This is a program for females aiming to get strong and toned in a short amount of time. It is a basic weight training program consisting of three 45 minute workouts a week. You should do this program for approximately four weeks aiming to apply the principle of progressive overload. This means each week when you do the workouts aim to do a little more than the week before e.g. increase your weights, or do an extra rep. This is the program I made up for myself to do over the last few weeks. I am currently four month post-partum therefore the core exercises are very basic aiming to rehabilitate my stretched and weak core. If you like you can substitute the abdominal exercises for more challenging ones.
Each workout starts with an exercise to primarily target the glutes, followed by the quads, hamstrings, upper pull, upper push, accessory and core. Each day has a different rep range e.g 8-10, 20, 12. This variance of reps each day is called daily undulating periodisation (DUP). This means there is a variation in volume and intensity every training session which is optimal for muscle growth. You can print off a PDF of the workout by clicking this link: Female Full Body Weight Training Program . The PDF includes a table to record the weights you use.
Day 1
Warm up:
- Bridge x12
- Inchworm x6
- Standing side bend x12
Repeat
Workout:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Weight | ||||
| Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | ||||
| A1 | Single leg glute bridge | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| B1 | BB sumo squat | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| C1 | BB stiff leg deadlift | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| D1 | Assisted moderate grip pull up | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| E1 | Push up (record no. of full) | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| F1 | DB lateral raise | 3 | 8 – 10 | ||||
| G1 | Leg slide with arm extension | 3 | 12 | ||||
Day 2
Warm up:
- Cobra wing x10
- Quadruped adductor hinge x10ea
- BW squat x12
Repeat
Workout:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Weight | ||||
| Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | ||||
| A1 | FB hip thrust | 3 | 20 | ||||
| B1 | Leg press feet low | 3 | 20 | ||||
| C1 | Seated hamstring curl | 3 | 20 | ||||
| D1 | DB standing shoulder press | 3 | 20 | ||||
| E1 | Seated row | 3 | 20 | ||||
| F1 | Cable hip abduction | 3 | 20 | ||||
| G1 | FB pelvic tilts | 3 | 12 | ||||
Day 3
Warm up:
- BW lunge x12
- Samson stretch x6
- Leg swings x10 front to back, 10x side to side
Repeat
Workout:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Weight | ||||
| Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | ||||
| A1 | Back extension | 3 | 12 | ||||
| B1 | Front foot elevated stationary lunge | 3 | 12 | ||||
| C1 | BB good morning | 3 | 12 | ||||
| D1 | DB incline press | 3 | 12 | ||||
| E1 | Lat pull down wide grip | 3 | 12 | ||||
| F1 | Banded 1 ½ hip bridges | 3 | 15 | ||||
| G1 | Bent knee side plank | 3 | 30 sec | ||||
This workout would be perfect to do for the next four week after completing my program Lean & Well. Remember there is no perfect exercises or program to get results, rather just good basic well-structured weight training programs with plenty of variety. Be consistent, record what you are doing so you can always be progressing and keep changing up your program every 4 weeks. You’ve got this :)
Holly x