles. So even if you’re looking to tone, try to use a bench when available.
The following lifts you’ll want to perform three sets of eight to 12 reps unless otherwise noted.
- Chest press
- Chest fly
- Pullover
- Shoulder press
- Bent over row
- Pushups (3 sets of as many as you can do with 60 seconds rest in between)
Have you noticed sagging in your breasts?
Perhaps after nursing or maybe you’ve just looked in the mirror and your breasts are just not as perky as they use to be. An upper body chest workout routine is just what you need. Workout out your pectoral muscles will help give your chest added support while lifting the muscle. It will also help reduce some of the fatty tissue buildup (as you burn more calories), but of which will aid in lifting your breasts naturally.
So you’ll not only look great but you’ll save on those costly cosmetic procedures as well (The Strength Clinic, 2016).
Hitting Those Abs
If someone tells you they spend 30 minutes a day on as they are doing it wrong.
There’s no reason at all to spend this much time on abs. If you’re really hitting your muscles you can get it in eight to 12 minutes. You can check out YouTube for some great ab workout videos (remember, if it’s longer than 12 minutes, it’s not worth your time).
Here’s a little ab workout you can do to tighten your core though.
And here’s the deal. Don’t shoot for a set number. Go 45 seconds at a time, then take 15-second breaks. You’ll get these nine moves done in nine minutes, will feel the burn and will have your abs all done for the day.
- Crunches
- Bicycle crunches
- Leg Lifts
- Toe touches
- Crunch claps
- Elbow to knee touches
- Mountain climbers
- Dynamic plank
- Side V-up (30 seconds each side, no break in between)
Being A Cardio Bunny
Always, always, always do weight workouts. You’ll never achieve your fitness goals if you don’t bring in weights. Resistance training is a must, even if you don’t want to build muscle. You’ll burn calories working out, boost your metabolism and your body will burn further calories as it repairs your muscles. It’s a triple win. But you’ll also need cardio to sprinkle in.
What kind of cardio should you do?
We’ve got a few tips.
First, ditch the static running. If you like to jog, we’re not going to stop you. It’s a great way to burn off stress. However, if you’re at the gym and you have a set time frame for cardio, skip the treadmill and go for something different. A stair stepper is a great machine that is like walking uphill non stop. If you want to build that booty this is a good one. If you’re looking to tighten and tone your upper body, check out the rowing machine.
This is one of the best cardio workout machines out there.
We also like cardio routines that bring in a medicine ball. Jumping jacks are fine, but a jumping jack with a medicine ball is even better. Pilates is a nice option as well as it often brings in medicine balls and subtle weight usage.
As for yoga, well here’s the down low on yoga. We love it. It’s great for stretching out the body, improving posture and fixing some of those kinks in the spine. But it’s not cardio. It’ll never be cardio. So if you like and enjoy yoga, by all means, continue on, and if you haven’t tried it before give it a whirl. However, don’t swap it in for your cardio. There’s a reason stretching is part of the warmup of other workouts and not the actual workout.
Frequency Of Your Workouts Being A Chick
Your frequency is going to depend a bit on how heavy you’re lifting. If you’re lifting heavy and really challenging yourself, you’ll want two days in between hitting the same muscles. If you’re going lighter but to stay tuned, you can go every other day.
So, for example. If you’re lifting heavy, start Monday off with your primary lifts (if you’re looking to increase your booty size, start with legs, but if you want to increase your chest or shoulders, start with this on Monday. You can alternate if you want an all-around body workout).
Primary is on Monday.
The secondary is on Tuesday. Take Wednesday off from weights. Thursday is Primary, Friday is secondary, take Saturday off, then begin the next week on Sunday.
If you’re not going heavy with the weights, then go every other day and don’t take Wednesday off from weights.
You’ll want to put in cardio every day. Focus on about 30 minutes during your on days and 60 minutes on the off days. Now, if you just did a leg based workout, you don’t want to add a leg based cardio workout, as this prevents your muscles from recovering. So if you did legs, go for the rowing machine. If you did arms, go to the stair stepper or another lower leg option.
As for your abs, try to do this every day (or at least every day you’re doing weights). Because abs are core muscles you use these every day and it doesn’t take as long to recover. This way, you can really blast your abs every day to see faster results.
A Little Something on Those Workout By Number Workouts
Chances are, you’ve seen people post what we call workout by numbers on Facebook, Instagram or so on.
Basically, it a “do 50 squats, do 20 push ups, do 20 lunges” workout.
Sounds alright, doesn’t it?
It’s right to the point.
