Exercise guide
Women build strength and muscle the same way men do, relative to where they start, and the guidelines are the same: strength work for all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week, plus about 150 minutes of brisk activity. Lifting won't make you bulky by accident. Muscle grows slowly, and you choose how much.
What's different for women is not the exercises but the health topics around them: building and keeping bone, eating enough for your training, iron and heavy periods, leaking during exercise, breast support, pregnancy and menopause. This guide grades the evidence on each, with moves you can watch in 3D, workouts, a free plan and the warning signs that need a GP.
Women and men gain muscle at a similar rate relative to where they start. Men add slightly more in absolute terms, mostly in the upper body, and women new to lifting may gain upper-body strength a little faster relative to their start. Women over 50 gain strength well too.
Not by accident. After 12 weeks of the same arm training, women's biceps grew by about 18% in cross-section on average and men's by about 20%. Muscle grows with the number of hard sets you do each week, so you set the dose.
Strength work for all the major muscle groups on at least 2 days a week, plus 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 of vigorous activity. The guidelines are the same for women and men, and none sets different sets, reps or weights for women.
Strength and impact exercise help build bone while you are young and protect it around the menopause, when bone loss speeds up. Eat enough for the training you do: eating too little can stop your periods and weaken bone. Heavy periods are a common cause of low iron, so tiredness with heavy periods is worth a blood test.
About 4 in 10 women athletes leak urine during sport. It is common and it is treatable with pelvic floor training. Breast pain during exercise is common too, and in a lab study a sports bra roughly halved breast movement during running compared with no bra.
Boys become clearly stronger than girls at around 15. In adults the gap is bigger in the upper body than the lower body, and it comes from men having more muscle and larger fast-twitch fibres, not from women using their muscles less well. After puberty men have about ten times more testosterone, yet the same programme still grows muscle by a similar percentage in both sexes.
Relative gains are the percentage change from your own starting point; absolute gains are the centimetres or kilograms added. Relative gains are similar in women and men. Absolute gains are a little larger in men, who start bigger. Which number a study reports changes the headline, so it helps to know both.
In a 12-week trial of the same arm training in 585 adults, the change in muscle size ranged from a small loss to a 59% gain, and strength gains from nothing to 250%. Some people gain a little and others a lot, whatever their sex.
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In Scotland, 24% of women and 31% of men met the strengthening guideline, and the gap was widest at 16 to 24 (40% against 55%). In the US, about 30% of adults do strengthening on 2 or more days a week. In surveys, women more often train for toning, appearance and weight management, and more often prefer supervised and lower-body exercise.
Most trials are short and in young adults new to lifting: only 6 of 29 studies in one major review used people who already trained, and two thirds of the groups in the largest study of reps and loads were men. So this page says what happened in trials, not what will happen to everyone.
A 2025 review of 29 studies found that women and men grew muscle by a similar percentage from the same training, while men grew slightly more in absolute size, mainly in the upper body. An earlier review found the same for muscle growth and for lower-body strength. The results held in the few studies of people who already trained.
Across 17 studies, women gained upper-body strength faster than men relative to their starting point. The trials were short and in beginners, so part of this may be learning the movements.
Across 30 studies of 1,410 people over 50, women gained more lower-body strength than men relative to where they started, while men gained more absolute strength and size.
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An American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) review of 137 reviews, covering more than 30,000 people, found that strength training improves strength, muscle size, power, balance, walking speed and everyday function compared with no exercise. In trials covering more than 38,000 people, exercise did not increase serious adverse events.
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People who do muscle-strengthening activity have a 10% to 17% lower risk of death, heart disease, cancer and diabetes, with the biggest drop at about 30 to 60 minutes a week. In 412,413 US adults, women got a bigger reduction in their risk of death than men from the same amount of leisure-time activity, including strengthening. These are observational studies: they show a link, not proof.
How many reps you can do at a given share of your maximum barely differs between women and men, in data from 269 studies and 7,289 people. Women often tire less quickly than men in sustained efforts, but that hasn't been shown to call for a different programme.
In the largest trial, 585 adults trained their biceps twice a week for 12 weeks. Women's biceps grew by about 17.6% in cross-section on average and men's by about 19.7%, and women's strength rose more relative to their start. A review of 29 studies found the same picture: similar growth in percentage terms, slightly more absolute growth in men.
