Got Muscle? 9 Beginner Strength Training Routines For Women

When I tell my friends about how much I love to lift, I often hear “I don’t know where to start”. Don’t worry! I got you covered. Last year I wrote a pretty popular post about 7 Easy Strength Training Exercises, now you can take these women’s strength training moves to the next level by putting them into workout programs consisting of 8-12 weeks.

Lifting weights is critical for any weight loss journey. A lot of times women spend a lot of time on cardio machines because they are trying to burn fat as quickly as possible.

While cardio is great for weight loss–strength training is the secret key to building muscle and getting your body to burn fat over a longer period of time.

There are so many different types of strength training moves for legs, arms and pretty much all parts of the body!

How to put them all together can be quite confusing. There are a lot of women’s gym workout routines to choose from. These beginner weight lifting workout routines for women are perfect for ladies that like to plan their workouts!

Plus I put together some really helpful strength training printables for women that will help keep you organized!

How many days a week should a woman be doing a weight lifting routine?

Most people like trainers and doctors recommend that you do some sort of strength training at least 3 times a week. If this seems feasible for you then go for it!

To start out, I would recommend more along the lines of 2 times a week to give yourself enough recovery time to feel better and not be too sore. As your body gets used to it, you can start doing full strength training routines that call for 3-4 days of the week.

What about weight training for women who are of a “certain age”?

I’ve got you covered with these 7 Best Strength Training Exercises for Women Over 35.

I have gathered some of these weight lifting routines for women for you because I am a person that loves to follow a plan! These plans vary from beginner to advanced. As always you can modify to your needs.

The best part is you can choose which strength training plan suits your schedule and your fitness level the best. Weight lifting doesn’t have to be intimidating! With the right plan, you can get toned in no time!

Cardio and interval training is amazing for fat loss but if you want your full body tight and toned? Strength Training is the way to go!

Don’t forget to download your Free Fitness Journal so you can keep track of all your progress! Plus you can grab this Healthy Habit Tracker to keep track of your exercise, sleep, water intake, nutrition and more!

Plus if you want to read more about building muscle for women don’t forget to check out An Easy Guide To Building Muscle For Women!

9 Weight Training Plans For Women

(Updated 2021)

Women’s Strength Training Guide from BodyBuilding.com: I really love this guide because it offers many specific exercises for women, plus they give specific sets on what to work on and how many reps to do for each.

From light weights to heavy weights. This guide of women workout routines for beginners shows how much you should be doing and how not to over strain yourself with a new program.

Workout Routines For Women – 4 Week Training Plan: This program from SHAPE encourages you to cut back on the cardio and push the weights to increase metabolism and build more muscle.

This plan doesn’t give you a specific list of workouts and leaves the flexibility to adjust as you go. It is a great beginner workout plan. The plan changes to circuit training halfway through switching up the plan of just lifting.

The Transformation Workout Plan – Muscle & Fitness: Unlike the previous two this plan encourages cardio right along with the weightlifting. This plan uses a lot of supersets to get the job done.

The Ultimate Female Training Guide – Simply Shredded: I really like this plan because it spends a great deal of time debunking the myths of how women should train.

High cardio/no weights is what we are mostly taught when it comes to working out. This plan gives a very specific 12 week plan on how to lift weights daily and safely.

Women’s Workout Routine To Get You Strong and Toned: This plan is full of weight lifting for women but also includes HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and Low Intensity Steady State Cardio so you cardio bunnies can get your fix. 🙂

How To Make A Strength Training Plan (and keep it!) – Greatist : I like this plan that you can build on your own following some of the most basic principles of weight training.

Whole Body Conditioning Workout For Women – Muscle & Strength: This plan alternates full cardio with weight lifting with the intent of building muscle. This is a full 7 day routine!

Beginning Weight Lifting Routine For Women – LIVESTRONG: This is the most simplest of the routines that incorporates 3lb, 5lb and 8lb weights.