One of the fundamental principles behind bodybuilding and strength training is that if you overload a muscle, it will increase in size. This principle applies to men as well as women. However, because women have less testosterone than men, and more estrogen, building muscle mass is more of a challenge. Estrogen causes women to retain more fat than men, so they must concentrate on fat burning exercises and maintaining sufficient workout intensity. Consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.
Beginners
If you are just beginning strength training, exercise all your major muscle groups three days a week. Perform two sets of eight to twelve repetitions with each exercise. Allow yourself 24 to 48 hours of rest between strength training workouts. An example of a beginner exercise routine would be bench press, shoulder press, lat pulldowns, calf raises, bicep curls, tricep press downs, leg press, thigh extension, thigh curls and ab crunches. Perform your workout on exercise machines, as they are safer and easier to use than free weights. To promote fat burning, perform 30 to 45 minutes of low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise on the days you are not strength training. Give yourself one day of complete rest. Examples of low to moderate aerobic exercises include brisk walking, stationary cycling, jogging and water aerobics.
Split Routines
A split routine is a way to increase the intensity of your workouts by training different muscle groups on different days of the week. For example, on Mondays and Thursdays, you would train your legs, back and biceps. On Tuesdays and Fridays, you would focus on your shoulders, chest and triceps. Include two to three exercises per muscle group. You should perform a minimum of three sets of 8 to 12 repetitions per exercise. Use mostly free weights for your split routine, as they will develop both your prime mover muscles and stabilizer muscles. Promote fat burning by performing low to moderate aerobic exercise for 30 to 45 minutes on the days you are not strength training, as well as the days you are not training your legs. Allow yourself one full day of rest.
Circuit Weight Training
An exercise circuit consists of exercise stations, in which you exercise different muscle groups. The stations consist of free weight exercises, exercise machines or a combination of both. You complete a set of repetitions at each station, and move on to the next station with only a limited amount of rest. According to bodybuilding.com, the purpose of circuit weight training is to keep your heart rate elevated enough so that you burn fat. A circuit is completed when you have performed a set at each station. However, you will burn more fat by completing more than one circuit.
Super Sets
Super sets are another method of intensifying your workouts, says Bodybuilding.com. A super set consists of performing a set on one muscle group, then performing a set on a different muscle group without resting. For example, a super set could consist of a set of bicep curls and a set of tricep pressdowns. Super sets can be applied to any routine that includes multiple exercises per muscle group. Also, an entire workout can consist of super sets.
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