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A beginner workout plan for women

Three gym sessions a week on machines, with the exact exercises, sets and reps for your first month and what to do after.

By Alan7 min readPublished

The short version

Lift three days a week on machines. Each session trains your whole body with five exercises of 3 sets each, and takes about 40 minutes.

Spend the first two weeks learning the machines and finding your weights. From week three, add a little weight whenever a set gets easy.

The plan at a glance

Train on three days with a rest day between, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The three sessions are different, so across a week you hit your legs, glutes, back, chest, shoulders and core from a few angles.

Every exercise here is on a machine. Machines guide the path of the weight, so you can focus on how the movement should feel and push hard without needing a spotter. It's the same plan as LiftCamp's Machines Only routine, so you can follow it set by set in the app.

Day 1

5 exercises · ~40 min

  1. Leg Press3 × 8-10
  2. Chest Press Machine3 × 8-10
  3. Lat Pulldown3 × 8-10
  4. Seated Hamstring Curl3 × 10-12
  5. Ab Crunch Machine3 × 12-15

Day 2

5 exercises · ~40 min

  1. Hack Squat3 × 8-10
  2. Seated Row Machine3 × 8-10
  3. Shoulder Press Machine3 × 8-10
  4. Leg Extension3 × 10-12
  5. Standing Calf Raise3 × 12-15

Day 3

5 exercises · ~40 min

  1. Hip Thrust Machine3 × 8-10
  2. Incline Chest Press Machine3 × 8-10
  3. High Row Machine3 × 8-10
  4. Lying Hamstring Curl3 × 10-12
  5. Abductor Machine3 × 10-12

Rest about 2 minutes after the first three exercises of each day and about a minute after the last two.

Your first month

Weeks 1 and 2. Learn the machines. Set the seat and pads before your first set, and start light enough that every rep feels smooth. Write down the weight and reps for each exercise, because those numbers are your starting point.

Weeks 3 and 4. Start adding weight. When you hit the top of the rep range on all 3 sets, move the pin down one plate next time. On most machines that's 5 to 10 lb. Some weeks you'll go up on most exercises, and some weeks on only a couple. Both are progress.

Expect to feel sore a day or two after your first few sessions. It fades within a couple of weeks as your body gets used to the work. The soreness guide explains what's normal.

Picking your weights

The right weight is one where the last two reps of a set are hard but your form still looks the same as the first rep. If you could easily do five more, it's too light. If the last reps turn into a struggle or your body starts to twist, it's too heavy.

Machines vary a lot between gyms, so a number on one leg press means little on another. The starting weight guide has a simple way to find yours on the first day.

After the first month

Keep running the same three days for another month or two. The plan keeps working as long as your weights keep creeping up.

When the machines feel familiar, move to a plan with free weights. If you want more glute and leg work, Glute Focus trains your lower body twice a week. If you want an all-round plan, the 3-day full body routine builds around squats, presses and rows. And if you're worried about getting bigger, here's why lifting won't make you bulky.

Start the Machines Only routine. The same three sessions as this guide, set by set, with your weights saved for next time.

Next step, Glute Focus. Two lower body days and one upper day, built on hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts and split squats.

Training at home? Dumbbell Only. Three full body sessions with a pair of dumbbells and a bench.

Beginner workout plan FAQ

How many days a week should a beginner woman lift?

Three is the sweet spot. It trains every muscle often enough to make steady progress and leaves a rest day between sessions. Two days a week still works if that's what fits.

Should women train differently from men?

Not really. Muscles respond to the same training whoever they belong to. This plan is the same one that works for any beginner, with a little more glute work because most women ask for it.

Should I do cardio as well?

If you enjoy it, yes. Walking, cycling or a class on your rest days is good for your heart and won't slow your progress in the weight room. Lifting comes first if you only have time for one.

Will this plan make me bulky?

No. Muscle comes on slowly, and a look most people would call bulky takes years of training and eating for that goal. In your first months you'll mostly get stronger.

Why machines instead of free weights?

Machines guide the movement, so you can focus on learning how each exercise should feel and pushing hard safely. Free weights come in once you have a few months of training behind you.

A free workout tracker for your phone

LiftCamp remembers every set you log, so next week it shows you what you lifted last time and you pick the weight in 2 seconds. Free on iPhone.

Download on the App StoreBrowse the exercise library

Free on iPhone. Coming to Android.

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