We know looking good makes us feel good so how do we get there. For every woman that is different and choosing the best workout type for your goals can feel overwhelming with so many options out there, but once you get clear on your objectives, it becomes much easier to find the perfect fit. Here’s a guide to help you figure out which workout type is best for your specific goals, whether you’re aiming for strength, weight loss, flexibility, or stress relief.
1. If Your Goal Is Weight Loss
For burning calories and shedding body fat, high-intensity workouts or those that combine strength and cardio tend to be most effective. These workouts elevate your heart rate, boost metabolism, and maximize calorie burn during and after your workout.
Best Workouts for Weight Loss:
- HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): Alternating short bursts of intense activity with brief recovery periods. HIIT burns a lot of calories in a short period and keeps your metabolism revved up for hours after the workout.
- Examples: Burpees, jump squats, sprint intervals.
- Cardio (Running, Cycling, Swimming): Traditional cardio is still a great option if you’re focused on fat burning. It helps you build endurance and can be done at a moderate pace for longer durations.
- Examples: Jogging, cycling, rowing, swimming.
- Circuit Training: A mix of strength and cardio, circuit training burns fat while building muscle. The combination of exercises keeps your heart rate up, leading to greater fat loss.
- Examples: A mix of squats, push-ups, lunges, jumping jacks.
- CrossFit: Intense, full-body workouts involving weightlifting, gymnastics, and metabolic conditioning. CrossFit emphasizes strength and conditioning, perfect for those looking for fat loss and muscle gain.
- Examples: Deadlifts, box jumps, kettlebell swings.
2. If Your Goal Is Building Muscle (Hypertrophy)
For increasing muscle size, you’ll need a workout that focuses on strength training with progressive overload (gradually increasing the weight or intensity). These workouts emphasize heavy weights, low reps, and compound movements.
Best Workouts for Building Muscle:
- Strength Training (Weightlifting): Targeting all major muscle groups with free weights, dumbbells, and machines. Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
- Examples: Squats, deadlifts, bench press, shoulder press, pull-ups.
- Bodybuilding: A type of weight training focused on building muscle mass and achieving an aesthetic physique. It involves a combination of compound and isolation exercises, usually with moderate to heavy weights.
- Examples: Bicep curls, leg press, chest fly, lat pull-down.
- Powerlifting: Focuses on lifting the maximum amount of weight for three primary movements: squat, deadlift, and bench press. This builds strength, though it might not increase muscle size as quickly as bodybuilding.
- Examples: Squat, deadlift, bench press.
- Plyometrics (for explosive power): Though not traditionally for hypertrophy, explosive movements can help with building fast-twitch muscle fibers and improving strength. Great for athletes or those aiming for functional power.
- Examples: Box jumps, jump squats, kettlebell swings.
3. If Your Goal Is Toning (Lean Muscle)
If you’re looking to create a lean, sculpted look with a balance of fat loss and muscle definition, you’ll want to focus on a combination of resistance training, cardio, and full-body workouts.
Best Workouts for Toning:
- Pilates: Focuses on low-impact strength, flexibility, and body alignment, helping you sculpt lean muscle without bulking up. Great for toning your core, legs, and arms.
- Examples: Pilates mat work, reformer Pilates.
- Yoga: Excellent for increasing flexibility, strength, and balance, yoga helps create lean muscle without adding bulk. It’s perfect for toning the body through controlled movements and mindful stretching.
- Examples: Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga yoga.
- Circuit Training: A combination of resistance training and cardio, circuit training works your muscles while keeping your heart rate elevated for fat burning. It’s a great way to build strength while staying lean.
- Examples: Push-ups, squats, dumbbell rows, kettlebell swings.
- Bodyweight Training: Exercises using your body weight (like push-ups, squats, lunges, and planks) are fantastic for toning and building lean muscle.
- Examples: Squats, lunges, push-ups, tricep dips.
