Strength training routine for women: a 2-3 day plan without the myths

The “getting bulky” myth, with numbers

Muscle grows in response to training, and testosterone amplifies that response. From puberty onwards, men have more than 15 times the circulating testosterone of women (Handelsman et al., Endocrine Reviews, 2018), and that difference explains much of the gap in muscle mass between the sexes. The interesting part is that, in relative terms, women respond just as well: the meta-analysis by Roberts et al. (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2020) found no sex differences in muscle growth or lower-body strength, and in upper-body strength women improved proportionally more. But proportional does not mean huge. For reference, in the STRRIDE AT/RT trial, 8 months of lifting 3 days a week added 1.1 kg of lean mass on average in adults of both sexes (Willis, 2012). Building muscle is slow for everyone.

The routine: 3 full-body days

Three non-consecutive sessions (for example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday). On each exercise, work in the given range leaving 1-2 reps in reserve: you could do one or two more, not five. Rest 90-120 seconds on the big lifts and 60-90 on the small ones:

2-day version

If you only have two days, alternate two complete sessions with 3 sets per exercise. Two days a week already meets the WHO strength recommendation (Bull et al., 2020):

• DAY 1 — Squat 3 × 8-12 · Dumbbell bench press 3 × 8-12 · Dumbbell row 3 × 8-12 · Hip thrust 3 × 8-12 · Plank 3 × 30-45 s.
• DAY 2 — Romanian deadlift 3 × 8-12 · Shoulder press 3 × 8-12 · Lat pulldown 3 × 8-12 · Lunges 3 × 8-12 per leg · Lateral raises 2 × 12-15.
• Warm-up in both versions: 5 minutes of easy cardio and 1-2 light sets of the first exercise.
• If you are starting from zero, the full-body workout routine for beginners explains the technique of each movement and how to approach the first weeks.

How to progress week by week

Progressive overload is the mechanism: if you do the same every week, you maintain, but you do not move forward. In the meta-analysis by Hagstrom et al. (Sports Medicine, 2020), with 24 studies in women only, strength training produced large gains in strength and moderate gains in muscle size, and frequency and volume were what most influenced the strength gained. The simplest way to progress is double progression:

• Choose a weight you can lift for 8 reps leaving 1-2 in reserve.
• Each session, try to add one rep to some set.
• Once you complete every set at 12 with good technique, add weight: about 2-5 kg on squats, Romanian deadlifts or hip thrusts, and 1-2 kg (or the next pair of dumbbells) on shoulders and arms. Go back to 8.
• Log your weights and reps: without a record, progression is just a feeling.
• To track your strength without testing maxes, estimate your 1RM from a multi-rep set with the 1RM calculator every 4-6 weeks.

Protein: how much you need

The meta-analysis by Morton et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018), with 49 trials and 1,863 participants, found that protein boosted the strength and lean-mass gains from training, but that above about 1.62 g per kilo per day there was no further benefit for lean mass. In practice, about 1.6 g/kg/day: about 97 g for a 60 kg woman or 113 g for a 70 kg woman, split over 3-4 meals. Work out your number with the protein calculator.

The menstrual cycle: what the evidence says

Planning training around cycle phases is popular, but the evidence behind it is weak. The meta-analysis by McNulty et al. (Sports Medicine, 2020), with 78 studies, found at most a trivial drop in performance in the early follicular phase (the days of your period), with low-quality evidence, and concluded that no general guidelines can be given: an individual approach is better. The review of reviews by Colenso-Semple et al. (2023) went further: it is premature to claim that the hormonal fluctuations of the cycle change the strength or muscle you gain from training.

Your bones and menopause

After menopause, falling oestrogen speeds up bone loss and raises the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Bone responds to load, and the LIFTMOR trial (Watson et al., Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2018) tested it where it feels most daunting: 101 postmenopausal women with low bone mass, aged 65 on average. After 8 months of supervised high-intensity training (two 30-minute sessions a week, 5 sets of 5 reps above 85% of their maximum), lumbar spine bone density rose 2.9% and femoral neck density 0.3%, compared with drops of 1.2% and 1.9% in the gentle home-exercise group, with better physical function and only one minor adverse event. If you already have osteoporosis, this kind of training should start under professional supervision.