More weekly sets build more muscle, with extra growth from about 10 or more hard sets per muscle a week. In the reviews, muscle grew with light or heavy loads, while heavier loads built more strength. So you control the dose: once you like the result, you can hold your sets and weights where they are (our suggestion).
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Toning is the visible result of building some muscle, sometimes alongside losing fat. The exercises that shape your body are the same ones that make it stronger. Light weights only build muscle if you do enough reps to make the set hard (our suggestion).
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No guideline sets a different dose for women. These are the adult guidelines, with the UK osteoporosis consensus for bone.
The NHS and the World Health Organization (WHO) say to work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, tummy, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week, to the point where you need a short rest. The UK Chief Medical Officers say any strengthening is better than none, and that it matters as much as the 150 minutes of aerobic activity.
WHO: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix. Moderate means you can talk but not sing; vigorous means you can only say a few words without pausing for breath. The NHS suggests spreading it over 4 to 5 days, or every day.
Strength rises more with heavier loads (around 80% of your maximum or more), a full range of movement, 2 to 3 sets and 2 or more sessions a week, according to the ACSM review. For bone, the UK osteoporosis consensus advises working towards the most you can lift 8 to 12 times, building up to 3 sets. Stopping 2 to 3 reps short of failure works for most people (our suggestion, as in our plans).
About 50 moderate impacts on most days, such as 5 sets of 10 heel drops (UK consensus). With spinal fractures or several fractures from minor falls, keep impact to brisk-walking level. If you leak when you land, build up pelvic floor exercises first.
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NICE (the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence): at least 8 squeezes 3 times a day, and a supervised course of at least 3 months if you leak.
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Our suggestion for a woman new to training without warning signs: three full-body strength sessions (a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull and a carry or core move), 2 sets of 8 to 12 in the first 2 weeks with 3 or 4 reps to spare, then 3 sets with 2 to 3 to spare. Add two cardio sessions and five minutes of pelvic floor exercises a day. The plan for women below is built this way.
Two to three days a week, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 with 2 to 3 reps to spare: learn the hinge first, and use the glute bridge as the home version of the hip thrust.
3D demoHip-hinge practiceBeginner · No equipment
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoDumbbell Romanian deadliftIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoBarbell hip thrustIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoReverse lungeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoTrap bar (hex bar) deadliftIntermediate · Other / check instructionsWork up the push-up steps from incline to floor, pair every push with a pull, and finish with a core move or a carry; each move's page has its dose and an easier option.
3D demoIncline push-upBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoKnee push-upBeginner · No equipment
3D demoPush-upIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSupported single-arm dumbbell rowIntermediate · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoBand rowBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoLat pulldownBeginner · A cable machine
3D demoAssisted pull-up (machine)Beginner · Strength machine
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbell
3D demoHalf-kneeling Pallof pressBeginner · A band + An anchor point
3D demoDead bugBeginner · No equipment
3D demoFarmer's carryBeginner · A dumbbell + A kettlebellHeel drops on most days if they suit you (20 to 30 at first, building to about 50), skipping only once they are easy and you don't leak, brisk walking or cycling towards 150 minutes a week, and pelvic floor squeezes daily: the 3D figure can't show those muscles, so follow the written steps.
3D demoHeel drop (impact for bone)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSkippingBeginner · No equipment
3D demoTreadmill walkingBeginner · Cardio machine
3D demoStationary cyclingBeginner · Cardio machine
3D demoIndoor Rowing (Rowing Machine)Beginner · Cardio machine
Pelvic floor exercise (Kegel)Beginner · No equipmentThe plan for women gives three strength days, two cardio days and daily pelvic floor work over 8 weeks. From your late 40s, or with low bone density, the plan for women over 50 adds bone loading and balance.
A weekly workout plan for women: three strength days, cardio and pelvic floor training, with the evidence on periods, pregnancy and menopause.
3 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly plan for women over 50: strength, bone-loading and balance on 3 days plus walking, built on UK osteoporosis consensus advice.
