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August 21, 2023 3 Comments
Ladies, whether your goal is to build muscle, lose weight, or simply get stronger, the absolute best way to achieve your desired results is to follow a workout plan.
Following a workout split will provide your training with structure, which ensures you never walk into the gym without specific exercises, targeted muscles, and goals for reps and sets in mind. It also sets you up to successfully progressive overload, which is essential for building muscle.
If you've never lifted before, you may have some preconceived notions surrounding women and weight lifting. Some common misconceptions include the idea that resistance training is better for men, lifting heavy will make you too bulky, and that men and women should train the exact same way.
The truth is that there are differences between men and women and training styles and programs might slightly differ, but at the end of the day, resistance training is beneficial for EVERYONE. The principle of progressive overload doesn’t care if you’re male or female.
With that in mind, let's get into the very best workout splits for women. I've highlighted multiple options, so you can find the one best suited to your goals, schedule, and time available. Let's go, ladies!
Table of Contents:
Workout splits are defined as how and when you're training every week. The criteria that determine your workout split include how many days per week you will workout, what muscles you're training each day, and the type of exercises you perform each training session.
Regardless of the workout split you choose, the answers to the questions below will narrow down your best options:
After answering these FITT principle questions, you'll better understand the best workout split for you as a woman. If you're looking to progress in your fitness journey, it's best to organize and plan your training so that you can put yourself in a position to achieve your set goals.
Having a set workout split enables you to train more efficiently and effectively. The primary benefits of following a workout split are:
After you've narrowed in on a workout split that suits your goals and schedule, then you can break down your gym sessions into the exercises that relate to your chosen split. For example, if you decide to do a push-pull workout split, you might start Monday's workout with bench press, overhead press, and triceps pushdowns.
Not having a workout split is similar to walking into a supermarket without knowing what you need. You buy many things and get home only to realize you forgot that essential item. You have something to eat but not precisely what you needed or wanted.
Workout routines for both men and women are essential for any training program that expects results.
Here are the most popular workout splits, although there are others out there.
Workout Split |
Description |
Frequency (Days per Week) |
Full Body Split |
Work muscles throughout the body |
2-4 |
Upper Lower Split |
Separate workouts by upper and lower body |
2-6 |
Push-Pull Split |
Separate workouts based on pushing or pulling |
2-6 |
Push-Pull Leg Split |
Separate workouts by pushing, pulling, and legs |
3 or 6 |
Bro/Classic Bodybuilding Split |
Separate workouts by specific body parts |
5 |
We will cover the best 3 of these 5 workout splits for women. As you may have guessed, the bro split probably isn't an excellent choice for most women (and most men*). The other routine that we won't go into detail about is the push-pull leg split, as we think most women are suited better to the first 3 workout splits listed above.
Now that we covered some of the differences between men and women in response to resistance training, we will go over the three best workout splits for women.
A full-body workout split isn't exactly a split, as you aren't splitting anything, you are training your full body. The routine will involve you training muscles in both your upper and lower body during the same session.
With full-body workouts, you'll use mostly compound exercises that cover all the muscles in the body instead of working each body part separately. The goal here is to work the entire body in a regular workout session that doesn't take excessive time.
Your schedule will dictate how many days a week you create your full body workout routine around. 3-day full-body workout plans are probably the most common. However, it's manageable to do a 2 day or even 4-day full body plan. You'll need at least 24 hours between workout sessions so that your muscles can recover and repair. Rest days between workout sessions can also help you conserve energy so that the next time you hit the gym, the intensity level doesn't drop.
If interested in a full-body routine, check out our Ultimate Full Body Workout For Women!
