The Best Gym Workouts for Women
Going to the gym is an effective way for women to improve strength, endurance, confidence, and general health. Workout goals vary: toning muscles, losing weight, and improving performance. Regardless of your fitness goal, the perfect combination of gym workouts allows for maximum results effectively and safely. The following guide shows you the best gym workouts for women in order to achieve a balance of strength, cardio, and flexibility.
1. Strength Training Workouts
Strength training is crucial for women who want to develop lean muscle, increase their metabolism, and improve their bone density. There is a common misconception that lifting weights will make women "bulky," but lifting weights will only help you sculpt and tone, not bulk.
Key Exercises:
• Squats - all-around great exercise for legs, glutes, and core.
• Deadlifts - great exercise for building lower body strength and adding stability.
• Dumbbell Press - great exercise for developing strength in your chest, shoulders, and arms.
• Lat Pulldowns - targets the back and improves posture.
• Hip Thrusts - developed for targeting glute activation and toning.
Pro Tip: When lifting weights, aim for 2 - 3 sessions a week, then, gradually increase your weight by following proper form.
2. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
HIIT involves short bursts of activity with periods of rest, making it an effective way to build endurance and burn calories in a short period of time.
An example of a HIIT circuit (repeat 3-4 times):
• 30 sec treadmill sprints
• 30 sec rest
• 30 sec kettlebell swing
• 30 sec rest
• 30 sec of burpees
• 30 sec rest
Benefits: HIIT is effective for burning fat, improving cardiovascular health, and helps to elevate your metabolism long after the exercise has finished.
3. Functional Training
Functional training is exercise that mimics the movements we utilize every day and helps a little bit with balance, coordination, and flexibility.
Here's a short list of functional exercises we recommend for women:
• Medicine ball slams
• Battle ropes
• Kettlebell deadlifts
• TRX rows
Functional training allows for muscular capacity for mobility, as well as strength, that is used in everyday function.
4. Core and stability training
Core strength is important for posture, balance, and reducing injuries while also understanding the potential of "sometimes good" exercise of practicing stability trainers for a lean and toned appearance.
Some great core exercises are:
• Planks, plank variations (front, sides, rear)
• Russian twists
• Leg lifts (raises)
• Stability ball rollouts
You can also pick up your core and stability training with things such as juggling!
5. Cardio Machine for Endurance
Although cardio is not the most effective way to build muscle, it is still an important factor for heart health, endurance and calorie burning, and there are a variety of different ways to use cardio machines. Rather than staying on the treadmill or the bike for an hour in a row, try choosing different cardio machines and levels of intensity.
Below are some examples of cardio machines to try:
• Rowing machine - Great full body cardio
• Elliptical - A low impact option that is easier on the joints
• Stair climber - Great workout to work the glutes and quads
• Spinning bike - Good for leg endurance but burns quitting a bit of calories
6. Flexibility and Recovery
Every workout should end with stretching, and utilizing some proper mobility work. Specifically, flexibility training may help reduce soreness, decreases the risk of injury and can help performance.
Examples of good flexibility work include:
• Yoga or Pilates classes
• Dynamic stretches before a workout
• Static stretches after you train
• Foam rolling for recovery of your muscles
Final Thoughts
The best gym workouts for women contain strength, cardio, core training and flexibility. If you create a balanced workout plan, which has all four of these components into it, you will get more results and enjoyment long term. Remember, consistency is key - start with workouts you can manage, make sure you are focused on your body mechanics and then gradually increase the intensity.
Every woman's body will be different and her goals will be different, so you will need to make adjustments to your workouts as needed, or get advice from a trainer who can help you develop a tailored program.
0 Comments