Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Sam Coleman, Co-Founder
FACT CHECKED
Ladies need to lift, too! That’s why we’re offering this free, three-day workout for women. But this isn't just another type of "toning" workout or “aerobic workout."
This is a legitimate training program built specifically for women to build muscle and strength. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding women in the gym that can lead to inferior workouts. This article will address some of these and explain how women should train to get the best benefits.
The Truth About Women Training
Let's start by talking about training for women. There are many misconceptions about women in the weight room, and they come from all sides.
- Those who think training for women is different from men.
- Those who think training for women is exactly the same.
- And women who have false or unrealistic ideas about the effect of training.
We want to break down some false beliefs and replace them with true principles.
The General Concepts Of Training Apply To Both Men And Women
When we speak about a “woman’s workout,” it’s usually completely different from a man’s workout. In reality, there is much more in common between men and women than differences in training.
Most “differences” in other training plans are based on the assumption that women don’t want to lift weights or don’t want to lift weights. They’re also based on the myth that lifting weights will build bulky muscles. As a result, these plans generally contain aerobic or circuit training.
There's no reason that a woman needs a completely different training plan than their male counterpart. Their bodies respond to the same stimuli that result in the same general adaptations (strength, muscle growth). Therefore, the general concepts, lifts, and training methods are the same for both men and women.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with aerobics or circuit training. In fact, circuit training can be an effective method of training. However, it just plays one part of an overall training program. More importantly, it shouldn’t be portrayed as a “woman’s workout” as if they can’t lift weights.
Women Have Different Concerns And Needs
At the same time, women do have different concerns and needs that should be accounted for. Some on the other side of the issue will claim that there’s no difference between a man's and a woman’s training plan. While this is closer to the truth, there’s still some nuance.
For example:
- Women are more prone to knee injuries
- Women have weaker upper bodies
- Women have certain areas of interest, such as the glutes and thighs
- Women tend to be less keen on lifting heavy (>85-90% 1RM)
Now, we know this doesn’t apply to all women but in general. This means a women's program should be built with these in mind.
Women Won't Get Bulky From Lifting Weights
There's still a persistent myth surrounding women and training that says, " A woman will get bulky from lifting weights." While we understand the concern, it's not going to happen. Building a "bulky" body takes years and years of specific training; it doesn't happen overnight.
Plus, once you gain enough muscle, you can just stop! Muscle growth isn't like a runaway train that you can't stop.
Related: Guide to Building Muscle for Women
Losing Weight Doesn’t Mean You’ll See Abs!
One of the reasons that women do so much cardio is they want to lose weight and see their abs! Unfortunately, this won’t happen unless you have abs to see!
This can occur with men as well, but there’s an idea that if we lose enough weight, we’ll be able to see our muscles. The problem is this assumes you have muscle, but without lifting weights, you won’t! Lifting weights builds the muscle to shape the body you want. Without it, you can get stuck in an endless cycle without seeing results.
4 Reasons Why Women Must Lift Weights
Notice we used the word "must." Well, technically, you don't have to, but you'll be cutting yourself short and needlessly putting yourself at greater risk of various health conditions. Here are some of the most important reasons women should lift weights.
1. Increase Bone Strength
Life isn't always fair. It's a fact that we learn to live with. One of these is the development of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the medical term for a condition in which a person's bone loses density and strength. This results in various issues, such as joint problems and bone fractures.
Women over the age of 50 are four times more likely to develop this condition, primarily due to changes in hormones after menopause¹. Thankfully, resistance training is one of the best ways to mitigate the risk of this condition and the severity of its symptoms².
The only catch is that these need to be load-bearing, which means the force is vertically placed on the bone. For example, a squat is load-bearing, whereas a leg extension is not.
2. Mitigate the Development Of Sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is a natural degenerative condition in which a person loses muscle mass as they age. It's important to differentiate this from muscle atrophy, in which muscle loss occurs from lack of training. This can have significant consequences apart from aesthetics, including;
- Loss of balance
- Greater risk of injury
- Inability to perform basic tasks such as opening jars
- Loss of independence
Now, everyone is susceptible to developing sarcopenia as they age, and many do. In fact, men are actually at a greater risk than women. However, more interesting is that studies suggest resistance training is a strong prevention method for women (50%).
In comparison, resistance training doesn't seem to have an effect. This is likely due to 2 factors:
- Men develop a more significant amount of muscle mass
- Men have a greater drop in testosterone, which is responsible for muscle health
This is another one of those "life's not fair" deals. Either way, women who maintain an active lifestyle cut their chances in half!
3. Maintain healthy body Weight.
Body image and fat loss are obviously major topics in today's society. They affect everyone, but they tend to be more concerning for women. There are many different aspects to this, but at the end of the day, most women want to control their weight and, ideally, build an aesthetic body. To be successful, a woman needs to attack it from several angles, including nutrition and recovery.