But here’s the problem with those workouts. It might start off difficult, but after a few weeks, you’ll blow through the workout in a snap and you won’t be challenging yourself at all. Your body will be used to the workout and you’re done in no time. It really doesn’t help your body out if you’re not challenging yourself.
You’ll need to continually increase your numbers, which will just increase your workout time. That is not a great way to achieve your goals. It’s far better to increase resistance than to just do the same, mindless workout, over and over.
So it might sound challenging, but in a few weeks, it won’t be (WebMD, 2018).
Conclusion
These are a handful of the very best gym workout routines for women. Feel free to tinker and adjust to help it fit your personal needs. What’s important is you push yourself and strive for your very best.
Because when you strive for perfection, you’ll continue to make yourself better and better. In no time, you’ll look into the mirror and see not only a brand new you, but a fully confident new you as well.
-Terry Asher
If you’re a person who has a lot of assignments to complete and deadlines are approaching lightning fast, contact studycrumb and get the most effective solutions.
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Terry Asher
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After changing his best friend’s life by helping him lose over 70lbs, dropping him down to an amazing 7% body fat, Terry was inspired to be a full-time internet trainer knowing he could do the same for many more. In 2010, Terry published his own diet and fitness e-book that can be purchased on this website. Let Terry help you change your body for the better!
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FAQs
What is the 15 15 15 workout plan? ›
Speaking to InStyle, she shared that her go-to workout is what she has coined the '15-15-15 method': a straightforward 15 minutes on a bike, followed by 15 minutes on a cross trainer and 15 minutes on a treadmill.
What is the most effective gym routine? ›If you want to work out five days per week and are working on both strength and cardiovascular fitness, try three days of strength training, two days of cardio, and two days of active rest. If you want to work out four days a week, think about your goals: If you want to add muscle, cut a cardio day.
How should women start working out at the gym? ›- Seated leg press (10 reps x 3 sets)
- Seated shoulder press (10 reps x 3 sets)
- Close grip lat pulldown (10 reps x 3 sets)
- Bodyweight lunges (10 reps x 3 sets)
- Full/kneeling press ups (10 reps x 3 sets)
- Plank (30 secs x 3)
- Leg raises (10 reps x 3 sets)
Generally, aim to do either : 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio activity at least five days per week (150 minutes per week) at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity three days per week (75 minutes per week)
How can a woman tone up in the gym fast? ›- Heavy weights, restricting you to about 10 reps per set.
- Rest no more than 60 seconds between sets.
- Focus on compound lifts.
- Use both high- and low-intensity interval training.
The 12-3-30 workout is pretty straightforward: You set a treadmill to a 12-percent incline and 3.0 speed and walk for 30 minutes. “I found 12 incline, 3 speed, for 30 minutes on a treadmill was easy enough for me to do frequently but still challenging enough for me to feel accomplished after,” Giraldo said.
What is a 30 20 workout? ›It's a form of interval training that boosts your metabolism, increases your speed, and burns fat! Try a 30-20-10 Workout: Warm-up for 5 minutes. Go easy for 30 seconds (low), faster for 20 seconds (medium), then fast as you can for 10 seconds (high) Repeat 4 times.
What is the number 1 best exercise? ›1. Walking. Any exercise program should include cardiovascular exercise, which strengthens the heart and burns calories. And walking is something you can do anywhere, anytime, with no equipment other than a good pair of shoes.
Is gym 3 times a week enough? ›Experts recommend exercising at least three times a week to maintain good health. Many people choose to workout more than the minimum recommended number of days, but busy people should not feel guilty for exercising only three days a week.
What is a good 7 day workout schedule? ›- Day 1: Chest.
- Day 2: Back and core.
- Day 3: Rest.
- Day 4: Shoulders and traps.
- Day 5: Legs.
- Day 6: Arms.
- Day 7: Rest.
What women should not do at the gym? ›
- 1 - Hats.
- 2 - Not wiping down the equipment.
- 3 - Weight hoarding.
- 4 - Bad technique.
- 5 - Turning up in a group.
- 6 - Phones.
- 7 - Drinking energy drinks while walking on the treadmill.
- 8 - Trying to lift too much.
- Yogurt and fruit.
- Peanut butter sandwich.
- Low-fat chocolate milk and pretzels.
- Post-workout recovery smoothie.
- Turkey on whole-grain bread with vegetables.
Wholegrain Bread, sweet potato, and brown rice are great sources of complex carbohydrates that should be consumed around 2-3 hours before the gym. Combining these foods with a good source of protein means you'll get a good source of slow-releasing energy to fuel you throughout a whole workout.