3 training days45 minBeginner2 days a weekYour first four weeks: two, then three short strength sessions a week at home plus walks, building gently to a full routine.
2 training days20 minBeginner3 days a weekThree full-body home workouts a week with dumbbells or no equipment at all, plus walks and an 8-week plan to keep progressing.
3 training days35 minBeginnerWorkouts A and B are the gym sessions of the plan for women; the dumbbell and home workouts cover the same movements without a gym.
A beginner full-body gym workout: goblet squats, dumbbell bench press, lat pulldowns, Romanian deadlifts and dead bugs, with sets, reps and rest.
45 minBeginner12 movesCardio machine, A bandFull-body gym workout B: trap bar deadlifts, cable rows, seated dumbbell press, step-ups, leg curls, push-ups and a Pallof press.
50 minBeginner13 movesCardio machine, Other / check instructionsA 35-minute full-body strength workout with dumbbells: goblet squats, presses, rows, Romanian deadlifts and carries.
35 minIntermediate9 movesA band, A dumbbellHome dumbbell workout B: reverse lunges, push-ups, bent-over rows, single-leg glute bridges, lateral raises and side planks.
35 minIntermediate11 movesA wall, A dumbbellA gentle 20-minute beginner home workout with a chair, a wall and a band: sit-to-stands, wall push-ups, band rows, step-ups and dead bugs.
20 minBeginner11 movesA bench or box, A wallA 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A bandA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesA wall, A stepAn upper body workout at home with no gym: push-ups, band rows, pike push-ups, face pulls, close-grip push-ups and Y-T-W raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate13 movesA band, An anchor pointWork up to full push-ups: wall, incline and knee push-ups, then the floor push-up and harder variations.
15 minBeginner8 movesA wall, A bench or boxImpact, strength and balance for stronger bones, following UK osteoporosis consensus advice, with options for every level.
40 minBeginner14 movesA kettlebell, Other / check instructionsA 5-minute daily pelvic floor workout for women and men: slow holds and quick squeezes, three times a day, with how to find the right muscles.
5 minBeginner2 movesNo equipmentLifestyle shapes 20% to 40% of the bone you build by young adulthood, and physical activity and calcium have the best evidence, especially in late childhood and around puberty. The peak comes at different ages in different bones: about 16 to 19 at the hip and 33 to 40 at the spine in one Canadian study. The UK Chief Medical Officers say strengthening builds bone when you are young, maintains strength in adulthood and helps delay the decline in muscle and bone from around 50.
In a US study of 862 women, bone loss began about a year before the last period and was fastest until two years after it: 7.4% of spine bone density was lost in that window, out of 10.6% over ten years. The NHS says women lose bone rapidly in the first few years after the menopause, especially if it comes before 45.
The UK osteoporosis consensus recommends progressive strength training on 2 to 3 days a week, about 50 moderate impacts on most days, and exercises that strengthen the back. These are strong recommendations; the exact doses are expert consensus. Our osteoporosis and menopause guides have the detail.
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Using the contraceptive injection for more than a year can weaken bones, which usually recover after you stop. If bone health matters to you, talk it through with whoever prescribes your contraception.
The NHS lists an eating disorder now or in the past, a low body weight and not exercising regularly among the things that raise the risk of osteoporosis.
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If you eat too little for the exercise you do, your body saves energy by turning down other jobs. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) calls this RED-S (relative energy deficiency in sport): it can stop periods and harm bone, metabolism, immunity, mood and performance, in women and in men. Periods that stop for this kind of reason are called functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea.
In screening questionnaires, 40% of 833 active women in Ireland and 45% of 109 gym-goers in New Zealand scored as at risk of eating too little for their training. That is a warning score, not a diagnosis. In 3,705 active women recruited through an exercise app, 16% had 10 or fewer periods a year, and longer weekly training went with higher odds.
Some researchers argue that energy balance can't be measured accurately outside a lab, and that tiredness, injuries and missed periods have many possible causes, so every cause should be checked rather than assuming under-eating. Either way, missed periods and stress fractures need a doctor's assessment.
The main treatment is eating more, or better, and sometimes training less, with support for any worries about food or weight. The Endocrine Society advises against taking the pill just to bring periods back or protect bone, because it can hide whether your own periods have returned. See a GP if you miss 3 periods in a row.