Here's a look at what a weekly full-body workout split might look like:
By only working out twice a week, your workout session might have to be a bit longer to fit enough volume in to hit all the major muscle groups. Overall, you'll focus on a few core exercises and have less variety than a 3 or 4-day workout split.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Squats |
5 |
5-8 |
Bench Press |
4 |
6-10 |
Overhead Press |
3 |
10-12 |
Dumbbell Rows (each side) |
3 |
8-12 |
Captain's Chair Knee Raises |
3 |
6-12 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Deadlifts |
4 |
8-12 |
DB Arnold Press |
4 |
12-15 |
Lat Pulldowns |
3 |
6-10 |
DB Incline Press |
3 |
10-12 |
Planks |
3 |
30-60 seconds |
The major difference with the 3-day full body split is adding more variety.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Squats |
4 |
6-10 |
Overhead Press |
4 |
8-12 |
Dumbbell Rows |
3 |
8-12 |
Dips (assisted if needed*) |
3 |
8-12 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Bench Press |
4 |
6-12 |
Pull-Ups |
3 |
Max reps (assisted if needed*) |
DB Lunges (each side) |
3 |
8-12 |
Incline Crunches |
3 |
12-15 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps/Duration |
Stiff Leg Deadlifts |
4 |
6-10 |
Incline Press |
4 |
8-12 |
Hip Thrusts |
3 |
12-15 |
Planks |
3 |
As long as possible |
This 4-day full-body workout split enables you to get a more well-rounded selection of exercises at a higher volume. It's important to note that you'll want a day of rest between a workout schedule for women that targets the same muscle group every time, so plan accordingly by spreading these workouts out throughout the week.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps/Max Reps |
Standing DB Shoulder Press |
4 |
6-10 |
Hip Thrusts |
4 |
8-12 |
Pull-Ups (assisted if needed*) |
4 |
Max reps |
Dips (assisted if needed*) |
3 |
10-15 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Squats |
4 |
6-12 |
Incline DB Bench Press |
3 |
10-12 |
Seated Rows |
3 |
8-12 |
Captain's Chair Leg Raises |
3 |
8-10 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Bench Press |
4 |
6-12 |
Bent Over Barbell Row |
3 |
8-12 |
Split Squats (each side) |
3 |
8-12 |
Superset: Bicep Curl x Triceps Pushdowns |
2 |
10-20 each |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps/Duration |
Deadlifts |
4 |
6-10 |
Seated DB Overhead Press |
3 |
8-15 |
Incline Chest Fly |
3 |
10-12 |
Planks |
3 |
As long as possible |
Here are my favorite perks of following a full-body workout routine.
Take a look at the downsides of this split as well, so you have a solid understanding of its pros and cons.
The upper-lower body workout split consists of breaking your training sessions into either upper body or lower body days.
Upper Body Muscles: Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps, Biceps
Lower Body Muscles: Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Calves
The upper/lower body split is similar to the full body split in that you'll be focusing most of your effort on the larger compound movements.
Note: You can throw in some core exercises on either your upper or lower body days. Most people will do core on lower body days even though it's technically part of the upper body. This is mainly due to having fewer lower-body muscles, so you might have extra time to hit the core. However, if you're feeling adventurous, you can also do core on both!
You can run an upper-lower split from 2-6 days a week, which gives you some flexibility in arranging your training. The most common upper/lower split would be 4 days a week so that you have two upper days and two lower days.
Let's have a look at a sample 4-day upper/lower split.
Note: You have the freedom to arrange your workouts as you like regarding sets/reps, training methods like drop sets/reverse pyramid/ supersets. Remember that your workouts' foundation should include the main compound lifts followed by any accessory or isolation lifts.
Here are some of the main compound lifts that can be included in your upper/lower split:
For Upper-Body Days: Bench Press and Overhead Press, Bent Over Rows, Pull-Ups, Lat Pulldowns, DB Bench Press, Dips
For Lower-Body Days: Squats, Deadlifts, Hip Thrusts, Lunges, Stiff Leg Deadlifts, Leg press
Note: You will include both pushing and pulling exercises on your workout days. It's also important to mention that these workouts are based on gym workout routines for women; however, many can be easily adjusted so they work for women who prefer at-home workouts.
