5-Day Workout Routine for Women to Get Strong and Toned

We are way past the dogma that a toned body is only meant for men. It is common seeing women working out in the gym and doing squats, benching, or deadlifting.

Workout plan for women today includes heavy weightlifting, women have demonstrated their power of determination.

If you rewind a couple of decades, you would have hardly seen any women hitting the gym or doing workouts. The gym rooms were filled with men with buffed bodies, and the gym routine for women was limited to cardio workout sessions.

Why? Because it was believed that a heavy workout schedule for women would turn them into, she-hulk.

However, as time went by, it was observed that weight lifting does not add up unusual bulk, but is useful to build strength and tone the body. Adopting this new fitness routine helped many women understand that workouts assisted in getting leaner, shapelier, and curvier bodies.

Gym workouts for women are different compared to that of men. And to get a strong and toned body, one needs to stick to an effective workout plan. This write-up will elucidate 5-day workout plans to help women become stronger and get their bodies into proper shape.

Warming up

When you resolve to start working out, remember that the first and one of the most vital things is to warm up before anything. Warming up helps your muscles stretch and hence makes them elastic. ^[1]

It also makes you more flexible and mobile.

Your muscle fibers experience immense movement during workout sessions, and if you start without preparing your muscles for it, you increase the chance of muscle rupture or tear. A proper warmup session is a must for everyone who decides to hit the gym or work out at home.

Another advantage of warmup is that it helps to escalate your core body temperature. This would help to improve your athletic performance during the workouts.

The body also experiences better circulation due to warmups, so your body can get more oxygen and nutrients while working out. It also means that you will experience increased energy levels while training.

But what exactly should constitute a warmup for women? Here is a sample warmup routine for you to consider.

Sample Warm-up Routine

To make the workout sessions more effective, focus on the warmup. Your warmup session should consist of these exercises and movements:

• One minute of knee lifts
• One minute of heel digs
• Two sets of 10 shoulder rolls for each arm
• Ten knee bends
• Twenty head rotations
• Ten hip rotations

5-Day Workout Routine for Women

Now that you have understood how important warmup is and what exercises should be included in a perfect warmup let us move to the ultimate 5day workout routine for women. You can expect to see visible results and changes in your body every week if you follow this routine with dedication.

The workout routine is effective since it increases calorie expenditure and builds lean and strong muscles. In the process, the stubborn body fat starts to melt away.

Monday: Chest and Arms

• Flat-bench barbell press – four sets of 8 reps
• Push-ups – four sets of 10 reps
• Cable-crossovers – three sets of 15 reps
• Incline dumbbell-flyes – four sets of 12 reps
• Barbell biceps-curls – three sets of 15 reps
• Alternate arm-hammer curls – four sets of 12 reps for each arm
• Triceps rope-overhead extensions – three sets of 20 reps
• Triceps-dips – three sets of 15 reps
• Ten minutes on the elliptical-machine

Tuesday: Shoulders and Back

• Standing barbell military-press – four sets of 10 reps
• Dumbbell lateral-raises – four sets of 15 reps
• EZ-bar upright-rows – three sets of 15 reps
• Seated-dumbbell shoulder-press – four sets of 10 reps
• Dumbbell-shrugs – four sets of 10 reps
• Close-grip lat-pulldowns – four sets of 12 reps
• Dumbbell bent-over-rows – four sets of 12 reps for each arm
• T-Bar rows – four sets of 10 reps
• Ten minutes on the stationary bike

Wednesday: Cardio Circuit

• 10 burpees
• 10 push ups
• 15 crunches
• 20 squat thrusts
• Three sets of 10 hanging leg-raises
• 3 time one-minute rounds of plank
• Twenty minutes low-intensity cardio on the treadmill

Thursday: Strength Day

• Incline dumbbell-press – Five sets of 5 reps
• Flat bench-barbell-press – five sets of 5 reps
• Deadlifts – five sets of 5 reps
• Barbell clean and press – five sets of 5 reps
• Barbell bent-over-rows – five sets of 5 reps
• Barbell-snatch – five sets of 5 reps
• Ten minutes on the stationary bike

