In this article, we will take you through the perfect women's fitness plan tailored for beginners like you. Whether you have just signed up for a gym membership or are just starting your fitness journey, this guide can help you.
We designed this seven-day workout plan just for you. The daily training schedule is as follows:
- Monday: Cardio
- Tuesday: lower body exercise
- Wednesday: upper body exercise
- Thursday: Active rest and recovery
- Friday: lower body exercise
- Saturday: upper body exercise
- Sunday: Rest and recovery
Monday Workout: Cardio
Start the first day of your week with cardio. Choose any cardio equipment (such as a treadmill or elliptical machine) and try doing it for 20 to 25 minutes, or whatever you think you can do at the beginning. Start slow and then gradually adjust the incline, resistance, and speed as you can handle more with time.
Tuesday Workout: Lower Body Gym Routines for Beginners
On the second day of your workout plan, you can start working on your lower body area. To get the most out of your workout and reduce your risk of injury, it's important to warm up before you begin. We recommend riding a stationary bike for a few minutes to warm up your muscles, swing your legs a few times, and rotate your ankles and knees to get you ready for the workout ahead.
If you don't know how to perform any of the movements below, it doesn't hurt to ask your trainer for help. A trainer can help you exercise safely and effectively so that your time in the gym is productive (and worthwhile). After warming up, start with the following exercise.
Box Squat: 3 Sets of 10-20 Reps
- First, sit until you touch a bench or box. After that, return to the starting position.
- Make sure to keep your abdominal muscles tight during movement.
- Remember, your knees should be in line with your toes.
Stationary Lunge: 3 Rounds of 10-20 Reps on Each Side
- Find your preferred lunge position and bend your knees until your back knee almost touches the floor. Then return to the starting position.
- Keep your feet in a straight line. Your knees should be over your toes.
- Your abdominal muscles should be tight and your chest up during the movement.
If one leg is stronger than the other, do this exercise with the weaker leg first, then repeat the same number of times as the other leg.
Calf Raise: 3 Rounds of 10-20 Reps
- First, stand with your feet hip-to-shoulder apart, knees soft.
- Now, stand on your tiptoes and slowly lower yourself down.
Glute Bridge: 3 Rounds of 10-20 Repetitions
- Lie on your back on the floor, bend your knees, and tighten your abdominal muscles.
- Now, squeeze your glutes and lift your hips toward the ceiling, then return to the starting position.
Movement should come from the buttocks, not the hips. Now, walk for five minutes at a gradually slowing pace to improve blood flow and lower your heart rate. Stretch your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps (the large muscles on the front of your thighs), and glutes for 20 to 30 seconds each.
Wednesday Workout: Upper Body Gym Routines for Beginners
To maintain balance, give your upper body muscle groups some love. Here are some upper-body exercises.
Lat Pulldown
The Lat Pull Machine is a powerful device for strengthening your back and shoulders.
Master the lat pulldown machine safely:
- Adjust the seat height so that your thighs have space under your support pad.
- Now, sit in the seat and make sure your thighs are supported.
- Remember to grip the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Train your back muscles by lowering the bar to chin height.
- Now, slowly release the bar and return to the starting position.
- Prioritize controlled movements and correct form.
High Plank
Also, planks are important for stability and protection of the spine.
- First, start with a table position to train your core muscles.
- Now, lower your elbows and make sure they are slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Extend your legs behind you and rest them on your forearms and toes.
- Make sure to maintain a straight line from head to heels and focus on a strong core.
- Inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly through closed teeth improves core activation.
Dumbbell Chest Press
- First, lie down on a flat bench. Now hold a dumbbell in each hand.
- Remember, your upper arm and forearm should have a 90-degree angle.
- Move your elbows away from your chest so they are in line with your shoulders. Rotate your wrists so your palms are facing forward (away from your face).
- To exhale, use your chest muscles to push the dumbbells up.
- Once your arms are fully extended, take a moment to tense your chest muscles.
- Now, hold this position, then slowly lower the dumbbells.
The goal is to make it take longer to lower the weight than to lift it.
Thursday Workout: Active Rest and Recovery
When you lift weights, your muscles get a bit banged up. This leaves them feeling achy and sore afterward. But don't worry - this is actually a good thing! It means tiny tears form in your muscles that will heal back even stronger than before.
Your body needs time to recover between sessions, though. If you don't rest, you could get injured, or your muscles won't improve as much. On active rest days, keep it light. Go for a walk or do some light stretches to loosen things up if you're not too sore. This feels good on tired muscles.
Taking a break between sessions lets your body repair itself so you can power through your next workout stronger than the last. Listen to your body - if it's really achy, taking a complete rest day is best. Recovery is just as important as exercise for seeing results.
Friday Workout: Lower Body
On Friday, you need to repeat the lower-body workout exercise again. The follow-up exercises are box squats, stationary lunges, calf rise, Glute bridge, etc.
Saturday Workout: Upper body
On Saturday, you will repeat all the upper body exercises we discussed above. These exercises include Lat Pulldown, high plank, and dumbbell chest presses.
Sunday Workout: Rest and Recovery
This is the day to celebrate all your efforts from the week! It's also important to let your muscles fully relax and recover. Try some gentle yoga or stretching. This feels good on tired muscles and prevents them from getting too tight. Listen to what feels good - stretching may be enough, or your body might need full rest. It's fine to take complete downtime, too. Curling up with a book or catching up on your favorite show are great low-key options.
Advice from a professional fitness coach
It's always important to have some tips when starting something new. Here are some expert tips to keep in mind:
- Learn Proper Form - Spend time practicing form for each exercise to avoid injury. Have a trainer to check your form or watch instructional videos. The proper form is especially important when using free weights.
- Start Light and Slowly Increase Weight - Don't try to lift too heavy too soon. Begin with a lightweight to learn proper movement patterns. Gradually increase weights over multiple workout sessions as your strength improves.
- Focus on Compound Exercises - Squats, presses, rows, and lunges work multiple muscle groups at once for efficient results. Compound movements are great for building full-body strength.
- Mix Cardio into Your Routine - Add 30 minutes of cardio 3x a week to support strength gains and improve overall health. Options include a treadmill, an elliptical, cycling, or a stair climber.
- Allow for Proper Warm Up and Cool Down - Dynamic stretches before and static stretches after workouts help you perform exercises safely and prevent muscle soreness. Warm up with 5-10 minutes of light cardio or calisthenics.
- Rest and Recover Between Sets - Give your muscles adequate time to recover between weightlifting sets, usually 1-2 minutes. This allows for better gains and prevents burning out too quickly.
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Stay Hydrated - Drink water before, during, and after your workouts to stay properly hydrated and aid your body's response to exercise. Dehydration hinders performance.
Be Consistent - Aim for 3-5 workouts per week, but don't push too hard too fast. - Consistency is key to seeing results. Learn to listen to your body for adequate recovery.
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Record Your Progress - Tracking weights, reps, sets, and exercises allows you to see improvements over time, stay motivated, and progressively overload your routine.
We hope you have picked up some helpful tips that will gradually go towards building your strength foundations from today's article. Please pay attention to what your body is signaling and be patient - a steady transition in which you constantly push your limits bit by bit is a safe and effective way of realizing progress. Finally, rely on your mental strength as well by pushing through your self-doubt about your ability to gain strength.
