Easy Exercise For Weight Loss
How to Lose Weight at the Gym
Resistance Training for Weight Loss
Resistance Training for Beginners
1. Incline Push-Up
2. Air Squat
3. Forearm Plank
4. Reverse Lunge
Tip
5. Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
Tip
6. Sumo Squat
7. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Weight Loss Gym Routine Female
The sample female fat loss workout plan below is a 5-day plan, with 4 days of strength training and one day of cardio. I also provided the option for a sixth day to do some active recovery, but you should take at least one full day off from the gym per week.
My favorite way to train during a fat loss phase is to follow an upper/lower split. Each training day will focus on upper or lower body exercises only, and you’ll train the upper and lower body each twice per week.
I also like to have each day focused on one main compound movement, so each day will prioritize squats, bench presses, deadlifts, or overhead presses. The rest of the movements that follow target the other lower or upper body muscle groups such as the hamstrings and calves or biceps and triceps.
For the first compound movement of each day, I recommend selecting a weight that feels like a 6-7 RPE. This should be around 70-75% of your 1RM. If you don’t have a current 1RM, go by how you feel, but be very honest with yourself. Avoid training to failure, as you’ll want to leave 2-3 reps in the tank so you can keep increasing weight each week.
For the accessory movements, you can aim for an RPE of 8-9. Since you’re working smaller muscle groups, the exercises won’t be as taxing, and you can afford to push the intensity a bit. However, I would still advise you to leave 1-3 reps in reserve. And if your energy levels are low in the later weeks of your cut, feel free to scale these movements back to an RPE of 6-7.
If you can easily complete all sets and reps for any given exercise, bump up the weight the next week. If you struggle to complete all of the work or if the RPE feels more difficult than it should, keep the weight the same the next week.
Day 1 – Lower Body and Core
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Back squats | 3 | 6 |
Hip thrusts | 3 | 8 |
Bulgarian split squat | 4 | 8-10 each leg |
Lying hamstring curl | 4 | 10-12 |
Seated calf raises | 4 | 12-15 |
Planks | 3 | 60 seconds |
Day 2 – Upper Body
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Bench press | 3 | 6 |
Pendlay row | 3 | 8 |
Seated dumbbell press | 3 | 8-10 |
Pull-ups | 4 | 8-10 |
Bicep curls | 4 | 12-15 |
Skull crushers | 4 | 12-15 |
Day 3 – Rest or active recovery
Do no more than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio such as cycling or rowing. You can also use this day to work on mobility or get 8,000 – 10,000 steps.
Day 4 – Lower Body and Core
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Deadlifts | 3 | 6 |
Walking lunges | 3 | 8-10 each leg |
Good mornings | 4 | 8-10 |
Standing calf raises | 4 | 12-15 |
Ab wheel rollouts | 3 | 8-10 |
Day 5 – Upper Body
Exercise | Sets | Reps |
---|---|---|
Overhead press | 3 | 6-8 |
Incline DB bench press | 3 | 8-10 |
Lateral raises | 3 | 8-10 |
Hammer curls | 4 | 12-15 |
Tricep extensions | 4 | 12-15 |
Days 6 – Moderate-intensity cardio
Perform a maximum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio. This could be by jogging, using the elliptical machine, rowing, or going on an easy hike.
Day 7 – Rest day
This should be a complete day of rest. Mobility work and getting in your daily steps are fine, but avoid doing any kind of exercise in which you’re overexerting yourself.
How Much Fat Can You Expect To Lose?
How much fat you can expect to lose when following a fat loss program depends on several factors. How high of a body fat percentage you’re starting with, what kind of training you do, how you eat, your stress levels, genetics, and how active you are outside of the gym can all affect how successful you’ll be.
In terms of weight on the scale, you should aim for a loss of 0.5-1lbs per week. This is a sustainable approach because you likely won’t have to cut your calories too low from the start, and it will ensure that you preserve as much muscle mass as possible.