Heavy periods are a very common cause of iron deficiency anaemia, which can cause tiredness, shortness of breath, a pounding heartbeat and pale skin. Studies estimate that 15% to 35% of female athletes are low in iron, and in surveys a third or more of exercising women reported heavy periods. A GP can check with a blood test.
When you are low, yes: in iron-deficient female athletes, iron improved endurance performance, and in endurance athletes low in iron without anaemia it raised iron stores and fitness. The studies were small. Tiredness has many causes, so get a blood test rather than guessing; the NHS treats iron deficiency anaemia with iron tablets, usually for about 6 months, once the cause is found.
Missed or irregular periods can come from pregnancy, stress, weight change, some contraception, the perimenopause or PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome, which the NHS now calls polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS). Our guides to the menstrual cycle and to exercise for PCOS cover these.
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Our pelvic floor guide has the full detail, including how to do the exercises.
About 39% of women athletes aged 18 to 45 leak urine, across 32 studies of 4,649 women, and more hours of training a week go with more leaking. Half of Norwegian competitive powerlifters and weightlifters reported leaking, often during heavy squats and deadlifts.
Pelvic floor training cured stress leaking in 56% of women in trials, against 6% without treatment, and NICE offers a supervised course of at least 3 months first. In women who do CrossFit-style training, 16 weeks of daily home pelvic floor exercises improved leaking for 64%, against 8% without them.
An hour of heavy squats and deadlifts did not weaken the pelvic floor in the short term in strength-trained women, and more active women leak less overall, though athletes leak more often than non-athletes. Nearly half of women with symptoms have stopped an activity because of them. Lighten or change what sets it off while you train the pelvic floor, and see a GP or pelvic health physiotherapist.
A feeling of heaviness or a bulge in the vagina may be a prolapse. The NHS advises pelvic floor exercises and avoiding heavy lifting, running and trampolining, and seeing a GP.
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A third of 1,285 London Marathon runners had breast pain, more with larger cup sizes and harder running, and 44% of 540 elite athletes had breast pain during exercise. Breasts were a barrier to exercise for 17% of women in one survey, and 46% of UK schoolgirls said their breasts affected their sport.
In a lab study of 20 women running at 10 km/h, a sports bra cut up-and-down breast movement by 56% compared with no bra and by 43% compared with an everyday bra. The NHS advises a properly fitted bra for breast pain. No trial has compared bra styles for pain, so get fitted and choose more support for running and jumping (our suggestion).
Breast pain linked to periods is common and is unlikely on its own to be a sign of cancer. See a GP if it isn't improving, and get an urgent appointment for a hard lump, nipple discharge, a change in shape or skin, or a breast that is red, hot or swollen.
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Each life stage has its own guide, with the changes it needs and its own warning signs.
How much exercise to do in pregnancy, safe moves for each trimester with 3D demos, what to avoid, warning signs to stop, and the evidence behind the advice.
After giving birthWhen to start exercising after a vaginal birth or C-section, pelvic floor and tummy exercises, when to run again, breastfeeding, and warning signs to stop.
MenopauseExercise for menopause and perimenopause: what it does for muscle, bone, belly fat, mood and hot flushes, honestly graded, with 3D demos and a free plan.
OsteoporosisExercise for osteoporosis and osteopenia from the UK consensus and trials: strength and impact for bone, balance, back exercises, and the moves to avoid.
Older adultsExercises for seniors from WHO and NHS guidance and falls trials: how much you need, balance and chair exercises, getting up off the floor, and when to stop.
Menstrual cycleCan you work out on your period? What the evidence says on cycle phase and strength, cycle syncing, exercise for period pain, heavy periods and missed periods.
Stop exercising and call 999 for:
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If you haven't exercised for some time or have a medical condition, speak to a GP first. With osteoporosis, get individual advice before heavy lifting or impact. In pregnancy, follow the checks in our pregnancy guide.
Women grow muscle by a similar percentage to men from the same training, and by slightly less in absolute terms. After 12 weeks of dedicated arm training, women's biceps grew by about 18% on average. Growth follows the number of hard sets you do, so you choose the dose.
