Lifting weights by women in the gym has become increasingly popular over the years – and we’re not talking about attending aerobic classes. The days of men being the only ones bench pressing and deadlifting are long gone, as women have discovered the numerous health and aesthetic benefits.
Unfortunately, this surge in interest has brought about some confusion about women and weightlifting. This article aims to clarify some common misconceptions and provide guidance on how women can effectively train in the gym.
Do Women Need To Train Differently From Men?
There is considerable confusion surrounding women and weight training. The general idea is that they need a more feminized version of hitting the gym.
The majority of this is simply marketing. In fact, there is a term for it: “The Pink Tax.”
You can see it throughout the fitness industry, from supplements to fitness programs – they take a protein powder, put it in a pink tub, increase the price, and label it “Women’s Formula.”
Now, there are situations where multiple variables are involved. However, men’s and women’s fitness programs are much more similar than different.
What’s Different With Women’s Weight Training?
1. Different Goals – Men and women generally have different concerns regarding which body parts they want to improve. For example, it’s scarce for a woman to want to grow her calves or traps – how often do you see women performing calf raises or big barbell shrugs?
While she may want to “tone” her arms, most women aren’t trying to build 20″ pythons with drop sets. There are definitely exceptions; the average woman is generally more concerned with building their glutes and legs while trimming their waist and building a toned, proportional upper body.
2. Weaker Upper Bodies – Compared to men, women generally have weaker upper bodies. However, research shows that when trained properly, women can make similar gains in proportion to men.¹
This means they should definitely have proper upper-body strength training in their program.
If you’re looking for an upper body training program specifically for women, check out this article!
3. Prone To Knee Injury – Women are at a significantly greater risk of knee injuries. While the mechanism isn’t exactly understood, the most probable issue is a weak hamstring-to-quad ratio – their hamstrings are weak.²
Therefore, their programs should definitely include posterior training.
Training Variables For Women’s Workout
We’ll now look at some of the training variables that should be included in a woman’s training program.
1. Favor Exercises That Target The Glutes And Legs – As mentioned above, women generally want to focus on their glutes and lower body. This doesn’t mean these should make up 100% of the training, but favoring the lower body works great.
2. Doesn’t Need Strength Specific Training – Again, this involves nuance. When we say “strength specific,” we’re referring to things like performing heavy triples or singles.
3. Use Loads Across The Entire Range – While you don’t need very heavy loads, many women do a disservice and only use high reps (10+). While this isn’t inherently bad, only using high reps ignores the benefits of using heavier loads. These loads are crucial for improving your neuromuscular system. Therefore, be sure to use the entire spectrum.
4. Include Intensity – Piggy-backing on the issue with reps, many women will train but won’t bring their sets close to failure. This is essential for muscle growth
5. Ensure You Use Total Core Training Appropriately – To no one’s surprise, women love core training! However, the abs are often overtrained. Therefore, a woman’s weight training program should definitely include abdominal exercises, but they should be performed with proper technique and sufficient volume to achieve optimal results.
For ladies over 50, check out this article specifically made for you!
The Best Weight Lifting Exercises For Women
We’re now going to review some of the best exercises that every woman should incorporate into their training.
Keep in mind these weight lifting exercises work for beginner women and those with some time in the gym. The primary difference will simply be the amount of weight you use.
Lower Body Exercises For Women
Here are the lower-body exercises women should use to build their legs and glutes.
Barbell Back Squat
The barbell back squat is the king of lower body exercises for men and women. If you want to build strong legs, you need to get it done.
Barbell Hip Thrust
The barbell hip thrust is perhaps the single best exercise for training the glutes.³ This makes it one of the most popular exercises women use to build their butt.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Bulgarian split squats are a top-tier exercise for training the entire lower body, with a particular emphasis on the quadriceps.
However, you can modify your body position to target different muscles – bending forward activates the posterior muscles to a greater degree.
Romanian Deadlift
The Romanian deadlift is the go-to exercise for many women who want to build their hamstrings and glutes. At the same time, they will strengthen their core as they must brace to maintain spine stability. It’ll also hit your upper back as well with an isometric hold.
Cable Hip Abduction
If there’s one exercise every woman should have in their weight training program, it’s the cable hip abduction.
This exercise targets the gluteus medius, the muscle on the side of your upper thigh. In addition to aiding in hip extension, it plays a primary role in stabilizing the leg and hip abduction, pulling your leg out to the side of your body.