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Bench Press |
4 |
8-12 |
Overhead Press |
3 |
10-12 |
Chest Flys |
2-3 |
10-12 |
Shrugs |
3 |
10 |
Superset: Bicep Curls x Triceps Extensions |
2-3 |
8-10 each |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Squats |
4 |
6-10 |
Lunges |
2-3 |
8-12 |
Hip Thrust |
3 |
8-10 |
Leg Curls |
3 |
10-12 |
Calf Raises |
2-3 |
15-20 |
Decline Crunches |
3 |
10-20 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Bent Over DB Row |
3 |
6-10 |
Lat Pulldowns |
3 |
8-12 |
Incline DB Bench Press |
2-3 |
10-15 |
DB Shoulder Press |
2-3 |
10-12 |
Rear Delt Flys |
3 |
10-12 |
Superset: Triceps Kickbacks x Hammer Curls |
2 |
10-15 each |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Deadlifts |
4 |
6-10 |
Lateral Walks w/Bands (each side) |
2-3 |
8-12 |
Leg Press |
2-3 |
10-15 |
Stiff-Leg Deadlift |
3 |
8-12 |
Leg Extensions |
3 |
10-12 |
Captain's Chair Leg Raises |
2-3 |
As many as possible |
Ladies, here's why you'll love following an upper-lower workout split.
Looking for some exercise inspiration to get you started? These arm workouts for women and these bicep workouts for women both target the entire upper body, making them a great option for your upper body days.
Here are a few downsides to the upper-lower split.
The push-pull workout split is like a stepchild of the full-body split and upper/lower split. With the push-pull split, you will have both upper and lower body exercises within the same workout session, but the body mechanics will be the same, either pushing or pulling.
Let's take a look at what this looks like below:
Push Day Exercises:
Pulling Exercises:
Note: Core exercises can be added to either the push/pull days or both. Some compound exercises will work your core like squats and deadlifts but feel free to throw in some extra core work, maybe a few that work you through the transverse plane.
The typical push-pull split is based on 4 days, so you would have two pull day workouts and 2 pushing day workouts weekly. However, you could also do the push-pull split from 2-6 days per week; just make sure to stay balanced from week to week.
I'll provide a sample 4 day push-pull split as this is the most popular option that allows for proper training volume and rests. Please note that you can change the sequence of exercises within each of the workouts week to week.
Here's a quick breakdown of what your 4-day push-pull split will look like:
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Squats |
4-5 |
6-10 |
Bench Press |
4-5 |
6-8 |
Standing Overhead Press |
4-5 |
6-10 |
Close Grip Push-ups |
3 |
15 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Deadlifts |
3-4 |
8-10 |
DB Rows |
4-5 |
8-12 |
Lat Pulldowns |
4 |
10 |
Hip Thrusts |
3 |
8-10 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Arnold Press |
3 |
8-10 |
Incline DB Bench Press |
2-3 |
8-12 |
Leg Press |
3 |
6-10 |
Lunges (each side) |
2-3 |
10 |
Superset: DB Lateral Raises x Incline Fly |
2 |
10-15 each |
Triceps Pushdowns |
3 |
10-12 |
Exercise |
Sets |
Reps |
Seated Rows |
3 |
8-12 |
Close Grip Pull Downs |
2-3 |
6-10 |
Stiff-Leg Deadlifts |
3 |
8-12 |
Hip Thrusts |
3 |
8-12 |
Superset: Rear Delt Fly x Shrugs |
2-3 |
10-15 each |
Bicep Curl |
3 |
10-12 |
A push-pull split provides similar pros that the upper/lower and full body split gives in terms of training volume, frequency, and flexibility. In addition, a few other awesome pros include:
Here are some cons of the push-pull split to consider.
