Are You Overdoing the Cardio?

Yes, running, cycling, and hitting the elliptical can certainly help you reach your fitness goals, especially for weight loss or endurance. But if you’re skipping weight-lifting exercises, you might be missing a crucial component of a well-rounded fitness routine. A strength training routine for women is not just optional; it’s essential!

Why Strength Training is Important

Strength training builds a foundation of muscle that aids in overall fitness and health. It’s not just about aesthetics; the benefits extend far beyond how you look.

The Benefits of Strength Training

Sticking solely to cardio workouts can lead to plateaus where you fail to see progress. According to Holly Perkins, C.S.C.S., founder of Women’s Strength Nation, integrating strength training into your routine helps enhance your metabolism long after your workouts have concluded. As you increase muscle mass, your body burns more calories, even at rest.

Moreover, strength training protects against injuries. The stronger your muscles, the better your support for joints, ensuring you maintain good form and balance. And finally, many women fear that lifting weights will bulk them up. In reality, strength training will make you “strong AF” without leading to unwanted bulk.

Introducing the 4-Week Weight Training Program for Women

If you’re new to lifting weights, worry not! Holly Perkins has created a step-by-step, four-week program to guide beginners through building a solid strength training foundation. You can expect to do the same moves throughout the program, increasing their difficulty through variables like rest times and weights.

How to Implement the Program

Aim to integrate this routine twice a week, allowing at least two rest days between sessions. Cardio can still fit into your week; it’s just not the only focus you should have. Slip on your best strength training shoes for optimal stability and get ready to power up your workouts!

4-Week Breakdown

Week 1

• Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 12 reps per movement
• Rest: 30 seconds between each set

In your initial week, do the exercises as straight sets. For instance, after completing one set of leg presses, rest, and then continue. Choose a weight that challenges you; you should find the last two reps of each set demanding.

Week 2

• Sets/Reps: 3 sets of 15 reps per movement
• Rest: 15 seconds between each set

Continue with the straight-set format while increasing your rep count to 15. Reducing the rest time increases intensity, providing a great stimulus for advancing your fitness.

Week 3

• Circuit Style: Complete 1 set of each exercise, 15 reps with no rest between movements
• Rest: 1 minute between each complete circuit

This week, switch to a circuit format. For example, do one set of leg presses followed immediately by goblet squats.Once you complete the circuit, rest for one minute before repeating it two additional times.

Week 4

• Circuit Style: 4 circuits of 12 reps per movement
• Rest: No rest between circuits

Final week’s focus is to keep you active. You will complete four full circuits of the exercises with only 12 reps each, creating a seamless workout experience.

Strength Training for Women Workout 1

This workout focuses on both legs and upper body through five key exercises.

1. Leg Press

• Instructions: Using a leg press machine, place your feet on the platform slightly wider than shoulder-width. Lower by bending your knees toward your body before pushing the weight back to the starting position.

2. Goblet Squat

• Instructions: Hold a dumbbell at your chest. Stand with feet slightly wider than hips. Keep your chest up and lower your body into a squat, then rise to the starting position.

3. Seated Cable Row

• Instructions: Sit with knees bent and back straight. Grip the cable with palms facing each other, pull towards your ribcage, pause, then return to the start.

4. Lying Dumbbell Chest Fly

• Instructions: Lie back on a bench with dumbbells straight over your chest. Open arms wide to lower the weights, then bring them back together above your chest.

5. Dumbbell Hip Thrust

• Instructions: Sit in front of a bench, place your upper back against it, with a dumbbell resting on your hips. Push through your heels to lift your hips up to a straight line from shoulders to knees.

Strength Training for Women Workout 2

This routine offers a full-body workout with five exercises designed to ensure overall muscle engagement.

1. Leg Press

Repeat the leg press as it’s foundational for a solid leg workout.

2. Walking Lunges

• Instructions: Stand upright with dumbbells. Step forward into a lunge, keeping your knee bent at a right angle. Push back up and repeat with the opposite leg.

3. Dumbbell Hammer Curl

• Instructions: Sit with a dumbbell in each hand. Keep your upper arms stationary as you curl the weights towards your shoulders.

4. Lying Dumbbell Chest Fly

Repeat this vital exercise to strengthen your chest muscles.

5. Straight Bar Tricep Press

• Instructions: Using a cable machine, stand with hands on a straight bar. Bend at elbows halfway, then push back down to work your triceps.

By following this structured program, you’ll not only develop a solid strength training routine but also bolster your overall fitness. Mark your calendar — in four weeks, you’re likely to feel stronger and more capable than ever!