We all know that weight loss happens when you burn more calories than you consume. While this statement is true, it also leads to a common misconception, especially among females. They think excessive training and cardio work are the only ways to burn calories. In contrast, the most optimal workout plans for women combine cardio (aerobic exercises) with strength training (non-aerobic exercises).
Moreover, you don’t need to think that cardio means running relentlessly on the treadmill for hours. There are many ways to make it more enjoyable and less stressful. In this post, we’ll cover the different workout plans for women so you get to understand how to burn fat effectively.
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The Correct Structure of Workout Plan for Women to Lose Weight
A correctly structured workout plan for women helps gain strength, improve posture, and reduce the risk of injury. It also gives you better sleep and energizes you. When you combine your training with a controlled diet, weight loss happens naturally.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults should get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity every week in addition to two days of strengthening activities.
So, at the most basic level, your workout plan should have two strength training days and two cardio days. Cardio can be low-intensity or high-intensity based on your fitness level. So, an ideal week of workouts will look as follows:
- Monday – Strength training (lower body)
- Tuesday – Cardio
- Wednesday – Rest day
- Thursday – Strength training (upper body)
- Friday – Moderate or high-intensity cardio
- Saturday – Rest day
- Sunday – Moderate or low-intensity cardio
The workout structure above will make you stronger and leaner at the same time. Strength training will build and preserve your muscle mass, while cardio will burn calories and enable you to stay within the recommended calorie range for weight loss.
Best Exercises for Strength Training Days
After learning the importance of the right workout structure, it’s time to choose the right exercises. Women often feel confused when it comes to exercise primarily because of the huge variety.
But here’s a simple rule. Your upper and lower body strength training days should include compound and isolation movements.
- Compound exercises work several muscles at once. Exercises like squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, and bench presses target many areas of the body. These exercises help you gain strength and lose weight.
- Isolation exercises a single or smaller muscle group. It can be your calves, triceps, biceps, or quad. Isolation movements correct muscle imbalances and improve the definition of your body. Some examples of isolation exercises include bicep curls, skull crushers, tricep kickbacks, lateral raises, and calf raises.
A Week of Workouts for Women to Lose Weight
Here is what a week of workout should look like when trying to lose fat and build muscle as a female.
Monday – Strength Training (Lower Body)
Do four sets of 10 reps of the following exercises. After every exercise, take 30 to 60 seconds of rest, according to your fitness level.
- Back squats
- Hip thrusts
- Walking luges
- Deadlifts
- Seated calf raise
- Crunches
Tuesday – Cardio
You can perform 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio or an hour of low-intensity cardio. Moderate-intensity exercise gets your heart rate 50% – 60% higher than your resting heart rate. Some examples of such exercises include:
- Walking two miles in half an hour (30 minutes)
- Biking five miles in half an hour
- Swimming laps for around 20 minutes
- Jump rope for 15 minutes.
- Walking up and down the stairs for 15 minutes
Low-intensity cardio exercises keep your heart rate at least 50% – 65% of its maximum capacity. Some examples of exercises include:
- Walking at a casual pace
- Light jog
- Cycling at a casual pace
- Pilates session
- Lifting weights slowly
Wednesday – Rest Day
Rest day, also called active recovery day, is when you don’t involve yourself in any physical activity. You can walk lightly or do some stretches so your muscles recover properly.
Thursday – Strength Training (Upper Body)
Do four sets of 10 reps of the upper body exercises below. After every exercise, take 30 seconds of rest, according to your fitness level.
- Bench press
- Seated rows
- Dumbbell overhead press
- Pull-ups
- Bicep curls with dumbbells or a barbell
- Tricep extension
Friday – Moderate or High-Intensity Cardio
If you are a beginner just starting out your weight loss journey, you can have a moderate-intensity cardio session as described above. But if your fitness level permits and you feel ready to challenge yourself, engage in some high-intensity cardio exercises.
A high-intensity cardio session speeds up fat loss by burning many calories in a short amount of time. Studies confirm its effectiveness in improving body composition when paired with proper nutrition.
Some efficient high-intensity exercises to include in your training are given below:
- Box jumps
- Burpees
- Fast jump rope
- Jumping lunges
- High knees
Saturday – Rest Day
Do not involve yourself in any strength or cardiovascular exercises today. Do light stretches or yoga to facilitate muscle recovery.
