Effective fitness routines for women work major muscle groups on alternate days to prevent muscle strain and potential injury. A well-rounded routine contains all elements of a fitness workout including cardiovascular, upper body, lower body and abdominal muscles. Check with your doctor first, since not all routines and exercises may be appropriate for your condition.
Warm Ups
Effective fitness routines for women must include warming up your muscles in preparation for your exercise regime. Warming muscles reduces the risk of injury, reduces stiffness and improves flexibility. Gently moving your entire body while doing aerobic maneuvers gives your muscles a chance to warm up while increasing blood circulation throughout your body. Choose activities such as walking at a comfortable pace, bicycling at a comfortable pedaling speed or running in place. Start your warm up for 2 minutes and gradually increase to 7 minutes, according to Weight Loss and Training.com.
Concentrated Cardio
Setting aside an entire two days for doing only cardiovascular exercise works as an effective fitness routine for women such as Jennifer Lopez, according to Weight Loss & Training.com. Choose your favorite endurance activity such as walking, jogging, skiing, dancing or bicycling. Start out performing the activity for 10 minutes at a moderately-brisk level that has you becoming breathless, but still able to carry on a conversation. Gradually increase time in 5-minute increments until you reach a goal of 30 minutes daily.
Core Workouts
Effective fitness routines for women need to include core exercises to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Set aside two days weekly to work on your core muscles. Strengthen your abdominal muscles by doing some ball crunches. Sit on an exercise ball, placing your feet firmly on the floor. Roll the ball backward until your back is supported by the ball. Place your hands behind your head. Tighten your abdominal muscles. Slowly bend your upper body forward and hold for 5 seconds. Return to original position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Upper Body Workouts
An effective fitness routine for women can work the upper body on the same day as core muscle exercises. After doing your ball crunches, work on strengthening your upper arms by doing some bicep curls. Start by either standing with feet shoulder-width apart or sitting upright in a firm chair. Place a 5-lb. weight in each hand, palms facing away from your body. While keeping your elbows at your side, bend your elbow and slowly lift weight toward the ceiling and hold for 10 seconds. Slowly return to original position and relax for 10 seconds. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Lower Body Workouts
Effective fitness routines for women work out lower body muscles on days that upper body and core muscles take a break. Individuals of all ages can simultaneously strengthen quadriceps and abdominal muscles by doing chair-based leg squats. Sit upright in a firm chair. Cross your arms over your chest and lean back. Slowly inhale and scoot forward while extending your arms in front of you. Slowly exhale and shift your body weight to your feet while slightly bending your knees. Hold this position for 10 seconds and then slowly return to the sitting position. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
Cool Downs
Effective fitness routines for women must include cool-down periods to return your muscles to everyday functioning levels and reduce injury risks. Walk on a treadmill for 5 minutes, do an overhead stretch that lifts your arms toward the ceiling or some gentle hamstring stretches as part of your cool down.
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