Traditionally, girls are instructed to weight train the same way as guys, whilst for general health and fitness this may not seem a bad thing as surely any exercise is good but for women who are looking to get a little more out of their weight training they are some principles you should adopt to help achieve your female specific goals. For example most guys want a shaped chest, rounded shoulders, and toned arms, that’s great for females too but I can tell you the main areas that females want to improve are typically the Legs, Glutes and Stomach…
If you’re like most girls – you want a sexier bum, flat stomach and firm legs, as well as being strong! Whether it’s because you want to look better in a bikini, or in your favorite dress, most girls seek a hot looking curves!
The Women only workout routine I’m going to write about in this article for you is going to help you achieve all of the above – and then some! Everybody claims to know what the best exercises are, and you’ve probably heard 100 different things about stomach, bum and legs exercises, But what does the evidence say? In this article you’re going to find out the top exercises recommended by me and the experts who are conducting the research along with a free training routine for you to test out, and some other rules for girls to lift by!
The exercises.
HIP THRUST
First things first, what is the king of bum exercises, and the foundation lift of a womens only workout? Squats, lunges, deadlifts? No… The Hip Thrust!
The Hip thrust is a great exercise for everyone, this move will really build some firm curves for the lower body, especially the glutes. I personally use this as the staple of my Beach Bum Blue Print training program as it is shown to activate a higher proportion of the gluteal muscles in comparison to other exercises such as the squat, deadlift and lunge. To put the importance of this exercise in to context, the Hip Thrust uses 1,860% more glutei maximi (bum muscles) activity than the leg press does. To perform a conventional Hip Thrust lie against a bench with the upper back being a pivot point, using your required load, roll the barbell on to the crease of your hips(with a neck pad for comfort) and raise the bar by extending the hips. Keep the back straight at all times, at the top of the movement tense the glutes then lower the barbell in a controlled manner , repeat for required number of reps. If you’re new to lifting weights I would start using your own body weight until you’re comfortable with the move and repeating multiple sets of 15-20 reps. After that, add some weights.
PS- To hit the glutes even harder, squeeze your cheeks at the top of the movement for 2-3 seconds!
SQUATS
The second essential exercise in your training program should be a Squat
Squats, one of the fundamental exercises for any training program, you can squat to get strong, big, fit, lean, powerful, Pretty much anything! The Squat will strengthen the legs, increase the tone of the muscles and will also burn a shed load of calories whilst you’re doing it. I recommend a standard back squat as this scores quite highly in terms of glute activation , as well as being one of the best if not the best exercise for shaping the entire legs. Using a squat rack unrack the barbell on to the back of your shoulders, stand with feet just a little wider than hip width apart and continue to lower yourself towards the ground by bending your legs and sitting back in to your hips, be very cautious as to not allowing the knees to invert, this leads to great risk of injury and is common mistake made by many. Keep your weight on your heels, back straight and chest high. Once your hip joint is parallel with your knee joint (or lower if flexibility allows), push off the heels back up to the top keeping your knees in line with your toes and repeat the move again. For beginners try to squat body weight then move on to something light on your back eg, a wooden stick then once strong enough progress on to a light barbell, then on to a Olympic barbell.
PS- For any women looking to tone up the inner thigh try standing with your feet a little wider than usual, this well ensure that the inner thighs get worked a little more than they do on a standard variation 😉
AB WHEEL ROLLOUT
You’ve probably heard from someone at work or in the gym what they consider to be the best exercise for the abs, the usual suspects are always mentioned… crunches, sit ups, leg raises, reverse crunches etc. But what does the science say? In EMG data conducted by Bret Contreras the exercise that reins king in terms of working the muscles that lie at the bottom of the stomach, and around the hips and waist (where most women store body fat) is the Ab Wheel Rollout. To perform the exercises get yourself an ab wheel (most gyms should own one) and start off on your knees with your hands either side of the wheel holding the handles. Next slowly move the wheel forward whilst lowering your body from the knee. Maintain a straight back at all times and feel the burn as you get closer to the floor, continue to lower your body until your arms are fully extending or for beginners go until you start to feel your back give way then return back up to the starting position maintaining a neutral spine at all times. Perform anywhere from 6-20 reps and once this becomes too easy, progress the exercise by starting from your feet in a standing position.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER – THE WOMEN-ONLY WORKOUT
Now you’ve got the top 3 exercises for the woman only workout, see how you can put it all together , try the workout below for maximal fat burning and working of the legs, bum and stomach muscles! This workout routine for women includes my top 3 exercises as well as some other accessory exercises to enhance your results.
FINAL WORDS
The exercises and training program included are a great way to really work those specific areas and will help burn body fat when combined with a healthy diet, made up of the right macro nutrients. To learn more about shaping strong and sexy curves and to receive your free 35 page report on shaping the bum and leg muscles, along with 6 free training routines and a free sample diet plan designed to help you torch fat download my book “The Beach Bum Blueprint” absolutely free!
Thanks for reading!
