Workout Summary
- Main GoalLose Fat
- Workout TypeFull Body
- Training LevelBeginner
- Program Duration10 weeks
- Days Per Week4
- Time Per Workout60-90 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBands, Barbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Exercise Ball, Machines
- Target Gender Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
When it comes to women’s specific weight training, full body workouts make a lot of sense.
For one, women seem to have an accelerated recovery rate when compared to their male counterparts. Some of which can be explained by their relative intensity levels, natural muscle distribution, favorable mobility, and hormone profile.
All that, and let’s be real for second, women are tougher than men.
Reason number two, and as a result of reason number one, the increased training frequency leads to better muscle tone, strength, and leaner physiques.
So, if that sounds like something you’re personally interested in keep reading.
Outlined below is the best full body workout program for most (healthy) women.
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Full Body Workouts for Women
Outlined below are 4 full body workouts perfect for women looking to build lean muscle, lose fat, and increase strength.
As written, the program can be performed in an every other day fashion where you rotate the workouts each day you go to the gym.
Alternatively, you can perform the workouts on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (or in a 2 days on/1 day off fashion).
Each workout is broken up into a primary workout. These are the exercises that are necessary to perform on that training day. For your rest periods, you’ll want to rest anywhere between 45-90 seconds. For larger lifts, such as squats, you may want to take the full 90 seconds.
After the primary workout on each day is an additional optional workout you can perform immediately after your primary full body workout. These additional workouts isolate the glutes, core, and arms. For your rest periods with these exercises, limit them to 30 seconds.
The reason for the two glute isolation workouts is due to the common goal among women to grow their glutes. This is best achieved through training the glutes at least 4 times per week, with two of the glute workouts being isolated-focus with higher repetitions.
Any of these additional bonus workouts can be altered in any way that best fits your own individual goals.
Women’s Full Body Workout 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 4 | 6-8 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-15 |
| Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat | 3 | 8-12 Each |
| Overhead Press | 4 | 8 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Row | 4 | 6-8 |
| Lat Pull Down | 3 | 8-12 |
Optional Additional Exercises 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperextension | 3 | 15-20 |
| Single Leg Glute Bridge | 3 | 10-15 Each |
| Mini Band Hip Thruster | 3 | 15 |
Women’s Full Body Workout 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet Squat | 3 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlift | 3 | 10-12 |
| Lateral Lunge | 3 | 12 Each |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-10 |
| (Assisted) Pull Up | 3 | Max |
| Inverted Row | 3 | Max |
Optional Additional Exercises 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 12 |
| Rope Pressdown | 3 | 12 |
| EZ Bar Curl | 3 | 12 |
| EZ Bar Overhead Extension | 3 | 12 |
Women’s Full Body Workout 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Sumo Deadlift | 4 | 6-8 |
| Hip Thrust | 4 | 6-8 |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 6-8 |
| Seated Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8-12 |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 10-12 |
| Push Up | 3 | Max |
Optional Additional Exercises 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | 3 | Max Time |
| Exercise Ball Crunch | 3 | 20 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3 | 12-15 |
Women’s Full Body Workout 4
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Plie Squat | 3 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Rear Lunge | 3 | 12-15 |
| Landmine Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 12-15 |
| T-Bar Row | 4 | 8-12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| Cable Face Pull | 3 | 15-20 |
Optional Additional Exercises 4
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Frog Pumps | 3 | 20-25 |
| Glute Kick Back | 3 | 15 Each |
| Adduction Machine (or Banded) | 3 | 12 |
| Abduction Machine (or Banded) | 3 | 12 |
Conclusion
The above workout is a great full body workout for women that can be used regardless of your goal.
The set up of the program allows you to maximize your results in the gym - whether you are looking to build lean muscle, burn fat, increase your strength, or a combination of all of those goals.
The workout can be altered in any way necessary to fit your goals and the availability of equipment you have at your gym.
If you have any additional questions about the program, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
210 Comments
Hello, I am trying to decide between this workout or another one for women on this website. The other one has dedicated legs day, etc. This one mixes up lower and upper body. Can you tell me why choose one over the other? Thanks.
Hi Valerie, we have a lot of workouts here. Mind sharing the other one you're thinking about so I can compare them? I also would like to know what your goals are. That could be a factor as well. Thanks for choosing M&S!
Hello, can you provide a total core workout to supplement this plan? I’m thinking core exercises to add to each of the four days.
We have several options for you to choose from at this link.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/abs
Thanks. Does Muscle and strength offer an app so I can use these workouts and follow them while in the gym?
At this time, I am afraid not. Perhaps one will come down the road. In the meantime, you can download the PDFs on your device of choice.
Hey there! I have a few questions… First, do I do the exercises in the order in which they are written? And second, things like the lunges, are the numbers or reps suppose to be per leg or just total? Thank you!!!
Hi, Morgan. Thank you for reading M&S.
1. Yes, do the exercises in order.
2. The reps for movements like lunges are per leg.
Ok I love the workout so far. I know how to challenge myself, but there are glute exercises to enlarge the glutes. What are some exercises to help reduce the derrière. I want a smaller one.
Hi Charlene, you can perform very high reps on glute exercises to help reduce size.
Hi can you superset these exercises?
Hi Cait, if you feel you can handle the intensity and your recovery isn't compromised, then you sure can. Hope this helps!
This is so helpful. Thank you so much for making this plan for us. Extremely helpful to newbies like myself.
This has been my FAVORITE workout that has given me amazing results. I am doing it again after taking a couple months off. Can you please suggest another workout that is similar or make a new workout to share?
