The best workout for women is the same strength training that works for anyone: a squat, a hip hinge, a hip thrust, a press and a pull, mostly 5 to 15 reps, stopped 0 to 2 reps short of failure, 2 to 4 days a week. If stronger glutes and legs are your priority, the plans below give glutes more weekly sets than any other muscle while still training your upper body with real presses and pulls. Pick the plan that matches how many days you can lift.
EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Incline Bench, Lat Pulldown +6
Women with gym access who can lift three days a week and want stronger glutes and legs without skipping upper body.
Three full-body days let you train every muscle more than once a week while keeping each session to five exercises. Glutes get the most work, about 18 weekly sets from squats, hip thrusts twice, Romanian deadlifts, split squats and leg press, plus 2 abduction sets. Upper-body muscles get 5 to 9 sets each, enough to grow in your first years of lifting without crowding out the lower-body work.
Day 1: Squat
Exercise
Sets × reps
RIR
Rest
Barbell Back Squat2 warm-up sets firstSit between your heels, chest stays tall
Run Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3 in order on non-consecutive days, for example Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
How to progress
Use double progression: when every set reaches the top of the rep range at the target RIR, add the smallest weight jump next session. On push-ups and assisted pull-ups, progress by lowering the incline or the assistance instead.
EquipmentBarbells, Flat Bench, Seated Leg Curl, Hip Abductor +6
Women who have lifted for a year or more and can train four days a week.
Splitting upper and lower body lets each session go deeper on fewer muscles, so weekly volume rises without longer workouts. Each half of the body gets a heavy day, where the main lifts stay at 5 to 10 reps, and a volume day of mostly 8 to 20 reps. That works out to about 19 glute sets, 10 for quads and chest, 13 for back and 9 direct shoulder sets a week.
Train Lower 1 and Upper 1 on back-to-back days, rest a day, then Lower 2 and Upper 2, for example Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
How to progress
Add weight on the heavy days first; once a heavy lift reaches the top of its range at 2 RIR, add the smallest jump. On volume days, add a rep per set before adding weight.
EquipmentBarbells, Dumbbells, Incline Bench, Lat Pulldown +2
Women who already run, cycle or go to Pilates or group classes and want to add lifting without giving those up.
Your classes and runs already give you plenty of high-rep, short-rest work, so these two sessions go heavy instead: 5 to 10 reps on four lifts each day, every set stopped 2 reps short of failure so your legs are ready for the next session. That's about 3 to 6 sets a week for most muscles and 11 for glutes, lower than the other plans but still enough to build strength and some muscle. Cardio done alongside lifting doesn't reduce muscle or maximal strength gains.
Do Strength A and Strength B on non-consecutive days. If possible, put hard cardio on a different day from your lower-body lifts, or a few hours apart.
How to progress
Add the smallest weight jump whenever every set reaches the top of its rep range at 2 RIR. If your other training leaves your legs too tired to hit last week's numbers, repeat the weight instead of forcing it.
Choose by the days you can actually train. Two days works if you already do classes, running or Pilates. Three full-body days suit anyone lifting on their own three times a week. Four days of upper and lower gives you the most volume, about 19 glute sets and 10 to 13 sets each for chest and back.
Women build muscle at the same relative rate as men on the same program, so lift the same way: heavy enough that sets end 0 to 2 reps short of failure, and add weight when you hit the top of the rep range. Light weights for high reps can't make a muscle 'toned' without making it bigger, and a bigger, stronger muscle under less body fat is what looks toned. Train your upper body too; every plan here has a vertical pull, a row and a press.
Put hip thrusts and a deep single-leg move like the Bulgarian Split Squat in your week, then finish with hip abduction for the sides of your hips. The 3- and 4-day plans thrust twice a week and land at about 18 to 19 glute sets, close to the glutes page's 16 to 18. For a glute-only add-on to another program, use the glutes page instead.
It loads your glutes hardest at the top, where squats and lunges ease off, and you can keep adding weight to it for years. It appears twice a week in the 3- and 4-day plans because glutes are where most of the extra volume goes.
How to do it
Sit with your upper back against the edge of a bench and roll a padded barbell over the crease of your hips.
Plant your feet about hip-width apart, close enough that your shins are vertical at the top.
Tuck your chin and drive through your whole foot to lift your hips until your torso is level with the bench.
Hold the top for a second with your ribs down, then lower until your hips nearly touch the floor.
Cues
Chin tucked, eyes forward
Shins vertical at the top
Ribs down, squeeze, pause
Common mistakes
Arching your lower back to get higher. Stop when your hips are level with your knees and shoulders.
Feet too far out, so you feel it in your hamstrings. Walk your feet in until your shins are vertical at lockout.
Swap for: Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Quads and glutes, main squat
Barbell Back Squat
Quads, Glutes, Adductors
The squat trains your quads, glutes and adductors together under heavy load, so it anchors the lower-body days in every plan. The demo is filmed from your own point of view under the bar.
