How to Create a Gym Exercise Routine for Women (Plus Examples)

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Certified personal trainer Monica Morris offers tips for creating a routine, increasing weight & more

Co-authored by Monica Morris and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: January 14, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Creating a Gym Routine
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• Best Gym Schedule
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• Beginner Gym Routines
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• Gym Routine Tips

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If you're a woman looking for an exercise routine to follow at the gym, but don't know where to start, you've come to the right place! This article will explain how to create a gym routine for a woman, share examples of beginner exercise routines, and offer tips for maximizing your workout. We'll also share expert advice on which exercises to choose, how many reps to do, and more from real-life personal trainers.

What is a good gym workout for women?

Certified personal trainer Monica Morris says to figure out what you want to accomplish by working out first. Then, try one of these sample gym routines targeted to your specific goal:

• For toning muscles: 1-3 sets of rows, bicep curls, squats, and lunges
• For building strength: 1-3 sets of bench presses, pull-ups, deadlifts, and leg presses
• For losing weight: 1-3 sets of back squats, deadlifts, burpees, and dumbbell rows

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

How to Create a Gym Routine as a Woman

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   Define your fitness goals. "First, figure out what [you're] trying to accomplish," says Morris. Do you want to tone your muscles, build strength, lose weight, or some combination of the three? Defining your goals is key to figuring out which exercises to focus on and how many reps to do during your routine.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Monica Morris is a certified personal trainer with over 15 years of experience. Her workouts emphasize proper warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretching techniques.

   Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT, is a registered dietitian and personal trainer with over 8 years of experience helping individuals and communities achieve milestones in managing their weight and preventing disease.

   Laila Ajani is a fitness trainer with over 10 years of experience. Her expertise lies in competitive athletics, personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting.

   Alex Robles, MD, NASM, is a certified personal trainer who specializes in helping busy professionals get strong, build muscle, and lose fat.
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   Prioritize exercises that will help you meet your fitness goals. For example, if you're looking to build your leg muscles, registered dietician and personal trainer Melody Sayers, MS, RD, NASM-CPT, says you must work out your entire lower body. "The best lower body exercises include squats, lunges, deadlifts, leg presses, glute bridges, hamstring curls, calf raises, and adductor and abductor movements." But if you want to target your arm strength, bicep curls, pull-ups, and other upper-body exercises will serve your needs better.
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   Set up a workout schedule and commit to it. "I think setting up a schedule is probably the most efficient way [to maintain consistency]," says fitness trainer Laila Ajani. Check your calendar and mark out days each week when you plan to go to the gym. Just to be gentle to yourself if you have to take a day off for some reason, Ajani adds.
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Section 2 of 4:

Best Gym Schedule for Women

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   Lift weights for 3 days, do cardio for 3 days, and rest for 1 day. Ajani recommends strength training for 3 days, then doing cardio for 3 days. Cardio exercises that Ajani says will get your heart rate up are jogging, hiking, using the Stairmaster at the gym, or riding a bike. Take 1-2 rest days in between, or as many as needed to help your sore muscles recover.

Section 3 of 4:

Beginner Gym Routines for Women

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   Gym Routine for Toning Muscles According to certified personal trainer Alex Robles, MD, NASM, "when someone says that they want to tone, essentially, what they want to do is they want to lose fat, and build a little bit of muscle." If you have one specific area you want to tone, like your arms or your legs, Dr. Robles suggests incorporating exercises that focus on those muscle groups. To avoid getting too bulky, Ajani recommends sticking to 8-10 reps per exercise. Here are some sample gym routines for toning different areas of your body.

   • Upper body workout: 1-3 sets of rows, lateral raises, bicep curls, and tricep extensions, 8-10 reps each set
   • Lower body workout: 1-3 sets of squats, lunges, deadlifts, and hamstring curls, 8-10 reps each set
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   Gym Routine for Building Strength To build muscle and strength, Dr. Robles suggests focusing on compound exercises. These are exercises that target whole muscle groups instead of isolating a specific area. To safely increase the weight you can lift, Morris recommends splitting an exercise into three sets of reps. The first set of reps, lift a light weight for 12 reps. For the next set, lift a slightly heavier weight for 10 reps. Finally, lift your most challenging weight for 8 reps. Below are an upper and lower body workout routine you can try:

   • Upper body workout: 1-3 sets of bench presses, pull-ups, push-ups, and overhead presses, 8-10 reps each set
   • Lower body workout: 1-3 sets of deadlifts, hip thrusts, leg presses, and barbell squats, 8-10 reps each set
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   Gym Routine for Losing Weight To shed excess fat, you must perform calorie-burning exercises to create a calorie deficit in your body. A calorie deficit is when you burn more calories than you take in from your food. According to personal trainer and gym owner Scott Yonehiro, the exercises that burn the most calories are back squats, deadlifts, and burpees. Focus on working out your entire body. According to personal trainer and strength coach Brendon Rearick, "an overall loss in body fat" is the most effective strategy for losing weight in a specific area (like your back or your thighs). Here's a sample weight loss gym routine.

   • Full body workout: 1-3 sets of back squats, deadlifts, burpees, and dumbbell rows, 8-10 reps each
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Section 4 of 4:

Tips for Maximizing Your Gym Routine

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   Warm up for 5-10 minutes before each workout by walking or jumping rope. Morris says that walking, jogging, or jumping rope for 5-10 minutes before your workout is a great way to warm up. Warming up gets your blood flowing, gradually increases your heart rate, and loosens up your muscles, so you're less likely to injure yourself.
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   Cool down for 5-10 minutes after your workout with stretches. Weight training makes your heart beat faster and harder. It also widens your blood vessels. Stopping too fast can make you feel sick and woozy, but doing stretches for 5-10 minutes can help make the transition to rest mode easier. It also helps reduce lactic acid buildup in your muscles, thereby reducing soreness and stiffness.
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   Eat a nutritious diet. Working out at the gym often isn't enough to help you meet your fitness goals, especially if your goals are to tone muscles or lose fat. In fact, Ajani says that diet is almost 80% of toning, while the other 20% is exercise. Focus on eating plenty of protein in the form of lean meat, along with healthy carbs like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and healthy fats such as avocados and eggs.
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