Workout Programs For Females

Females can use many of the same workout programs as men. With only a 16th of the muscle-building hormone testosterone as men have, women simply cannot gain muscle mass in large amounts, according to "The Female Training Bible." However, with advanced training techniques and a good workout program, you can optimize your fat burning and muscle building for the best possible results. Experiment with different programs and change your workout every four to six weeks to keep it fresh.

Full-Body Workout

This program follows a Monday-Wednesday-Friday format. To start, you do two sets of leg presses, two sets of Smith machine squats and a drop-set of leg curls. A drop-set means doing one set to exhaustion, decreasing the weight and immediately doing another set to exhaustion. Then do one set of hyperextensions, one set on the butt blaster machine, one drop-set of standing calf raises, one set of bench presses, a drop-set of machine flyes, one set of incline dumbbell presses, a drop-set of dumbbell upright rows, one set of machine shoulder press, one set of lat pull-downs and one set of straight bar cable rows. Follow that with three drop-sets: bent-over laterals, triceps push-downs and machine biceps curls. Finish your workout with two sets of incline knee-ups and abs crunches for as many reps as you can get. You may switch exercises as long as they work the same muscle groups. All repetitions should be between eight and 12, with the exception of calves, which usually take higher reps between 12 and 20. Drop-sets usually have eight and then six reps, respectively.

Adapted Circuit Training

Circuit training is a great way to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. By adapting the traditional circuit training protocol slightly, you can make your workout even more efficient. A circuit is a cycle of several exercises done back to back with very little rest between them. For example, you might do squats, leg extensions, leg curls, seated calf raises, pull-ups, seated cable rows, bench presses, machine flyes, shoulder presses, dumbbell lateral raises, triceps push-downs, biceps bar curls, incline knee-ups and abs machine crunches for one circuit. Only in this form of circuit training, you will do 30 to 40 seconds of cardiovascular work between each of these sets. Examples might include bench jumps, jumping rope, walking lunges or step-ups. After one full cycle of these exercises, you can repeat the circuit one or two more times. Or you can choose different exercises and complete another circuit, changing your cardio activity as well to keep your workout fresh.

10X10 Training

The volume of 10X10 training compresses a lot of work into a little bit of time, which can provide great results. Volume refers to the number of sets and repetitions. For each muscle group, you will do one exercise for 10 sets of 10 repetitions, a total of 100 reps. The only rule is that you must not train to the point of failure, where you can no longer perform a controlled repetition. To prevent this, choose a weight that you could comfortably lift for 15 to 20 reps. Instead of doing this many, you will stop at 10 reps, wait 30 seconds and do another 10 reps, until you have completed 10 sets with the same weight. Once you can do a full workout with a weight, you should increase the poundage at the next session. The weekly training breakdowns might look like this: Train arms and shoulders on Monday, legs and abs on Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, and do back and chest on Thursday. Take one or two full days off and repeat this cycle. Make sure to choose an exercise that trains the muscle group through the full range of motion, such as compound exercises like squats for legs and bench presses for chest.