In addition, women need to be active to maintain adequate caloric burn. Many women choose cardio exercise to burn calories which is great and absolutely plays a role. However, what's missing from many training plans is lifting weights.
Lifting weights is one of a woman's best tools for weight control and creating an aesthetic body. Unlike cardio, lifting weights builds muscle, which is necessary for a body with all the right curves. At the same time, you're still going to burn calories!
4. Increase Strength
Often, we think of lifting weights to build muscle. Of course, this is one of the goals, but an arguably more important adaptation is increasing strength. Strength and muscle growth are related, but they're different adaptations. Muscle growth refers to physical adaptations to the muscle, while strength increase is caused by improvements to the neuromuscular system or how the brain and muscle communicate.
Many people refer to muscle growth as size and strength as quality. Muscle size is for aesthetics, while muscle strength is functional. Even if you don't care about putting on more mass, being stronger is always a positive. Being stronger will;
- Prevent injuries
- Be more independent
- Improve athletic potential
- Decrease fatigue
- Increase energy level
Training Variables for this Gym Routine
Before we review the workout program, we'll outline its key variables so that you understand why you're doing what you're doing.
a) Full-Body Split
You'll use a full-body split, meaning you'll train the full body each session. We believe this is the best way to train the muscles when you have three training days. This allows us to place a lot of volume on the muscles while giving them a lot of rest.
At the same time, your sessions will be a tad longer as you’ll only be at the gym 3 days. However, we have the program set up so you’re doing super sets for about two thirds of the workout meaning you’ll get in a lot of work which will act as conditioning as well.
b) Two Primary Exercises A Day
Each session will start with two primary exercises. These will be your bigger, main compound movements, such as the deadlift, squat, and bench press. Your primary goal is to increase these, which will be your main "concern."
When you perform these, you’ll first perform 3 sets with 2:00 rest in and then one back-off set. For each of these, you’ll use 1:30-2:00 rest.
A back-off set is when you take off some weight from your heaviest working set and perform another set. To be clear, this is not a drop set in which you take off weight and immediately perform more reps. Rather, you will still rest in between.
c) Super Sets
After your two primary exercises, the Rest of your workout will contain supersets, the pairing of two exercises that train different muscles. This has a few benefits.
- Increased workload
- Decreases time
- Provides a great endurance benefit
- Improves conditioning
- Burns more calories
Usually, when people perform supersets, they’ll perform two back-to-back exercises and rest. You’re going to do it a bit differently. When you have a super set with two compound exercises (Romanian deadlift and lat-pulldown), you’re going to rest 1:00 between each exercise in a continuous cycle;
- Exercise 1
- 1:00 Rest
- Exercise 2
- 1:00 Rest
- Exercise 1
- 1:00 Rest
- and so on...
If you’re a little short on time, you can cut the rest down to 30-45 seconds.
Now, you perform a superset that pairs an exercise with a core exercise or two isolation exercises, you can use a rest of :30.
Many of the exercises are paired simply based on equipment. For example, a free weight exercise may be paired with a machine such as the Bulgarian split squat and lat pull-down. You can bring a set of dumbbells over to the lat pull-down machine and use the seat for the split squat.
Further, in this workout, the supersets are designed to allow more work while alternating muscle groups.
d) Emphasis On Glutes, Hamstrings & Core
As mentioned above, many women are concerned about their glutes, thighs, and core. Therefore, this three-day workout will favor these exercises. To be clear, this doesn’t mean your entire plan will be glutes and core. Rather, it will be heavy on the glutes and core relative to your other exercise.
At the same time, we'll give the hamstrings some more love. Strength imbalance between the quadriceps and hamstrings is believed to be one possible cause (along with others) of increased ACL injuries in women. Many women have developed quadriceps that overpower the hamstrings, so we want to increase the strength of these muscles.
Note:
While the plan will emphasize the areas above, you’ll still perform full body training. Too often, women neglect to train their upper body so this plan will be sure you do!
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Glutes
3 Day Training Workout For Women
We went over the training variables above so that you'll know why you're doing what you're doing; now it's time to get to the "what you're doing" part. Go through the plan, and then we'll go over the details.
