Finding a women’s workout plan for effective weight loss can be a challenging task. Losing weight is never easy, but the best weight loss workout plan for women includes cardio, interval training, high-intensity interval training, and strength training. If you’re trying to burn calories and stay motivated to meet your weight loss goals, you’ll want to incorporate some of these fundamental exercises into a weekly women’s workout routine that will make you stronger, faster and leaner in no time.
Your particular weight loss results with this exercise program will depend on your level of commitment, body type, and how well balanced and healthy your diet is as well. The best workout plan for women’s weight loss includes a combination of the below. We’ve included some sample workouts so you can get started losing weight safely and quickly!
Cardio Workout Routines for Weight Loss
Common cardiovascular exercises are aerobics, brisk walking, running, cycling, skiing, rowing, and swimming. In a gym, treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, rowers, and stair climbers are common equipment for achieving similar cardiovascular exercise, also called aerobic exercise. Some experts think it’s ideal to do 60 minutes of cardio exercise per day, but you’ll see tremendous health benefits from even 30 minutes. If this is the only kind of exercise you’re doing, aim for five to six days of cardio per week to use it as an effective weight loss exercise plan for women.
Exercise Frequency: Five to six days per week (if it’s your only exercise).
Note: Eliminate 60 minute cardio on days where you’re performing interval training or high-intensity interval training. Reduce cardio to 15-30 minutes on strength training days for warming up or raising heart rate at 3-5 minute intervals in between strength exercises.
Interval Training for Weight Loss
Tone up and slim down with an interval training routine on a treadmill. This is an effective weight loss workout routine for women at any fitness level. To start, walk at a pace you’re comfortable with and can maintain for some time. Do this for one minute. Then increase the incline to a challenging level and continue for five minutes. On the same speed throughout, repeat this pattern for at least 30 minutes. Go longer if you can!
Exercise Frequency: 3 times per week
Sets: As many as possible in 30 minutes
Note: If you’re also doing high-intensity interval training and/or weight training, adjust the frequency of this exercise with the others, so you have at least one rest day during the week.
High-Intensity Interval Training for Weight Loss
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a type of interval training and works well for weight and fat loss. A sample HIIT workout routine is as follows:
On a treadmill, walk at an 8 to 10 percent incline for one minute. Without resting, begin running up that same incline for 20 seconds. This interval should be so hard that you can’t do it for another second. Return to walking until your heart rate lowers to 135 to 145 bpm, then repeat the pattern for 20 minutes. Do this three times per week with one or two days of walking or running in between to build lean muscle, reduce body fat and lose weight effectively.
Exercise Frequency: 3 times per week
Sets: As many as possible in 20 minutes
Note: If you’re also doing interval training and/or weight training, adjust the frequency of this exercise with the others, so you have at least one rest day during the week.
Increase Strength, Lose Weight
In the past, most women’s fitness routines focused on cardio exercise and avoided much strength training. Thankfully, this has changed as strength training can be an important component of women’s weight loss plans. Circuit training is a great strength training program for weight loss, engaging all the major muscle groups to help you increase muscle mass and reduce fat. Circuit training is a good way to start lifting weights or stick to a weight lifting program because it keeps you moving so you’re not working out forever. It also has enough variation to keep you from getting bored, distracted, and unmotivated, a common challenge in a gym workout. With circuit training you hit every major muscle group without resting, which means you’re getting a cardio workout at the same time that you build muscle. Tone and sculpt with the following program a few times a week and you’ll likely start seeing results in just over a month.
Movements:
- Lat pulldown
- Leg press
- Chest press
- Leg extension
- Shoulder press
- Leg curl
Exercise Frequency: 3 times per week
Reps: 20 for each movement
Sets: As many as possible in 30 minutes
Weight: Begin with a weight that is difficult for the 20 reps and increase incrementally as your reps become easier and easier.
Note: If you’re also doing high-intensity interval training and/or weight training, adjust the frequency of this exercise with the others, so you have at least one rest day during the week. Another option for strength training that doesn’t require a personal trainer to teach you or – even a gym – is a bodyweight workout you can do at home.
Thinking Beyond the Workout
Exercise – no matter how vigorous or strenuous – is only part of the weight loss picture. Diet and other factors are also critical for long-term success. That’s why simply plunging into a workout program without a nutrition plan and other supports isn’t a sustainable or long-term way of thinking about weight loss. For that kind of holistic approach to weight loss, try Noom. We have the expert coaches and dietitians you need to thrive, who will help you design the right meal plan to support your physical activity, lifestyle and fitness goals. Plus Noom has a supportive community and an app you’ll love using. If you’re ready to commit to a long-term weight loss plan, we’re here to help!