Cable Kick Back
The cable kickback is one of the best isolations to train the glutes. It’s similar to hip abduction, except you kick back behind you.
Upper Body Exercises For Women
We’re now going to go to the upper body. Remember, these exercises should be your primary compound exercises.
Bench Press (Dumbbells Or Barbell)
The bench press is a classic exercise that helps build your pectorals, triceps, and anterior deltoids. It’s a great weightlifting exercise that offers numerous benefits in just one lift.
Dumbbell Press (Dumbbells Or Barbell)
Overhead pressing is a must for women. It, too, provides a lot of benefits, including;
Upper body pushing strength
Shoulder mobility
Upper back strength
You can use either dumbbells or a barbell.
Bent Over Row
The bent-over row trains your entire back, making it another great addition to a woman’s weightlifting program.
Chin-Up
The chin-up is one, if not the best back exercise. This makes it essential for everyone, including women.
If you can’t do a chin-up, you can do assisted chin-ups.
Core And Ab Exercises For Women
Now, let’s examine some popular core and abdominal exercises.
Back Extension
The back extension is essential for training and toning your lower back. It’s a simple exercise to perform that delivers both health and aesthetic benefits.
Barbell Rollout
Of all core exercises, the rollout is the single best movement. It trains every single muscle in your core to its maximum level.⁴
Further, it’s ultimately an isometric hold that builds your strength and ability to maintain a solid core. This is crucial for long runs as it helps you maintain proper form.
Cable Woodchopper
Woodchoppers are going to really hit your obliques and help shape your waistline.
Conditioning Exercises For Women
Here are three awesome conditioning movements for women. They’re intense and burn a ton of calories while hitting all their muscles.
Sled Work
Sled work, such as the sled push and sled pull, are awesome conditioning work. They can burn a significant number of calories and also provide an amazing lower-body workout.
Dumbbell Or Kettlebell Snatch
The dumbbell snatch is a great conditioning exercise, but like sled work, it serves another purpose – it’s a great muscle conditioning exercise. It can actually be used for both conditioning and muscle building.
Kettlebell Swings
Sample Women’s Weight Lifting Program
Here’s a 3-day strength training workout for women. You’ll notice it hits every muscle group but is heavy on the gluteal and posterior muscles.
Session 1
Back Squat – 4×6
Bench Press – 3×6-8
Romanian Deadlift – 3×8-10
Bent Over Row – 3×8-10
Cable Abduction + Cable Kickback – 3×8-10
Sled Work – 3-5 x10m
Session 2
Deadlift – 4×6
Overhead Shoulder Press – 3×8-10
Bulgarian Split Squat – 3×8-10/leg
Cable Abduction + Cable Kickback – 2-3×12–15
Dumbbell Snatch – 3×20 (Alternate Arm)
Back Extension – 3×8-10
Barbell Rollout – 3×5
Session 3
Back Squat – 3×10
Bench Press – 3×6-8
Romanian Deadlift – 3×8-10
Chin-Up – 3×8-10
Cable Abduction + Cable Kickback – 3×10-12
Kettlebell Swing – 3-5×20
Cable Wood Chopper – 3×8-12/side
Strength Training For Women
Skipping out of the gym or spending too much time on the treadmill out of fear of building muscle is an understandable yet faulty view of lifting weights. In fact, it’s mitigating the progress and health of women.
Ladies need to be in the gym and lifting weights to build a strong and healthy body – it will increase both longevity and quality of your life! Follow the program above or shoot us a message if you have any questions or need more help!
References
Jung R, Gehlert S, Geisler S, Isenmann E, Eyre J, Zinner C. Muscle strength gains per week are higher in the lower-body than the upper-body in resistance training experienced healthy young women-A systematic review with meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2023;18(4):e0284216. Published 2023 Apr 13. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284216 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37053143/
Hewett, T.E. Neuromuscular and Hormonal Factors Associated With Knee Injuries in Female Athletes. Sports Med 29, 313–327 (2000). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200029050-00003
Neto WK, Vieira TL, Gama EF. Barbell Hip Thrust, Muscular Activation and Performance: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2019;18(2):198-206. Published 2019 Jun 1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6544005/
Escamilla RF, Lewis C, Bell D, et al. Core muscle activation during Swiss ball and traditional abdominal exercises. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2010;40(5):265-276. doi:10.2519/jospt.2010.3073 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20436242/