The fact is that men and women will gain muscle and strength if following a workout split that adheres to the progressive overload principle. Although men have more muscle-building hormones such as testosterone, it appears that women can grow muscle at similar rates as men and with higher relative strength, according to this meta-analysis.
On the other hand, there's another study that found untrained men and women gained muscle and strength at comparable rates.
Perhaps an oversimplification, one of the most significant differences between the genders regarding fitness is that women tend to favor more cardio and group training than men, as highlighted in this study.
Another general difference is surrounding men's and women's training goals. The majority of men have their mindset on building a solid chest, broad shoulders, wide back, and big arms, whereas women tend to favor training the core and lower body, especially the glutes and legs.
The guiding rule is the same, no matter which gender or what muscles you'd like to build, you must increase volume over time. This means lifting heavier weights and/or more reps.
With those generalizations out of the way, let's have a look at some research that might sway you to follow a best workout routine for women.
We all know women as badass, but did you know they also seem to recover faster from intense training. Here's a study where men and women participants performed low rep high-intensity bench press of up to a 5-rep max.
Then, they were tested again at resting intervals of 4-, 24-, and 48-hour time periods. Surprisingly, there were no differences in strength output from women while the men saw decreases at the 4- and 24-hour recovery sessions.
To understand how resistance training affects women with regards to frequency, intensity, muscle, and strength gain, researchers reviewed 24 studies. This meta-analysis concluded that women could tolerate a high frequency of lower-body resistance training with positive outcomes.
Training the lower body 2-4 times per week showed promising results. On the other hand, this high frequency might have diminishing returns if men were to try it.
We know that there's plenty of research that shows higher rep low-load training can lead to hypertrophy, including rep ranges over 20. This study that looks at how women respond to high load vs. low load training found that women who trained in the 6-10 rep max loads gained much more muscle than women who trained with lower loads of 20-30 reps.
More research needs to be conducted here, but this could be another difference in genders and response to resistance training.
Most people probably don't know that women are in a better position than men when it comes to adapting to increased training volume. Men can lift heavier loads in short time frames, while women can execute more strength movements for more repetitions over a longer period than men.
The critical reasons for this are that women have a faster glucose uptake than men due to more estrogen and more type 1 muscle fibers, which means they might have the advantage of completing more endurance lifting styles.
In contrast, men have higher fasting blood glucose levels to lift heavier loads for fewer reps.
For the women reading this that still have to contend with menstrual cycles, you may want to consider how you schedule your workout split.
According to this study, women may take longer to recover muscle damage due to resistance training during the menstrual cycle's luteal phase (last half). Along with that, other studies like this have suggested that it's probably beneficial to schedule your more frequent and intense training during the follicular phase (1st half) of the menstrual cycle.
To put this into practice, if you usually train 3 times per week, then you might be able to train 4 times in the follicular phase to take advantage of the quicker recovery times and more pronounced strength gains.
Looking for a summary of the most important things for women to consider and how their training should differ from men's? Look no further - you've come to the right place!
Aspect |
Differences Between Women and Men |
Muscle Mass and Strength Gains (Short Term) |
Women show greater gains than men, particularly in upper body strength for young women. |
Strength and Muscle Gains |
Women tend to achieve slightly more gains in strength and muscle compared to men. |
Recovery Times |
Women generally experience shorter recovery times. |
Reps at Lower Percentage of 1RM |
Women can perform more repetitions at a lower percentage of their 1 Repetition Maximum (1RM). |
Response to Higher Loads in Mid-Rep Ranges |
Women seem to respond better to higher loads in mid-repetition ranges. |
Adjustment for Menstrual Cycles |
Women need to adjust workout splits to accommodate menstrual cycles, possibly increasing workload in the first half of the cycle. |
Below are two general rules that can help you create a workout split that will yield results.
Your end goals will determine how many reps and intensity level you do per exercise:
Total weekly volume: 10-20 total sets per week per muscle group (*working sets, not including any warmups).