Body fat percentage is harder to measure unless you can go somewhere that has a DEXA machine or hydrostatic weighing mechanism in which you go underwater while sitting on a scale. But if you can measure it, a reasonable goal to shoot for is to lose 1-3% of body fat per month.
If you start at a high body fat percentage, your results may be at the higher end of that scale. If you’re already somewhat lean, your results may be at the lower end of that scale.
Diet Considerations for a Female Fat Loss Plan
In order to lose fat, you need to eat in a calorie deficit, meaning you need to eat fewer calories than you burn.
However, while I know you’ll likely want to start your fat loss phase right away, you shouldn’t start blindly trying to reduce the amount of food you’re eating each day. Before you officially begin your fat loss plan, I recommend figuring out your maintenance calories first.
Maintenance calories refer to the number of calories you can eat each day without gaining weight. Women, in particular, tend to undereat without even realizing it, which is why it’s important to get a true understanding of your maintenance calories before you enter a fat loss phase.
By doing this, you may find that you can maintain your weight while eating more than you initially thought. You’ll then be able to start your calorie deficit at a higher daily calorie limit, which will make your fat loss diet easier to sustain.
There are a few different ways you can determine your maintenance calories:
- Use an online calculator to determine your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)
- Use an online nutrition calculator such as Precision Nutrition’s macro calculator
- Tracking your calories for 1-2 weeks in an app like MyFitnessPal to gauge how much you’re currently eating. If you think you could be eating more, you may wish to gradually increase your daily calories by 100-200 every week over the course of 2-3 weeks while monitoring your weight. If you can keep increasing your calories more and more without gaining weight, it’s a sign that you were inadvertently depriving yourself before.
How To Determine Your Macro Breakdown For A Fat Loss Phase
Once you know how many calories you can eat per day without gaining weight, you can begin to adjust your daily calorie intake so you’re in a calorie deficit. A good rule of thumb is to start by reducing your calories by 200-300 per day.
However, while your total calorie intake is the most important number to focus on, eating the right macros throughout the day can also help you achieve the most optimal results.
Macros, short for macronutrients, refers to the three main nutrients in your diet: protein, fat, and carbs. Getting enough of each macro during a fat loss phase is essential because it gives you energy for your workouts, keeps you satiated for longer, and helps with recovery from training.
Every female is different, so you may need to experiment with a different macro breakdown until you find one that makes you feel your best during your fat loss phase. However, you can use the below guidelines as a starting point:
Protein
Eating enough protein is necessary during a fat loss phase because it helps prevent you from losing the lean muscle mass you already have. You should aim to eat at least 0.8g of protein per pound of body weight each day. So if you weigh 160lbs, you should eat at least 128g of protein.
Carbs
Carbs are arguably the most demonized macro, but they’re necessary for active females so you have enough energy for your workouts and can recover properly.
Carbs can take up anywhere from 40-50% of your total daily calories depending on how active you are. If you’re relatively sedentary outside of the gym, you may want to lean towards the lower end of that range. If you lift weights for 2+ hours and have a physical job, your carb intake should be at the higher end of that range.
If you’re aiming to eat 2,000 calories per day with 40% of those coming from carbs, 800 calories should come from carbs. This would equal 200g of carbs per day because there are 4 calories in each gram of carb and 800 ÷ 4 = 200.
Fats
Eating enough dietary fat is essential for hormone health. Fats should take up at least 25% of your overall calories. Using the same example from above of eating 2,000 calories per day, 400 of those calories should come from fat sources. This equals about 55-56g of fat per day because there are 9 calories in each gram of fat and 400 ÷ 9 = 55.5.
How Do You Know When To Decrease Calories Further?
During a fat loss phase, it’s important to track your weight at least 3 days per week and take your average weight for the week to determine whether or not you need to decrease your calories.
This is because your weight will rarely stay exactly the same from one day to the next. What you ate and drank the day before, how well you slept, and what kind of training you did the day before can cause your scale weight to go up or down by a couple of pounds.