So glad you've enjoyed and saw results from this, Katie. Thanks for sharing and being a part of the M&S community. We got plenty of options for you to check out at this link.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Looks like a Great workout. I'm looking forward to trying it out. If my schedule only allows me to work out two days a week, can I do workouts one and two for four weeks and then switch to workouts three and four for four weeks?
You can, or you can simply do all four on the days you have available to train. So, you could do the first two on one week, and the others on the next week.
Hi Josh, I have just turn 60 in but I’ve been training four days a week in my home gym which is pretty much fully equipped for about two years. Just wondering if this program would be suitable for a woman who is gone through menopause.
Hi, Lisa. As long as you're healthy overall, this should be a fine program for you. If you do it, I hope you'll share the results with us. Thanks for reading M&S!
Hii, how much weights should we start off with?
Use weight that you can achieve all sets and reps with proper form. Once you feel comfortable with that, then start pushing yourself to heavier weights. You ultimately should be feeling challenged but still be able to finish. Hope this helps!
I have a comment. I love what this workout offers! But how would one schedule a weekly plan, Daily Mon-Friday? Im not sure what to do, What goes with what? I am looking to lose fat and build muscle too. Thanks!
Hi, Robin. If you want to train five days, then take the additional workouts for Days 3 and 4, and combine them into one workout to do on Day 5. You may notice fat loss first before seeing any changes in muscle size, but it will be worth the effort. Hope this helps!
Can you combine the workouts if you only have 2 days to workout?
That is a long time you would be in the gym, so you might need to find a different program. This could help you do that.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Hi! I see that some muscle groups exceed +20 sets per week, which could have dimishing results based on research. For example, quads are about 26 sets each week, and glutes are around 30 or even 40 sets. I keep hearing that this is way too much volume. Do you have any thoughts about it? Thank you!
If you were to do all those sets in one workout, I would agree. However, since they are broken down over several workouts, your body has a chance to recover in between. In this case, it would not be too much volume. Think of it like a big meal. If you eat it all at once, you're going to feel bad for a while, but if you eat some now, then more later, and the rest later, you still got it all in but without the stomach ache. Hope this helps.
Hi! Thank you for all the information. I have absolutely no strength in my arms after losing weight and I just want to tone up and get strength. I can barely pick up a the bar that weights go on from the bench press and can’t do a pull up. All the definition I had in my thighs went to jiggly goop after I slacked up when I turned 42 (now to be 44) and I want that back. My push ups are simply the wall ones or the ones from my knees. And advice would be most appreciated.
Start very slow, celebrate each accomplishment, and view them as bricks on a building. You can't complete it without each one. If you have access to machines, start there and work your way back to the free weights. Eat smart and recover as much as possible. Also, it will appear dumb, but flex your muscles in between sets. Making them contract will help activate them and could help you work them a little more. Good luck, and thanks for reading M&S!
What’s the main difference between this program and the 12 week muscle & strength program in terms of results?
Each person is going to respond differently. There is no logical way to guess the results in advance like that. I wish I had a better answer.
Thanks! I guess I was asking more about whether this one is about bulking up or getting lean muscle (or whatever). I wasn't asking for specific results for each person, just the intentions of the workout from a general perspective if that makes sense. I know when building workouts there have to be some general goals, which will determine how heavy, how many reps, etc.
This one is more for building lean muscle and improving strength because of some sets calling for lower reps. The other one can be used for fat loss or muscle building, depending on the diet. Hope this helps.
Getting ready to start this program. Wondering if there is a workout tracking app you recommend?
I like MyFitnessPal, but I will leave this up for other readers to chime in.
Thanks, I didn’t realize you could track workouts on that app lol… I ended up downloading Strong and I really like it
I like Hevy!
This workout is great. I struggle with reverse pill ups and u looked up alternatives which are dine in the other days, like barbell rows etc I tried with steaps, on a Smith machine but it rings my neck. Any alternative suggestions?
Do pulldowns bother you, Kelly? If not, you can do those instead.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this program! I switched for it 3 weeks ago and I love it! It's super fun and I am seing more results than with my previous one. :)
is this workout also safe for pregnancy?
alternatively what workout are pregnancy safe on the site?
Talk to your OB about training while pregnant, Hailey. I don't believe we have any programs for training while pregnant, but I will ask my editor.
I am loving this workout program! I decided to do it for 12 weeks and currently on week 9. I like that it is only 4 days a week and would like to do another program for the same amount of days. Do you recommend any? My goal is to tone up. Thank you!
Hope this helps, Katie.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Can I perform these excercies at home with dumbells
Sure!
Hello I’m looking for the right diet to folllow and supplements to take. I’ve been working out 2 years steady started with at home workouts from beach body, I did 80 day obsession and 21 day fix. Then I joined gym a year ago and mainly take classes 2-3 weight and 1-2 cardio on average I go 4 days a week. I don’t see any results anymore. Looking for suggestion on how to lose an addional 5-7 pound but put on muscle mainly in lower body. I also don’t follow a diet plan or take pre-workouts or anything. I am new to the science of this and really want to learn how to stay fit and healthy. I’m 42 Years old. I’m also looking for a good app to track my progress for calories ??? Fit bit? Please help
This should help with the fat loss, Jeannine. https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss
Train heavy on the leg days, and you should see results in the thighs. As for apps, Fitbit is the most popular, but there are several out there. Hopefully other community members here can offer their recommendations.
This looks like a great workout. What about core? I'm thinking about mixing in some planks, cable pulls for obliques, etc. Is that a good idea?
It is a great idea, Diana. If you want some workout suggestions, let me know and I will find a solid program for you. Thanks for reading M&S!