Session 1
| Exercise | Sets and Reps |
|---|---|
| Squat Or Leg Press | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Chin-Ups | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Push-Ups + Step-Ups | 2-3 X (RPE8-9) + (20) |
| Romanian Deadlift + Standing Shoulder Press | 3 X (8-10) + (8-10) |
| Cable Pull Throughs + Walking Lunges | 3 X (8-10) + (20) |
| Cable Kickback + Cable Hip Abduction | 3 X 10-12 (Both) |
| Barbell Rollouts | 3-5 X Failure |
| Conditioning | see below |
- Chin Ups: You can use bands if needed
- Push Ups: You can perform incline push-ups if needed
Session 2
| Exercise | Sets and Reps |
|---|---|
| Bench Press | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Barbell Hip Thrust | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Bulgarian Split Squat + Lat Pull-Down | 3 X 8-10 (Both) |
| Single Leg Romanian Deadlift + Reverse Decline Crunch | 3 X 8-10 + (Failure) |
| Cable Fly + Reverse Cable Fly | 2-3 X 8-10 (Both) |
| Hammer Curl + Triceps Pushdown | 2-3 X 10-12 (Both) |
| Back Extension + Pallof Press & Twist | 3 X 8-12 (Both) |
| Conditioning | see below |
Session 3
| Exercise | Sets and Reps |
|---|---|
| Deadlift | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 X 6-8, 1 X Failure |
| Banded Goblet Squat + Kettlebell Swing | 3 X (10-12) + (20) |
| Seated Cable Row + Cable Crunch | 3 X (8-10) + (Failure) |
| Hamstring Curl + Shoulder Tap | 3 X (10-12) + 20 |
| Cable Kickback + Cable Hip Abduction | 3 X 10-12 (Both) |
| Barbell Rollouts | 3-5 X Failure |
| Conditioning | See below |
Conditioning
For conditioning, you can choose from several variables depending on what you have access to.
- Perform 5-10 sets of sled reverse pulls (holding straps with your hand) and sled push.
- Climb as many flights as possible in 5 minutes
- Run 5 X 0:45/0:15 intervals on air bike or treadmill
Alternative Conditioning
We also recommend that you partake in low intensity cardio 3-5 times a week of 30-60 minutes. This can literally be anything depending on your time frame and access and can be done at the gym, park or home. For example:
- Brisk walk
- Incline treadmill walking
- Low-intensity cycle
- Rowing
How To Read The Rep Scheme
We want to explain the rep scheme real quick.
- RPE8-9: RPE refers to rate of perceived exertion and refers to how hard an exercise feels. RPE8-9 (out of 10) means you push each set until 80-90% failure.
- (XX) + (XX): When you see parentheses, this refers to the number of reps for the exercises in a super set.
- (Both): When you see “both” in parenthesis, you will use the same rep scheme for both exercises in a super set
- Failure: “Failure” means you’ll perform a certain exercise until failure. This doesn’t need to be true failure but you have no more than one or two reps left.
- X-X: When you see (2-3) or (3-5), that means you can do the number of sets you have time for. On that note, if you’re stuck for time, you can cut down other exercises to 2 sets as well if needed.
Primary Exercises
You’ll notice that the primary exercises have you perform 3 sets of 6-8 reps then a single set to failure. This means to first perform your main sets of 6-8 reps. You’ll then perform one back off set (take off 20-30%) until failure.
Don’t stress too much about the exact weight on the back off set; just take a plate or two off and get to it!
How To Run The Program
Progressing through this program will work like any other training program; you'll use progressive overload. Progressive overload is just the term given to increasing the intensity of an exercise over time, usually by increasing the load or increasing the number of reps; you're going to use a mixture of both.
During your two primary exercises, at the beginning of each session, you will concentrate on increasing the load.
On your other exercises, you'll increase both reps and load. As you can see, each exercise has a range of reps, such as "3 X 8-10." You will use a weight until you can perform three sets of 10 reps. Once you can do that, you'll increase the load and return to using 8 reps. You'll then work until you can do 10 reps and repeat the process.
Your primary goal is to train with high intensity and try to do a little more every session. Over time, these small increases add up and result in your desired body!
This is a tough workout but you’re only in the gym 3 times a week so make it count!
Make Training Feminine And Strong Again!
There used to be a time when women were rarely seen lifting weights. They would usually be involved in aerobics or cardio training. Again, there's nothing wrong with that if that's what you like to do. However, we firmly believe all women need to weight train, and thankfully, it's becoming more common. We laid out an awesome three-day training plan to put on muscle and improve women's strength while addressing some of their unique concerns.
Related:
- 4-Day Gym Workout Routine for Women
- 5-Day Gym Workout Routine for Women
- What are the Best Splits for Women?
References:
- Alswat, K. A. (2017). Gender Disparities in Osteoporosis. Journal of Clinical Medicine Research, 9(5), 382–387. https://doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2970w
- Kitsuda, Y., Wada, T., Noma, H., Osaki, M., & Hagino, H. (2021). Impact of high-load resistance training on bone mineral density in osteoporosis and osteopenia: a meta-analysis. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism, 39(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-021-01218-1
Garett Reid
Author