Weight Loss workout plan for women

Weight Loss Workout Plan for Women 

If you’re a woman trying to lose weight, you probably know how easy it can be to get caught up in diet and weight loss trends you may see on the internet. While these trends can claim they’ll help you shed tons of weight quickly, they’re often not sustainable. As a result, the best way to start shedding some pounds is usually with good old-fashioned exercise, diet, and lifestyle changes. 

As you begin your weight loss journey, we’re here to help with a weight loss plan for women and some tips on how you can supplement your weight loss in a healthy, holistic way.

The Basics of a Healthy Weight Loss Plan for Women

You want to burn fat and gain muscle. And the best approach is to combine exercises that target different parts of your body. For example, a balanced blend of strength training, cardio, and some HIIT classes is a great place to start. 

Combining these three different exercise types with a balanced diet will have you seeing results as long as you stay committed and stick to your plan!

A Simple, Sample Weight Loss Workout Plan for Women

If you want to lose weight, you’ll need to exercise six days a week. This doesn’t mean you need to spend two hours a day in the gym, but getting up and moving your body intentionally for at least 30 minutes is essential when you want to start shedding pounds. 

It’s best to alternate between a strength training circuit and cardio every other day when you’re starting out, with one rest day a week. Below, you can find a breakdown of what you should plan to do on cardio and strength training days:

1. Cardio Days

For the days you’ll be doing cardio, any of the following exercises are great options:

• Jogging or speed walking (either on a treadmill or outdoors) for 30 minutes three days a week.
• Using an elliptical for 15 minutes three days a week
• Hitting the exercise bike or stair climber for 20 minutes three days a week

If you really want to push yourself, you can do a HIIT cardio exercise on one of your three cardio days. You can usually find a HIIT cardio class at a local gym, or you can do them at home. Just make sure you’re staying within your limits. Losing weight is a marathon and not a sprint!

2. Strength Days

On the three days you’ll be doing strength training, following a comprehensive circuit that works your whole body is best when you’re just starting. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do all of the following exercises in one day. For example, you might focus on your abdominal exercises one day, lower body and squats the next, and chest and arms on the third day.

Here’s a sample strength workout plan for weight loss that you can adapt as you get stronger:

1. Chest Exercises

• • 3 sets of 15 pushups or modified pushups
  • 3 sets of 15 reps on the seated chest press machine
  • 1 set of 8 decline barbell or dumbbell chest presses
  • 1 set of 8 incline barbell or dumbbell chest presses

2. Arm Exercises

• • 2 sets of 15 seated dumbbell bicep curls or bicep machine reps
  • 2 sets of 15 standing barbell or dumbbell bicep curls
  • 3 sets of 15 reps on a tricep extension machine or 15 reps of tricep extensions with a dumbell
  • 2 sets of 8 preacher curls

3. Squat Variations

• • 2 sets of 15 bodyweight squats
  • 1 set of 15 goblet squats with a dumbell
  • 1 set of 8 barbell squats
  • 1 set of 8 wide stance barbell squats

4. Lower Body Exercises 

• • 1 set of 20 reps on the leg curl machine
  • 2 sets of 10 reps on the leg press machine
  • 2 sets of 20 lunges

5. Abdominal Exercises 

• • 2 sets of 15 abdominal curls
  • 2 sets of 30-second planks
  • 2 sets of 30-second side planks on each side
  • 2 sets of 10 leg raises 

Supplemental Weightloss Tips

Alongside working out, you’ll want to pay attention to the following factors that affect weight loss:

• Improve your diet: Eating a balanced, healthy diet will help you lose pounds and make sure you’re properly fueled before your workout.
• Get enough sleep: Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. If you don’t get proper sleep, it can be harder to lose weight, and you might end up gaining some on accident!
• Reduce stress: Try and limit stress. Stress can do all sorts of things to your body, so try as best as you can to reduce the amount of stress in your life. Find what helps calm you down and implement that into your routine. For example, you could start attending a yoga class or make time to take a walk in nature,
• Don’t forget to stretch: Stretching before and after your workouts is a great way to prevent injuries and keep you calm and centered. Implementing an all-around stretching plan to help increase mobility and keep your muscles healthy will do a world of good!
• Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Your gym’s employees —and even your fellow members—are a great resource when it comes to losing weight. Everyone has to start somewhere, and most people will be happy to help you out and point you in the right direction!

Let Gold’s Gym SoCal Help You Start Your Weight Loss Journey

If you’re interested in getting some help on your weight loss journey and live in Southern California, from Long Beach up to Santa Barbara, our expert instructors at Gold’s Gym SoCal have you covered. 

Gold’s Gym SoCal offers personal training options and a variety of high-quality strength-training equipment to get you on the right path. We also have a variety of group exercise classes you can take to maximize your weight loss in a fun, encouraging setting.

Take advantage of a Free 7-Day Pass to see what Gold’s Gym SoCal is all about. If you want to find a Gold’s Gym near you in SoCal, check out our many gyms located in Southern California.

_________________

Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Press, for more fitness articles and tips.