Friday: Legs

• Barbell-squats – four sets of 8 reps
• Leg-press machine – three sets of 12 reps
• Leg-extensions – three sets of 15 reps
• Hamstring-curls – three sets of 15 reps
• Walking-lunges – four sets of 10 reps per leg
• Seated or standing-calf-raises – four sets of 20 reps for each leg
• Ten minutes on the elliptical-machine

Diet and Nutrition

Ask any gym aficionado with a well-toned body, and they will tell you that a workout routine contributes only to half of what they achieve. They would attribute proper diet and nutrition to the results equally.

If you don’t eat right but do a rigorous workout, it would not result in a well-toned body but rather make you ill.

Moreover, you will never be able to see the desired results if you are not balancing your workouts with adequate nutrition. A bad diet and good exercise will reap no benefit.

Remember that the gym routine for women mentioned in this write-up would only help you achieve a toned and strong body if you eat right. Otherwise, you can expect zero effective results with it.

That is why we will share with you several diets and nutritional secrets that women should include in their fitness regimen.

Tips to Give Out Great Results With Your Fitness Plan

Here are some tips that are tried and tested and will help give out great results with your fitness plans:

1. Drink Enough Water

Our body composition reflects a significant amount of water (about 80%). Water is an important component that allows us to perform all the functions or physiological processes.

For women, the consumption of water during workouts is even more significant. Without sufficient water intake, you risk dehydrating yourself, resulting in something more serious. Therefore, the first rule is to drink enough water during exercise sessions.

Everyone tends to sweat during the workouts, which means that the body experiences loss of vital electrolytes with sweat.

If you keep your body hydrated, these electrolytes are easily replaced with new ones, which would result in higher energy levels. The aim should be to drink a minimum of 2.5 liters of mineral or filtered water per day while following any gym program for women.

2. Get Plenty of Healthy Protein

Healthy protein is required for growing and repairing muscles. When following this 5-day fitness plan for women, you will undergo rigorous training and muscle alteration. Healthy proteins should be included in your daily routine to see effective results.

It is recommended that one consumes from 0.6 to 1 gram of protein per pound of the body’s weight for women. You must spread the consumption throughout the day evenly.

Alternatively, you can consume fish, turkey, eggs, dairy, red meat, seeds, nuts, etc., that are rich in proteins. The gym workouts for women can be very effective when balanced with healthy proteins.

3. Aid Your Workout with Good Quality Whey Protein

If you want to burn fat and form strong muscles with a toned body, investing in a superior whey protein is highly recommended. (Life Hack: 10 Best Workouts to Lose Weight and Burn Fat)).

A gym workout plan for women clubbed with whey protein intake will result in visible results at a faster pace.

If you don’t find the time to make preparations for foods that can offer requisite protein intake, then it is advisable to opt for whey protein shakes.

They are easier to make, they taste great, and they can offer 30 grams or more protein in each serving. You also benefit from consuming other nutrients required by the body while following this workout plan for women.

4. Don’t Forget Your Veggies

Women’s fitness workout plan can be very effective when complemented with green vegetable consumption. It would help you digest food easily and offer rich vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that you would need for effective workout sessions.

Try Busy Yet Fit Program by Life Hack if you would like a tailor-made structured program that balances well with any gym workout routine for women. ^[2]

The Bottom Line

As a woman, reaching your desired fitness goals can be very easy these days. All you would need is =dedication and an effective workout schedule for women.

The 5-day workout routine for women to get strong and toned is aimed at helping them reach their fitness target most efficiently. Remember to focus on warmups, proper fluid intake, and consumption of proteins and greens while following this fitness regimen, and you will start seeing results in no time.

Besides workout routine for women, I’ve also created a guide for men: Ultimate Workout Routine for Men (Tailored for Different Fitness Level)

Featured photo credit: ŞULE MAKAROĞLU via unsplash.com