Sunday – Moderate or Low-Intensity Cardio
Repeat the cardio done on Tuesday. Pick any low-intensity exercise of your choice and do it for at least 30 minutes.
Must Read: 7 Best Dumbbell Quad Exercises to Build Your Legs
How Do You Change Up Your Workout Plan?
Workout plans for women to lose weight and gain muscle are usually carried on for four to six weeks. After this period, it’s essential to change the structure of the workout to avoid hitting a plateau. The body adapts to a specific routine and becomes more efficient. As a result, your muscles don’t need to work very hard, which shows in your progress.
So, to avoid such a scenario, you should switch your workout plan. You can change the exercises or increase the reps or the load. It keeps challenging your body, preventing the chances of stalled progress. Here are some proven methods to change workout plans for women.
Use the 6-12-25 Workout Method.
The 6-12-25 workout method consists of five days of training and one day of conditioning. The numbers 6-12-25 show the repetitions in each set. So, if it’s an upper body day, you do this workout method as follows:
- Six reps of a compound move, such as bench press. Use the heaviest weight you can lift for just six reps.
- Twelve reps of an accessory move that complements the compound exercise done before, such as overhead press-up.
- Twenty-five reps of an isolation move that is done with the lightest weight, such as a chest fly.
Here’s a basic full-body 6-12-25 workout session you can try.
Chest
- Six reps of bench press
- 12 reps of press-ups
- 25 reps of incline dumbbell flies
Legs
- Six reps of back squats
- 12 reps of Bulgarian split squats
- 25 reps of seated leg-extensions
Back
- Six reps of deadlifts
- 12 reps of bent-over rows
- 25 reps of wide-grip pull-downs.
4-2-1 Workout Method
Another one of the effective workout plans for women is the 4-2-1 workout method. It consists of four strength workouts every week, two cardio sessions, and one mobility day. In this plan, you have two days of lower-body strength training and two days of upper-body strength training. Here’s a sample routine.
- Monday – Lower body (focus on compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and lunges)
- Tuesday – Upper body (focus on compound lifts like bench press, shoulder press, and rows)
- Wednesday – Steady state cardio for at least 30 to 45 minutes
- Thursday – Lower body
- Friday – Upper body
- Saturday – Steady state or moderate-intensity cardio
- Sunday – Rest
Use EMOM and AMRAP Exercises in Your Workout
When your fitness level goes up, and your body craves a change, challenge yourself with EMOM and AMRAP exercises.
EMOM means ‘Every Minute on the Minute.’ In an EMOM workout for 10 minutes, you assign even numbers for an exercise, such as squats, and then odd numbers for another exercise, such as pushups). So, you are alternating every exercise for a specific minute each time until the clock or the timer stops.
AMRAP means ‘As Many Reps as Possible.’ In this method, you set your timer for 15 minutes and do as many rounds of a series of exercises for that time as possible.
Read Also:- 7 Exercises to Do Everyday At Home
The Importance of Right Nutrition for Women’s Weight Loss
Workout plans for women are only effective when paired with a proper diet. If the goal is to lose weight, you need to eat slightly more calories than how much you burn through exercise. However, this does not mean staying hungry or eating the bare minimum.
Your focus should be on consuming more protein and complex carbohydrates to keep yourself feeling full for longer. This means food items like beans, tempeh, tofu, soy, nuts, seeds, and whole grains like oatmeal and quinoa. Vegetables and fruits should also be a prominent part of your diet.
When you clean your diet and eat healthily, you naturally lose weight without counting calories all the time. Over time, you understand when you are overeating and when you should stop.
You can also supplement your diet with protein powder, multivitamins, and fat-burning supplements from reputable brands. Additionally, get at least seven hours of sleep every day. This will balance your hormones and keep you energetic so you can perform optimally during workouts.
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Conclusion
Now, you have all the information you need to get started on your fitness journey. The workout plans for women post will help strengthen and define their bodies. It is important to switch your routine after every 1.5 months to keep your body challenged. Also, focus on moves that work several muscles at once. Don’t feel shy about lifting heavy weights as you get stronger. It will build lean muscle and boost your metabolism, so you achieve the desired aesthetics.
