Here is a sample 5 day work out plan for women who are beginning a regular fitness routine because after setting a resolution to work out, the next thing you need to figure out is the approach to take. This is the most critical part of your workout routine process and it is very important to make sure that you have a plan that works best for you.
Another important fact is to know that exercising needs to be done regularly so that you can achieve the results that you always wanted. When you pick a routine that works for you and you enjoy, you will stick with it and you won’t feel like this gym cat ……
Day by Day – 5 Day Exercise Plan for Women
Day One Exercises – Cardio Training
There’s one main thing to keep in mind when choosing the type of cardio you’d like to start with: If you don’t like the activity, you won’t do it. Hate running? Don’t try to take up jogging for your exercise. Prefer to be indoors? Don’t buy a bike and think you are going to like it and definitely not roller skates.
The good news is there whatever raises your heart rate and keeps it there for a sustained period of time counts as cardio. That means you could take up walking, cycling, dancing, tennis, Zumba, step aerobics, rock climbing or any other myriad activities as your preferred form of cardio. You don’t even have to join a gym — at-home workouts are just as effective, provided you put in the effort.
Your workouts don’t have to be super-hard and intense either. As a beginner, you’ll most benefit from moderate-intensity cardio, which means that you’re breathing slightly heavier than normal, but you’re not panting and gasping for air. You’re also warm, but not overly sweaty.
Day Two – Resistance Training
After a day of cardio, it will be great to do some resistance training on day two. As a beginner, you need to choose the light exercises so as not burn yourself out too quick. The mistake people make is starting with the heaviest weights. Even if you feel like you are good to lift the heavier weight, it is good, to begin with the lighter weights.
Before you begin lifting weights, talk to your doctor about your strength workout plans – especially if you have a health condition that could make exercising difficult, painful or unsafe.
Read More: 5 Must Try Exercise Routines For Women
Then, keep these tips in mind for your 5 day work out plan for women:
- If you’ve never done strength-training exercises before, schedule at least two sessions with a qualified personal trainer. (Some gyms offer them with a membership.) If you choose to attend group fitness classes, be sure to find an experienced instructor.
- As a general rule, don’t work the same body part two days in a row. Your muscles need time to rebuild between workouts, and training too frequently reduces the benefits while increasing the risk of a strain or other injury.
- If you do full-body workouts, leave at least 48 hours between strength-training sessions. You can exercise with greater frequency if you do a split routine, in which you work different parts or muscle groups in each workout – but you should still allow any particular muscle at least 48 hours of rest.
- Warm up for at least 5-10 minutes before your strength workout to raise your body temperature, lubricate the joints and increase blood flow. This can involve light full-body cardio activity, such as walking briskly while swinging your arms.
- The adage “no pain, no gain” is a myth. You may feel a little sore a day or two after your workout, due to what’s called “delayed-onset muscle soreness.” This is a sign that your body is still recovering from the exercise. But severe, sharp or lasting pain indicates that something is wrong.
Day Three-Some Aerobics
Another way to think about aerobic exercise or “cardio” is that it’s the type of workout where your heart rate and breathing increase, but not so much that you feel like you need to stop and rest. Think running, speed walking, stair climbing, cycling, and swimming, among other activities.
As you get started toward the recommended 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic or cardio exercise five days per week, aim to exercise at a level that just lets you keep up a conversation during the activity. If you can get out three or four sentences in a row without gasping for air, it’s a sign that you’re maintaining an intensity that is truly aerobic, meaning aerobic metabolism is supplying the vast majority of your body’s energy.
At this intensity, your heart rate should be roughly 60 percent of your maximum heart rate. To find your max heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Multiply that number by 0.60 to obtain your target heart rate for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
Day Four- Rest
It is good to take a break after three full workout days. This is good for the body so as to rebuild the tissue and also for the muscles to respond to the training they have undergone in the previous day. However, this does not mean turning into a sloth. It just means to keeping moving but nothing intense. Maybe a light walk with the dog or something along those lines.
Read More >>> How Much Exercising is Too Much? 4 Warning Signs
Day Five- Resistance Training Plan
This is another day when you should do some more resistance training to build the muscles as part of your 5 day workout plan for women. As females, we have a hormone called estrogen, which plays an important role in helping you maintain your bone density.
Starting at age 35 our bone mass starts decreasing, which leads to an increased risk of developing osteoporosis; this can go undetected until a bone fracture happens.
After menopause, bone loss starts to accelerate increasing the risk of weakened and brittle bones. During the first five to ten years of menopause women can lose up to 25 to 30% of bone density.
If you’re in your early 20s to 30s, then regular weight lifting means you can help maintain your bone density after menopause.
It’s much easier to maintain your current bone density than it is to build it once you’ve stopped producing estrogen, but it’s never too late to start.
Activities that include weight-bearing exercises are important for both bone health maintenance and improvement. Try these great back exercises and the top 5 shoulder exercises for women.
Although it is important to remain active throughout your life resistance training has a greater positive effect on bone density than other types of exercise. Having strong, dense bones to get you through your golden years is important for long-term health.
Stronger bones lowers your chance of having fractures, which means that you will be able to stay out of the nursing home or assisted living centers for as long as possible when you’re retired.
The above 5 day workout plan for women is just a suggestion and an example of how you can plan your weekly workouts. If you are working out to lose weight, you will also need to watch what your eat.
The fact is hormone levels vary greatly in men and women. When you’re ‘moody’, the last thing you want to do is go on a diet, right? Further, if you’re on a diet, it’s extremely hard to stay on track because you’re serotonin levels actual MAKE YOU WANT TO EAT CARBS. (Carbs produce an increase in serotonin levels.) So where does that leave you? You keep on trying to lose weight, but you’re just getting in a vicious cycle of hunger and anger.
Bottom-line is this: if you’re a woman who wants to lose weight without harming your hormone levels, you need a system that takes your body’s unique hormone structure into account. Read Next: How to Lose Weight without the Gym