4. If Your Goal Is Flexibility & Mobility
To increase flexibility, joint mobility, and range of motion, you’ll want to focus on exercises that emphasize stretching, yoga, and slow, controlled movements.
Best Workouts for Flexibility:
- Yoga: One of the best practices for increasing flexibility, yoga combines breathing with dynamic stretching to open up the body. Yoga styles like Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin are particularly beneficial for flexibility.
- Examples: Downward Dog, Forward Fold, Pigeon Pose.
- Stretching: Static and dynamic stretching routines can improve flexibility by lengthening muscles and improving joint mobility. Include full-body stretching routines that target your major muscle groups.
- Examples: Hamstring stretches, shoulder stretches, hip openers.
- Foam Rolling & Myofascial Release: While not a “workout” in the traditional sense, foam rolling can help improve muscle flexibility and reduce soreness by targeting tight areas and breaking down muscle adhesions.
- Examples: Rolling your quads, calves, and IT band.
- Pilates: Focuses on lengthening muscles and improving posture. Many Pilates moves are designed to enhance mobility and flexibility while building core strength.
- Examples: Spine twists, leg circles, the Saw.
5. If Your Goal Is Improving Endurance or Stamina
For boosting cardiovascular endurance and stamina, you’ll want to focus on activities that challenge your aerobic system, forcing your heart and lungs to work harder for extended periods.
Best Workouts for Endurance:
- Running (or Jogging): The classic choice for building cardiovascular endurance. Long-distance running or interval sprints help improve aerobic capacity.
- Examples: Long runs, interval sprints, tempo runs.
- Cycling: Whether outdoors or on a stationary bike, cycling builds leg endurance and improves cardiovascular fitness. It’s easier on the joints than running, making it a great option for many.
- Examples: Long-distance rides, cycling classes, interval sprints.
- Swimming: A low-impact, full-body workout that challenges your cardiovascular system and builds endurance while being easy on the joints.
- Examples: Freestyle laps, butterfly stroke, interval training.
- Rowing: Provides a full-body workout while enhancing cardiovascular endurance. Rowing also targets the back, shoulders, and legs.
- Examples: 30-minute steady rowing, sprint intervals.
6. If Your Goal Is Stress Relief & Mental Health
Workouts that focus on mindfulness, relaxation, and stress reduction help reduce anxiety, improve mood, and enhance overall well-being.
Best Workouts for Stress Relief:
- Yoga: Yoga not only improves flexibility and strength but also helps calm the mind and reduce stress. The focus on breathing and mindfulness can have a profound impact on mental health.
- Examples: Hatha, Restorative, or Yin Yoga.
- Walking: Simple, low-impact, and accessible, walking has been shown to reduce stress, boost mood, and clear the mind. It’s a great way to de-stress without pushing your body too hard.
- Examples: Nature walks, brisk walks, mindful walks.
- Tai Chi or Qigong: These slow, flowing movements are designed to relax the mind, improve balance, and enhance energy flow throughout the body.
- Examples: Tai Chi sequences, Qigong breathing exercises.
- Meditation or Breathwork: Not a “workout” in the traditional sense, but breathing exercises, guided meditations, or deep breathing techniques are fantastic for reducing stress and improving mental clarity.
- Examples: Deep belly breathing, box breathing, mindfulness meditation.
Bottom Line:
The best workout for your goals really depends on your specific objectives. Here’s a quick cheat sheet to help you choose:
- Weight Loss: HIIT, cardio, CrossFit, circuit training.
- Building Muscle: Weightlifting, bodybuilding, powerlifting, plyometrics.
- Toning (Lean Muscle): Pilates, yoga, circuit training, bodyweight exercises.
- Flexibility & Mobility: Yoga, stretching, foam rolling, Pilates.
- Endurance/Stamina: Running, cycling, swimming, rowing.
- Stress Relief/Mental Health: Yoga, walking, Tai Chi, meditation.
Not one for gyms or group workout classes? Check out our guides for our favorite youtube channels for these workouts to do in your own home.