How to do it
Set the bar at mid-chest height, step under it and rest it on your upper back, hands just outside your shoulders.
Stand up to unrack, take two steps back and set your feet about shoulder-width, toes turned out slightly.
Brace your abs, then sit down between your heels, knees moving out over your toes.
Go as deep as you can while your back stays neutral, then drive up through your whole foot.
Cues
Big breath, brace, then descend
Knees follow your toes
Chest stays tall out of the bottom
Common mistakes
Knees caving in on the way up. Push them out over your toes and use a weight you can control.
Cutting depth as the weight climbs. Keep the same depth every rep and add weight only when it holds.
Swap for: Goblet Squat, Hack Squat, Leg Press
Hamstrings and glutes, hinge
Romanian Deadlift
Hamstrings, Glutes
It trains your hamstrings and glutes at long muscle lengths, which squats and hip thrusts don't cover. One hinge a week keeps the back of your legs from lagging behind the front.
How to do it
Stand tall holding the bar in front of your thighs with an overhand grip, hands just outside your legs.
Unlock your knees slightly, then push your hips straight back while the bar slides down your thighs.
Lower until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings, usually just below the knee, with your back flat.
Drive your hips forward to stand up, keeping the bar against your legs the whole way.
Cues
Hips back, not down
Bar stays on your legs
Stop at the stretch, not the floor
Common mistakes
Rounding your back to reach lower. Stop where your hamstrings stop you; depth comes with mobility.
Bending your knees more as you lower, which turns it into a squat. Set the knee bend at the start and keep it.
Swap for: Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift
Single leg, quads and glutes
Bulgarian Split Squat
Quads, Glutes
One leg at a time evens out side-to-side differences, and the deep stretch it puts on your front glute makes it one of the best lower-body moves you can do with dumbbells.
How to do it
Stand about two steps in front of a bench holding a dumbbell in each hand, and rest the top of your back foot on the bench.
Lower straight down until your back knee almost touches the floor and your front thigh is about level.
Let your torso tip forward slightly to load the glute more, keeping your front heel down.
Push through your front foot to stand, finish all reps on that leg, then switch.
Cues
Front heel heavy
Back knee straight down
Slight forward lean
Common mistakes
Standing too close to the bench, so your front heel lifts. Step farther out until your shin stays near vertical at the bottom.
Pushing off the back foot. Keep it relaxed on the bench; it's there for balance.
Swap for: Reverse Lunge, Step-Up
Quads and glutes, high-rep volume
Leg Press
Quads, Glutes
It adds lower-body volume without loading your back, which is why it takes the higher-rep sets after the heavier squat day. The demo uses a seated horizontal leg press; a 45-degree sled works the same way.
How to do it
Sit with your back and hips flat against the pad and place your feet hip-width apart, high on the platform.
Release the safety handles and lower the platform by bending your knees toward your chest.
Go as deep as you can without your lower back peeling off the pad.
Press back up through your whole foot, stopping just short of locking your knees.
Cues
Hips glued to the seat
Feet high for more glutes
Smooth turnaround at the bottom
Common mistakes
Shallow reps with too much weight. Lower the load until you reach full depth every rep.
Locking your knees hard at the top. Stop just short and keep tension on the legs.
Swap for: Hack Squat, Goblet Squat
Hamstrings, knee flexion
Seated Leg Curl
Hamstrings
Hinges train your hamstrings at the hip; the curl trains them at the knee, so together they cover the whole muscle. Seated curls stretch the hamstrings more than lying ones.
How to do it
Adjust the seat so your knees line up with the machine's pivot and the lower pad sits just above your heels.
Lock the thigh pad down firmly and hold the handles.
Curl your heels down and under the seat as far as they go.
Let the pad rise slowly until your legs are straight again.
Cues
Thigh pad tight
Heels under the seat
Two seconds on the way up
Common mistakes
Letting the weight stack slam at the top. Control the return; that half of the rep counts.
Swap for: Lying Leg Curl
Side glutes, high reps
Hip Abduction Machine
Abductors
It trains the gluteus medius and minimus at the side of your hips, which the big lifts hit only lightly. High reps and short rests make it a quick finisher.
How to do it
Sit in the machine with the pads against the outside of your knees and your feet on the rests.
Hold the handles and lean your torso forward slightly to bias the upper glutes.
Push your knees out as far as they go, pause for a moment, then let them come back in under control.
Cues
Slight forward lean
Pause wide
Don't let the plates touch
Common mistakes
Bouncing through short reps with the full stack. Use a load you can pause at full width.
Swap for: Band Seated Hip Abduction
Chest and front delts, main press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Chest
Pressing builds your chest, front delts and triceps, and the incline puts more of the work on the upper chest. Dumbbells let each arm find its own path, which shoulders tend to like.
How to do it
Set a bench to a low incline, about 30 to 45 degrees, and sit back with a dumbbell on each thigh.
