Today, if you got to the gym you will realize there are things have changed when it comes to weightlifting. In the gym, these days, you will find women squatting, benching and deadlifting. Weights are not for men only, women have greatly embraced weightlifting. Women were always advised against lifting weights because it was believed that it would make them add a few pounds of muscle to their frame weight. That was not true and research shows that women do not have the same hormone balance and body requirements necessary for building bulkier muscles as men have.
Resistance training can improve the shape of a woman and make her curvier and leaner. A good workout routine and good nutrition will get you in shape. We have prepared workout routines for women to get strong and toned.
Start by Warming Up
Before you get started with any training or exercise, you should warm up first. Proper warm-up before training ensures improved flexibility and mobility, and this helps reduce the risk of injury. During warm-up, you stretch your muscles and this helps increase the elasticity of the muscle fiber. The more the elasticity the less the likelihood of rip and tear during exercise.
A proper warm-up is also important because it helps increase your core body temperature and has the potential to increase your athletic performance. Blood circulation will be improved, meaning that there will be more blood flow around the body. This, therefore, ensures that the muscle cells are receiving more oxygen and nutrients. When your muscles have more energy, they will not work hard during your training.
A good warm-up routine could include the following movements and exercises:
- Knee lifts for one minute
- Heel digs for one minute
- 10 knee bends
- 10 hip rotations
- 20 head rotations
- 2 sets of 10 shoulder rolls per arm.
Weight Training and Cardio Training For Women
During weight training, you want to focus on getting a better butt, a toned body and lose belly fat. However, you should also focus on other important muscle groups in the process. Your strength should really be focused on the whole body so that you can be toned and look balanced.
Moreover, you need cardio because it helps improve oxygen supply to your muscle cells as well as help in shedding fat in order to achieve a slimmer and toned look. You should always start your cardio at a slower speed, and then increase your speed after every two minutes until you reach your desired level. Cardio is actually your warm up before weight training.
The 5 Day Workout Routine for Women to Get Strong and Toned
The workout routine for women to get strong and toned is composed of five days of training. The routine should be followed correctly in order to start seeing and feeling some improvements every week.
Before we jump into the routine you need to know that a toned body means that you have strong muscles with low body fat. That is actually what provides the tonic effect. In addition to your training, toning really depends on your nutrition.
You should lift moderate and heavy weights and have a short rest period, which allows for the burning of more fat.
In order to get fit, you will have to work your muscles effectively by doing 1- to 12 reps. This rep range helps define your muscles properly. However, when you are doing bodyweight exercises that do not necessarily require weights, you can increase the rep range.
Monday: Chest and Arms
- Push-ups – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Incline dumbbell flyes – 4 sets 12 reps
- Cable crossovers – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Alternate arm hammer curls – 4 sets 12 reps per arm
- Triceps dips – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Flat bench barbell press – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Triceps rope overhead extensions – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Chest press machine – 3 sets of 12 reps
Tuesday: Shoulder and Back
- Dumbbell lateral raises – 4 sets of 20 reps
- Dumbbell shrugs – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Dumbbell bent over rows – 4 sets of 12 reps per arm
- Close-grip lat pulldowns – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Standing barbell military press – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Seated dumbbell shoulder press – 4 sets of 12 reps
- T-Bar rows – 4 sets of 10 reps
- Pushups – 3 sets of 10 reps
Wednesday: Cardio Circuit
- Low-intensity cardio – 15-20 minutes.
- Pushups – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Wide grip lat pulldown – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Burpees – 10 reps
- Crunches – 10 reps
- Squat thrusts – 20 reps
- Plank – 3 sets of 1-minute reps
Thursday: Strength
- Flat bench barbell press – 5 sets of 5 reps
- Deadlifts – 3 sets 10 reps
- Incline dumbbell press – 3 sets of 10 reps
- Barbell bent-over rows – 5 sets of 5 reps
- Barbell clean and press – 5 sets of 5 reps
- Barbell snatch – 3 sets of 10 reps
Friday: Legs and Butt
- Leg press – 3 sets of 12 reps
- Leg extensions – 3 sets of 15 reps
- Barbell squats – 4 sets of 12 reps
- Warm up glute bridge – 3 sets of 20 reps
- Warm stationary lunges – 3 sets of 20 reps per leg
- Walking lunges – 4 set of 10 reps per leg
- 10 minutes on the elliptical machine
- Hamstring curls – 3 sets of 15 reps
The Best Diet and Nutrition to Become Strong and Toned
As much you are training hard in the gym you need to eat the right foods at the right time. Proper strength training should go hand in hand with proper diet and nutrition. If you forget about your diet and nutrition, you will not achieve the intended goal. Here are some few diet and nutrition tips that you should keep in mind.
- Stack up with healthy protein
During strength training there will be muscle exhaustion and worn-out tissues, therefore, you will need a lot of proteins for muscle growth and repair. With muscle growth and repair you will become strong and toned. You should eat around 0.6 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, evenly throughout the day. Go for lean protein that can be found in fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds.
- Plenty of veggies
You should have plenty of vegetables in your meals. Vegetables are rich in fibre that helps in digestion, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. There are plenty of vegetables that you can eat such as broccoli, spinach, carrots, cabbage and many others.
- Drink plenty of water
When it comes to any type of physical activity or exercise you need to stay hydrated always. Without enough amount of water in our bodies, we risk becoming dehydrated, which will affect your athletic performance and our overall health. Drink about 2.5 litres of water throughout the day every day.
- Get the best quality whey protein
If you wish to build muscle, burn fat and get toned, you will need to buy whey protein which is available as a supplement. You can take whey protein shakes that contain about 30m or more grams of protein per serving.
Conclusion
Today, women can be found in the weights room. The above workout routines for women can be very beneficial in getting strong and toned. These exercises will ensure that you have enough energy to go about your daily activities. You need to adopt a healthy diet that will help you achieve your desired goals.