In the ACSM review, muscle growth did not depend on the load, while heavier loads built more strength. Light weights only build muscle if you do enough reps to make the set hard. There are no special toning exercises.
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No guideline sets different doses for women, relative gains are similar, and the reps you can do at a given load barely differ by sex. What differs are women's health topics: periods, the pelvic floor, pregnancy, menopause, iron and bone.
In trials covering more than 38,000 people, exercise did not increase serious adverse events. Heavy squats and deadlifts did not weaken the pelvic floor in the short term in strength-trained women. Leaking is common in lifters, but treatable: adjust the load and see a pelvic health physiotherapist rather than giving up.
It is common, about 4 in 10 women athletes, but it isn't something you have to put up with. Pelvic floor training cures or improves it in many women, and NICE recommends a supervised course first.
Missed periods can be a sign of eating too little for your training, which harms bone. See a GP if you miss 3 periods in a row.
Iron helps performance when you are low in it, but tiredness has many causes. A GP blood test shows whether you need iron, and the cause matters too.
Women over 50 gained more lower-body strength than men relative to where they started. Our menopause and older adults guides carry this on.
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No: the same principles work for both. Women and men gain muscle at a similar rate relative to where they start, and no guideline sets different sets, reps or loads for women. What's different are women's health topics such as periods, the pelvic floor, pregnancy and menopause.
Not by accident. Muscle grows slowly, and women's absolute gains are a little smaller than men's on average: after 12 weeks of arm training, women's biceps grew by about 18% in cross-section. You control the dose, so you can hold your sets and weights where they are whenever you like the result.
At least 2 days a week, working all the major muscle groups, which is the same guideline as for everyone. Two or more sessions a week build more strength than one, and three full-body sessions is a common beginner plan. Add about 150 minutes of moderate cardio a week.
For most goals, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps on each main exercise, stopping 2 or 3 reps short of failure, is a good start. Heavier weights build more strength, and about 10 or more hard sets per muscle a week builds more muscle. These ranges are the same for men.
For healthy women, yes, if you build up gradually with good technique. In trials covering more than 38,000 people, exercise did not increase serious adverse events. If you have osteoporosis, a prolapse or leaking, get advice first and read the related guides.
It improves strength, muscle size, power, balance, walking speed and everyday function. With impact exercise, it is the exercise answer for bone, which matters more after the menopause. People who do muscle-strengthening activity also have a lower risk of early death and disease in long-term studies, which show a link rather than proof.
Both: the guidelines ask for strength work on at least 2 days a week as well as 150 minutes of moderate cardio, and the UK Chief Medical Officers say strengthening matters as much as the cardio target. If time is short, a few full-body strength sessions plus brisk walking cover the essentials.
Yes, especially with impact work such as heel drops or skipping. The UK osteoporosis consensus recommends progressive strength training on 2 to 3 days a week and about 50 impacts on most days, unless you have spinal fractures. Bone loss speeds up around the menopause, so building and keeping bone earlier helps.
It's common, about 4 in 10 women athletes, and treatable. Daily pelvic floor exercises cure or improve stress leaking in many women, and NICE recommends a supervised course of at least 3 months. Keep exercising, lighten or change what sets it off, and see a GP or pelvic health physiotherapist; if you feel a bulge or heaviness, get checked before heavy lifting or running.
For running and jumping, it helps: in a lab study, a sports bra cut breast movement by about 40% compared with an everyday bra, and breast pain during exercise is common. Get fitted and choose more support for higher impact. See a GP about a new lump, nipple changes, or pain that isn't improving.
It could be either, among other causes. Heavy periods are a very common cause of iron deficiency anaemia, and eating too little for your training can stop your periods and weaken bone. See a GP for a blood test, and sooner if you've missed periods or had a stress fracture.
Usually yes, with some changes. In an uncomplicated pregnancy, strength training is recommended alongside 150 minutes of moderate activity; after birth you build back gradually; and in menopause strength training helps keep muscle and bone. Each stage has its own guide on this site.
Exercise education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Stop and get advice for chest pain, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting, or new pain, and check with your doctor or midwife first if they have told you to limit activity. Health disclaimer.