Where you are in your menstrual cycle will also affect your weight. Bloating and water retention from PMS can cause temporary increases on the scale. If you cut your calories based on one weigh-in the day before your period starts, you could be eating fewer calories than necessary.
I also recommend waiting at least two weeks before making any significant changes to your diet. When I’ve been in fat loss phases in the past, I’ve sometimes gone 2-3 weeks without dropping a single pound, and then I’ll suddenly lose 2-4 pounds without changing a thing.
So as hard as it is to do, you’ll need to stay patient. Rushing to cut your calories too quickly can make your diet more difficult to stick to. You’ll be more likely to succumb to food cravings or skip your workouts because you’re too tired to get them done.
It’s also important to note that when decreasing calories, you should keep your protein levels the same and cut calories from carbs or fats first to avoid the risk of losing too much muscle mass.
How Long Should You Stay In A Calorie Deficit?
I recommend ending a fat loss phase after about 12-16 weeks. Eating in a deficit is a stress on your body, and combined with working out on top of your other daily responsibilities, it can be difficult for your body to handle all of that stress for a long period of time.
After 12-16 weeks, you should slowly start to increase your calories again until you’ve reached a new maintenance point. Each week, you should increase your daily calories by 100-200 per day until you can determine how much you can eat without gaining weight.
With all that said, if your calorie deficit isn’t too aggressive, you still have plenty of energy, and your workouts aren’t suffering, you can extend the length of your calorie deficit.
However, if you do decide to extend your cut, I’d recommend taking a one-week diet break every 6-8 weeks. Temporarily increasing your calories for a week can give your body some relief from the stress of eating in a calorie deficit. Just be sure to continue making smart food choices and keep up with your training so you don’t negate your progress during that week.
What Supplements Should Females Take During A Fat Loss Phase?
While social media fitness influencers, health and nutrition stores, and some professional athletes may have you believe otherwise, you don’t need a ton of supplements when you’re trying to lose fat.
The most important supplements you should take when you’re following a fat loss program are:
- Caffeine
- Protein powder
- Creatine
Caffeine
Whether you drink coffee or like to take a preworkout supplement before your training session, caffeine can give you the energy you need to get through your workout. For the most optimal effects on training, you should consume caffeine about 40-60 minutes before training.
If you decide to take a preworkout, you should be mindful of dosing as too much caffeine can disrupt your sleep, make you jittery, or cause an increase in heart rate or blood pressure.
The majority of preworkout supplements on the market will list dosage amounts on the label. I wouldn’t recommend taking any more than what’s listed on the label, but you can take less if you’re sensitive to caffeine.
Protein Powder
Active females, especially those who lift weights, have higher protein requirements than others. It can be difficult to consume all of the protein you need through food alone, which is why protein powder is beneficial.
Most protein powders have 20-30g of protein per serving. Whey protein is most common, but you can also get plant-based or other non-dairy protein powders if you can’t eat dairy.
It’s also important to note that protein shouldn’t be used as a meal replacement for every single meal. There’s nothing wrong with using it for a breakfast on the go every once in a while, but you should still consume whole food sources as much as possible.
Creatine
Creatine is one of the most highly researched supplements. Studies show that it can help improve strength, increase muscle mass, and improve power output on high-intensity exercises.
Creatine is an amino acid that’s found naturally in muscle cells. It can also be found in protein sources such as red meat and seafood, though you’d need to eat a significant amount of both to get to the recommended 5g of creatine per day.
Creatine yields the greatest results when it’s taken post-workout, but you can take it at any time of the day.
Final Thoughts
Most female fat loss plans are too vague and lack proper guidance when it comes to exercise selection, load management, training intensity and frequency, and how to properly fuel your body.
But to achieve the best results, you need to structure your workout plan and diet properly. Lifting weights, eating in a calorie deficit, and doing 30 minutes of cardio 2-3 days per week are your best bets for seeing results. You should also prioritize protein as much as possible and increase your NEAT throughout the day to accelerate your fat loss.