Gym Workout Routines for Women for Beginners

There’s no need to be intimidated if you’re new to the gym or exercise, because you’ll start out at a low intensity and volume and then gradually bump it up as your body adapts. A beginning workout regimen for women should include cardio to burn calories and develop the cardiorespiratory system, and strength training to build lean muscle and bone density. In addition, regular bouts of static stretching should be incorporated to improve and maintain flexibility.

Workout Regimen
Women just starting out should shoot for three cardio workouts and two strength-training sessions per week. Schedule your cardio sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and your strength-training workouts on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This schedule allows time for your muscles to heal and recover between sessions. At the end of each of your five weekly workouts, fit in a 10- to 15-minute static stretching routine.

Cardio Workouts
Doing cardio at the gym offers an array of different types of workouts, so you can try them out and select the one you enjoy the most. Most gyms offer treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, stair climbers and rowers. Each cardio machine allows you to begin at a low intensity or speed. Women older than 40, who see natural decreases in bone density because of hormonal changes, would do best to incorporate the machines that involve being on their feet, such as the treadmill, elliptical machines and stair climbers, as they will help to promote bone growth. Begin with 15-minute workouts, gradually increasing the duration as your cardiorespiratory system develops.

Strength Sessions
Although women naturally possess lower levels of muscle-building hormones, strength training is beneficial because it effectively increases lean muscle, which in turn will speed up your metabolic rate and support a healthy body composition. In addition, it helps to build bone density. A full-body workout regimen for beginners includes the chest press, shoulder press, back rows, leg press, leg extensions, leg curls and crunches. The American Council on Exercise recommends that beginners perform one set of eight to 12 reps of each exercise. Take your time and use a light weight until you’re comfortable with the technique of each exercise. Once you’ve mastered the techniques, use a weight that will make completing eight to 12 reps challenging.

Flexibility Work
Because of long hours that working women sit throughout the day, their hamstrings, glutes and lower back can become tight. Regular bouts of static stretching will make a significant impact on your flexibility, which in turn will reduce muscle tension, improve posture and reduce your risk of injury. Performing stretching at the end of each workout is ideal because your muscles are already warm. Static stretching involves getting into a position where your muscles are elongated and then holding that position for 15 to 30 seconds.

Daily Workout Routines to Gain Muscle Without a Gym

Building muscle doesn't have to just take place in the gym -- any form of resistance training can be beneficial for building muscle. While you may never reach the level of elite weightlifter or world-class bodybuilder when training at home, you can build enough muscle mass to improve your physique, increase your strength and boost your metabolism.

Workout Routine
Most people are familiar with basic body-weight exercises such as pushups, squats and crunches, so the temptation can be to perform these every day. However, muscles need rest to help them grow and can take around 48 hours to recover after exercise, according to the American Council on Exercise. Avoid the same muscle groups on consecutive days,as it can lead to burn out and won't help you build muscle. Opt instead to work your upper-body one day and your lower-body the next.

Upper-Body Training
Base your upper-body workouts around two exercises -- pushups and chinups. Pushups may seem basic, but there are lots of variations you can perform. If regular pushups are too easy, try pushups with a resistance band around your back, elevated pushups with your feet on a bench, or one-legged and one-armed variations, advises Eric Cressey, owner of Cressey Performance in Boston. Alternatively, go for knee pushups if you can't do body-weight ones yet. You can buy a door frame chinup bar from most sporting goods stores and perform narrow grip, neutral grip or wide grip chinups. Attach a band round the bar, place your knees in the loop and perform assisted chinups if you're not too confident with body-weight reps yet.




Lower-Body Training
The body-weight squat is your first port of call -- perform all reps going as low as you can while keeping your feet on the floor and your back straight. Once you can perform 10 perfect reps, try slowing down the tempo or jumping at the top. Lunges are slightly tougher than squats as they work each leg individually, which brings in an element of balance and coordination. Lunge forward, backward or to either side. These are both quadriceps-dominant movements, so to work your hamstrings, add in glute bridge raises, where you lie on the floor and lift your hips as high as you can, either with one or two feet on the floor. You can add core exercises such as planks, reverse crunches and rollouts to your lower-body sessions, too.

Considerations
Pick four or five exercises each session. Perform all your exercises for three sets of six to 12 reps with one to two minutes rest between sets, advise the American College of Sports Medicine. Once 12 reps becomes too easy, switch to a more challenging exercise variation. To add variety and extra muscular stimulation to your program, consider purchasing a set of adjustable dumbbells, a kettlebell or some more resistance bands. Building muscle also requires an increased caloric intake, so increase the amount you're eating, particularly from protein and carbohydrate-dense foods until you're gaining around 1/2 a pound each week. You also need rest, so take one full day of rest each week to give your muscles time to repair and recover.