Exercise Routines for Women

A routine is anything you do with regular frequency. In terms of exercise, a routine is a plan you follow weekly to achieve your fitness goals or to maintain your overall health.

The Centers for Disease Control provides guidelines for recommended adult physical activity as follows:

• 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as walking fast, aerobic water exercises, or riding a bike

PLUS

• Two sessions a week of muscle-strengthening activities like weight lifting, yoga, or using exercise bands

Seems easier to get started if one has a target - something to strive towards. Using these recommendations as a gauge, the next step would be to find the sorts of routines you can add to your daily plan that are both appealing to you and challenging at your current level of activity.

I've included routines for all fitness levels from beginners to advanced. Browse through the descriptions and play the videos that interest you the most.

Because I'm a bit of a nerd, I wrote down almost every single gym workout I did from January 17, 2001, through November 16, 2001. At least six months of those workouts were with the help of a personal trainer and without my little notebook, I would have been lost on my own. So I thought I'd post a few of those gym workouts below in case you find the mix of exercises is something you could use. Each workout listed below was one separate session at the gym and each exercise required 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

LEGS
Squats
Leg Lifts (front)
Leg Lifts (back)
Calf Lifts
Thigh Abductors

CHEST & TRICEPS
Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Incline Press
Dumbbell Decline Press
Rope Pull Downs
Tricep Overhead Raises

BACK & BICEPS
Behind the Head Pull Downs
Low Pulls with Cable
Dumbbell Pulls
Straight Bar Curls

SHOULDERS & TRAPS
Military Press
Side Raises with Dumbbell
Should Pull Ups
Shrugs

If your goal is a flat, toned stomach and you've struggled to make that happen, the Truth About Six Pack Abs might be just the program for you.

It's more than just a set of core exercises for women. It's a complete package that explains WHY you might not have been able to see the results you wanted with previous core workouts and how to get the results you'd hoped for. It's a very popular program and covers the importance of healthy eating with a combination of core exercises to get the best results.

Years ago, I started working out at home with a small set of hand weights. I think had a pair each of 2lbs, 5lbs, and 10lbs weights in those bright colors and soft, plastic-coated covers. They work really well, but as I got stronger, I needed more weights and I didn't really want a huge weight bench in the house. (I have one now - three boys in the house will do that to you.)

I moved up to a set of adjustable weights I purchased at Walmart for something like $30. It was a pair of weights adjustable in 2lb increments up to 24 lbs a piece. It had a metal pin that locked the right number of plates on to the dumbbell. The holes for the pin, however, didn't always line up right and having to adjust them between sets became a pain - especially when one of the dumbbell frames became bent. However, for $30, that set did its job for well over a year.

Then, I begged my husband for the Bowflex SelectTech set. It's pricey but a whole lot cheaper than those 6 years I paid for the gym membership I didn't use. Smart guy made it my Christmas present, which was fine by me. I love it. The dials are smooth even after all the use they get. I can dial up to 50 lbs per dumbbell, giving me a lot more flexibility to use the set for presses and squats. The 2009 model is out now.

Great fat burning DVD!

By far, my favorite workout DVDs are the ones put out by Crunch, the gym and fitness center that launched out of NYC. They're well known for making workouts fun and entertaining and the music is always motivating.

I have had the Crunch Dance Party DVD for years. Whenever I hit a plateau and can't seem to break past it, or if I've "mysteriously" gained a few pounds (I know, who am I kidding? I know exactly where they came from), I add in a session or two a week of Dance Party and it seems to do the trick.