Kick the weights up one at a time as you lie back, holding them above your chest.
Lower them to the sides of your upper chest with your elbows slightly tucked, about 45 degrees from your body.
Press up and slightly in until your arms are straight over your shoulders.
Cues
Shoulder blades down and back
Elbows under the weights
Deep stretch at the bottom
Common mistakes
Flaring your elbows straight out to the sides. Tuck them so your forearms stay vertical.
Cutting the range short. Lower until the weights reach chest level.
The machine takes off part of your bodyweight, so you can train the real pull-up pattern for full sets. Each time you need less help, you're closer to doing one unassisted.
How to do it
Set the counterweight, then step or kneel onto the platform and take an overhand grip just wider than your shoulders.
Start from a full hang with your arms straight.
Pull your chest toward the bar until your chin clears it, driving your elbows down.
Lower all the way to a straight-arm hang under control.
Cues
Start from a dead hang
Chest to the bar
Lower in two seconds
Common mistakes
Using so much assistance that 12 reps feel easy. Pick the counterweight that leaves you 1 rep short at the target.
Swap for: Lat Pulldown, Pull-Up
Chest and triceps, bodyweight press
Push-Up
Chest
A push-up is a press you can do anywhere, and getting from incline push-ups to full ones is a goal you can measure. It also trains your core to hold a plank under load.
How to do it
Set your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and step back into a straight line from head to heels.
Squeeze your glutes and brace your abs.
Lower your chest toward the floor with your elbows about 45 degrees from your body.
Push the floor away until your arms are straight, keeping your hips in line.
Cues
Body moves as one piece
Elbows at 45 degrees
Chest to an inch off the floor
Common mistakes
Hips sagging or piking. Squeeze your glutes and raise your hands on a bench until you can hold the line.
Half reps to hit a number. Use a higher incline and get full depth.
Swap for: Incline Push-Up
Side delts
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Shoulders
Pressing barely reaches your side delts, and they give your shoulders their width, so they get their own sets.
How to do it
Stand with a dumbbell at each side, palms facing your legs, and lean forward slightly.
Keep a soft bend in your elbows and raise the weights out to the sides.
Stop when your arms are level with your shoulders.
Lower slowly to your sides without letting the weights touch.
Cues
Push the weights out to the walls
Lead with your elbows
Stop at shoulder height
Common mistakes
Swinging the weights up with your torso. Pick a load you can lift without a body kick.
Swap for: Cable Lateral Raise
Make it fit you
Training at home instead
Swap the barbell back squat for the Goblet Squat, the Romanian Deadlift for the Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift, the hip thrust for the Dumbbell Glute Bridge and the cable row for the One-Arm Dumbbell Row. Keep the same sets, reps and RIR. With no equipment at all, use the home workout page instead.
Working toward your first pull-up
Lower the assistance whenever you reach 12 reps on every set. Once you can do 6 or more reps with very little help, start each pull session with 2 or 3 sets of slow lowering reps on the Pull-Up: jump or step to the top and take 3 to 5 seconds to come down.
Want more upper body?
Add 2 sets of Lat Pulldown and 2 sets of Dumbbell Lateral Raise to the end of one or two sessions. Keep the lower-body work as written so your glutes don't lose volume to make room.
Your cycle and your training
Strength changes very little across the menstrual cycle on average, so you don't need a separate plan for each phase. If a session feels flat, keep the target RIR and lift a little less weight that day rather than skipping it.
Fitting in cardio
Walking, cycling and classes won't cost you muscle. If you do hard intervals or long runs, keep them off your lower-body days or a few hours apart from lifting so your legs are fresh for squats and hip thrusts.
Questions
What is a good weightlifting schedule for women?
Lift two to four days a week, with a rest day after any two days in a row. Three full-body days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) works for most people; four days of upper and lower suits you once you've lifted for a year or more. Fit cardio and classes on the other days.
How many days a week should a woman lift weights?
Two days builds strength and muscle if you train hard; three or four lets you do more weekly sets, which grows muscle faster. Weekly sets matter more than the number of days, so pick the schedule you can keep.
Will lifting heavy make women bulky?
No. Muscle grows slowly, and women gain it at the same relative rate as men but from a smaller starting point, so it takes years of focused training to add a lot. Heavy, hard sets are what build the firm, shaped look people mean by "toned".
Should women train differently from men?
Not in any way that changes the program. On the same training, women and men gain muscle at similar relative rates, so the same exercises, rep ranges and progression apply. What differs is the goal: these plans lean toward glutes and legs because that is the emphasis this page is built for.
Should I change my workout during my period?
You don't have to. Performance changes very little across the cycle on average. Train as usual and, on days you feel worse, lift a bit lighter at the same RIR.
What is the best exercise for women to lose weight?
No single exercise burns enough to outrun your diet; fat loss comes from eating a little less than you burn. Lifting is what makes the body underneath look better once the fat comes off, so keep lifting and add walking on your off days.