Is Daily 1 hour gym enough? ›According to a study published in the American Journal of Physiology, 30 minutes of daily exercise is just as effective for losing weight as 60 minutes.
Is 1 hour gym a day enough? ›Is one hour in the gym enough to get fit? When it comes to building strength, an hour-long session is more than adequate for both beginners and intermediates. It will allow you time for a 5-10 minute warm-up, 40-45 minutes of weight training and 5-10 minutes of cooling down and stretching.
What time is good for gym? ›Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., your body temperature is at its highest. This may mean you'll be exercising during the window of time your body is most ready, potentially making it the most effective time of day to work out.
How long does it take to get toned as a woman? ›Depending on the intensity and the consistency of your workout, it will take 4 to 8 weeks for your muscles to get toned.
How long does it take for a woman to become toned? ›“At 6 to 8 weeks, you can definitely notice some changes,” said Logie, “and in 3 to 4 months you can do a pretty good overhaul to your health and fitness.” Strength-specific results take about the same amount of time.
How long does it take to see results in gym for a girl? ›Building muscle won't happen overnight, but consistent strength training combined with balanced nutrition, you can start to see results in up to 12 weeks.
What is the 80/20 workout rule? ›The 80/20 what? Simply put, the 80/20 rule of running training states that 80% of your weekly training time should be done at an easy effort level, with 20% consisting of harder running. The distinction between easy and hard is based on the athlete's ventilatory 'threshold'.
What is the 80/20 fitness rule? ›
In order to see results at the gym, lose weight or even maintain overall health, we're told that it's an 80/20 balance. Meaning 80% of your results comes from the food you eat, and only 20% of your results come from your workouts.
What does 3 * 10 mean in a gym? ›It means you do the exercise 10 times and then rest (for allotted time) and repeat 3 times.
What does 30 * 3 mean in exercise? ›The 3 x 30 routine stands for: 30 seconds of exercise. 30 seconds of stretching or rest. 30 minutes total, preferably in the morning so you get it done.
How many calories do you burn on the 12-3-30? ›Bassett estimated a person who weighed 150 pounds would burn 283 calories per “12, 3, 30” workout. In comparison, walking at that speed for 30 minutes without the incline would burn 113 calories, he said.
How many times a week should you do 12/3 30? ›So, depending on your fitness level (and whether this workout is moderate or high intensity for you), doing the 12-3-30 treadmill routine about 3 to 5 times per week meets those benchmarks, Metzl says.
What is a 30 60 90 interval training routine? ›The 30-60-90 interval training workout consists of three sets with three intervals. The first set includes three intervals of 30 seconds, followed by three intervals of 60 seconds and three intervals of 90 seconds. After each interval, rest for the length of the interval.
What is a dirty 30 workout? ›Dirty 30 consists of just four exercises, adding reps with each round to challenge you where you are in the moment. Complete three exercises with an increasing rep count for two minutes, then hold an isometric exercise for 60 seconds. After seven rounds, watch out for the 90 second burner to end the class!
Is exercising 20 minutes a day enough? ›As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight, maintain weight loss or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Reducing sitting time is important, too.
Is there 1 exercise that works the whole body? ›The burpee is the ultimate strength-boosting full-body exercise. Burpees help you scorch fat, rev up your metabolism and get you conditioned like no other exercise.
Which exercise is best for belly fat? ›- Walking, especially at a quick pace.
- Running.
- Biking.
- Rowing.
- Swimming.
- Cycling.
- Group fitness classes.
Which workout gives fastest results? ›
Weighted movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses are some of the most efficient calorie-burning exercises because they work multiple muscle groups at once.
How long should a gym session be? ›The ideal workout duration can vary significantly depending on the person, their goals, their preferences, and the exercise type. For weightlifting and bodyweight strength training, 45–60 minutes per session may suffice. Meanwhile, cardiovascular and calisthenic training may be better if performed for 30–60 minutes.
Will I see gym results in 3 months? ›After three months, you'll start to see more of a significant improvement in strength and endurance along with a noticeable improvement in resting heart rate, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and other health indicators.
How long will it take to see results from gym? ›Within three to six months, an individual can see a 25 to 100% improvement in their muscular fitness – providing a regular resistance program is followed. Most of the early gains in strength are the result of the neuromuscular connections learning how to produce movement.
What is the best workout order? ›- Exercises for bigger muscles should come before exercises for smaller muscles. Examples: Chest or back before shoulders, biceps or triceps. ...
- Compound exercises should come before isolation exercises. ...
- Free weight/body weight exercises should come before machines.
...
Example for advanced lifters
- Day 1: chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms.