Any remaining questions on the best workout plans for women? Let's answer them here!
If you can only fit 2 workout sessions into your weekly schedule, the best bet would be the full body split. You can hit the major muscle groups with decent volume to stay in shape and make a little progress by doing a full body routine twice a week.
The best 3 day split for women would probably be the full-body split once again. If you're able to hit a full-body workout three times a week, you can burn some serious calories while toning and shaping your muscle.
The best 4 day split for women is the upper lower or push-pull split. Using either of these splits enables you to get adequate training volume to achieve your goals at a faster rate.
The best 5 day split for women is the upper-lower split. We think this might be great for women who want to get an extra lower body workout weekly to build and shape the more popular feminine body parts.
The best 6 day workout plan for women is the upper lower or the push-pull split. If you have the energy, schedule, and motivation that allows you to get to the gym 6 days a week, then you can't go wrong with either of these splits. You will have at least 24 hours of rest between sessions that target the same muscles. Quality sleep and proper diet become even more important if you're working out this much.
In addition, as research shows that an emphasis on regular exercise can help prevent breast cancer, a 6-day split is a great way to ensure you're getting in enough weekly activity.
Often, we tend to overcomplicate the process of staying in shape. However, there are a few basic tenets to follow if you want to stay lean and avoid falling into the trap of becoming part of the discouraging statistics.
Here are a few steps you should take if you want to stay or become healthy.
To all the women out there, whichever workout routine you choose, it all comes down to your effort, technique, diet, and sleep for you to see actual progress. It's also essential that you pick a split that is best suited to your goals and lifestyle.
Nothing worth it in life comes easy, so if you're a newcomer to fitness or you've been working out for a while without seeing results, try out one of the 3 best workout splits for women above. With some hard work and focus on progressive overload, you'll be building serious muscle in no time!
Looking for more great routines, ladies? Check out the Best Workout Programs For Women! Interested in learning more about the science behind muscle building? Head to our article on How To Build Muscle For Women Explained.
Prepare to maximize your gains with our exclusive 12-week hypertrophy training program. Choose between a 4 or 5 day training split and gain 2-12 pounds of muscle over 90 days...
August 04, 2023
Hi @MICHELLE! So happy to hear you are getting into weight lifting! You can definitely go for walks on your off days. It’s good for your body to get movement every day – even on rest days! Just keep it more of a low intensity on rest days so you aren’t overdoing it.
August 04, 2023
This was so helpful. I know nothing about weightlifting, however, I been trying to get into it for the past month. I started going to the gym a month ago, but I feel like I’m not sure if I’m doing things right. After reading this I plan to do the full body 3 day workout. I was wondering, if it’s ok to go on mile walks on my rest days, or should I rest my body completely?
January 28, 2022
G’day team- feedback for the author (who wasn’t listed)
Good article thanks. A lot of the exercise names went over my head- in my defence I’m a gym loather (prefer outdoor exercise and full body weight stuff eg rock climbing running etc). Had to stay fit for both my life and also my job.
But I’ve got an Exercise Physiologist supervising 2 × 30min gym sesh a week doing weight “stuff”. (Diamond bar deadlifts is about the only words I remember.) Too many injuries and rehab required to be unsupervised. I do treadmill HIIT afterwards- 2 × 30min. I also do pilates with a physiotherapist 1hr a week and it hurts a LOT (could double for the Rock if he wasn’t glow in the dark whitefella). I like my EP’s gym because there are old guys who prop their walking sticks against equipment to do their exercises. It’s very different to the gyms I’ve used in the past…
We talk about technical stuff like the articles you’ve linked. And I ask about changing things up- right now we’re looking at high reps instead of the 3 × 10 stuff. Mostly because I can’t count and keep going until told to stop.
Thank you so much for the more technical references. I can ask now about other training ideas. (And sound knowledgeable- until they realise it’s from your blog hahaha!)
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