- Day 2: calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes.
- Day 3: biceps, back, abdominals, traps, lats.
- Day 1: Chest and triceps.
- Day 2: Back and biceps.
- Day 3: Rest.
- Day 4: Shoulders and traps.
- Day 5: Arms.
- Day 6: Rest.
- Day 7: Legs.
- Day 8: Chest and triceps.
- Leg Extension Machine. Why People Do Them: It seems like a safe and effective way to build those quadriceps muscles. ...
- Sit-ups. ...
- Behind the Neck Lat Pulldowns or Barbell Presses. ...
- Round backed deadlifts. ...
- Smith Machine Squats.
Women have no need to fear training their chest. Your chest is a major muscle group and should be trained as often as every other muscle group in your body if you want it to become stronger and more toned.
What should you drink during a workout? ›Water is truly the best choice for most types of day-to-day workouts. It will be absorbed quickly and provide the fluid needed to keep your blood pumping, and it will replace fluid losses from sweat during exercise.
What is good to drink after a workout? ›
Drink at least 16 ounces of water or healthy drinks, such as coconut water, green or black tea, and chocolate milk. Or you can choose a low-sugar sports drink. These drinks contain electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, that can prevent and relieve muscle cramping.
Is it OK to workout on an empty stomach? ›Exercising in a fasted state may burn some quick body fat, but it's not the best option for your body in the long-run. Eat a small snack or meal before and after your workout to ensure that you're properly fueled to perform your best in the gym and recover quickly when you get home.
Can I eat 2 bananas before workout? ›To maximize performance during your workout, eating a banana 30–60 minutes prior to a workout may be most beneficial. Meanwhile, eating 1–2 bananas in combination with other carb sources can aid recovery after a workout or during a longer one ( 1 , 3 , 4 ).
What should be daily routine in gym? ›- The 30–Minute Fitness Blitz. 1/16. Think you don't have time to work out? ...
- Beginner Squats: For Thighs. 2/16. ...
- Squats: For Thighs. 3/16. ...
- Forward Lunge: For Thighs. 4/16. ...
- Deadlift: For Hamstrings. 5/16. ...
- Bridge: For Glutes. 6/16. ...
- Push-Ups: For Chest and Core. 7/16. ...
- Chest Press: For the Chest. 8/16.
- Lunges. Challenging your balance is an essential part of a well-rounded exercise routine. ...
- Pushups. Drop and give me 20! ...
- Squats. ...
- Standing overhead dumbbell presses. ...
- Dumbbell rows. ...
- Single-leg deadlifts. ...
- Burpees. ...
- Side planks.
Their guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes three days a week. Additionally, you should do strength training twice a week.
How many hours a week should a woman work out? ›For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends these exercise guidelines: Aerobic activity. Get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week, or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity.
How do I find the right gym routine? ›- Select a workout routine that's designed for your experience level. ...
- Be clear about your goals. ...
- Think about your lifestyle and select a workout that fits. ...
- Choose a workout routine you know you'll be able to stick with for the full duration. ...
- Know your body type before selecting a workout plan.
- Monday: Upper-body strength training (45 to 60 minutes) ...
- Tuesday: Lower-body strength training (30 to 60 minutes) ...
- Wednesday: Low-impact activity (30 to 60)
- Thursday: HIIT (20 minutes)
- Friday: Total-body strength training (30 to 60 minutes) ...
- Saturday: Steady-state cardio.
- Sunday: Rest.
Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., your body temperature is at its highest. This may mean you'll be exercising during the window of time your body is most ready, potentially making it the most effective time of day to work out.
How long does it take for a woman to see results from working out? ›
Muscle fitness – expect to see small changes in the first few weeks. Within three to six months, an individual can see a 25 to 100% improvement in their muscular fitness – providing a regular resistance program is followed.
How often should a woman train legs? ›Generally, it's recommended to train your legs three times a week, with each workout lasting 15 to 20 minutes and targeting different parts of the legs in each routine. For instance, a good plan would be to work on calves one day, thighs the next and then hips during the final session.
When should you not workout? ›Don't exercise if your signs and symptoms are "below the neck," such as chest congestion, a hacking cough or upset stomach. Don't exercise with people if you have COVID-19 or other contagious illnesses. Don't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches.
How many reps and sets should I do to tone and lose weight? ›- For fat loss: One to 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps using enough weight that you can only complete the desired reps.
- To gain muscle: Three or more sets of 6 to 8 reps to fatigue. ...
- For health and endurance: One to 3 sets of 12 to 16 reps using enough weight that you can only complete the desired reps.