The question I receive a lot is “Do you think gym workout routines made for women even work?” and my answer to that is: No.. for the most part.
There are a few reasons I say they do not work and before you say “this routine has worked for me!” let me tell you why they don’t work (for the most part).
Problems With The Workout Routines
Terrible Choice Of Exercises
The choices of exercises in a gym workout routine can range from tricep kickbacks to squats and everything in between.
There are a lot of exercises that don’t incorporate some sort of quality movement that utilizes more than one joint.
For example, a tricep kickback utilizes the elbow joint and a bench press utilizes the shoulders and elbows. This is where you get the words isolation and compound movements; isolation is one joint and compound movements are multiple joints.
I’m not saying that a routine that does not include compound movements is not a good one, but I am saying that I have seen workouts that do not make sense and won’t get you results no matter how hard you try.
“Made For Women”
You could go to any website and use a gym workout from any website, but there are some sites like this that specifically say “for women.”
A lot of routines that I’ve seen over the years that are specifically made for women have poor choices in exercises, they do not include any information about how to use this routine to reach your goals, and they generally are “get fit quick” schemes that don’t make any sense.
I scour the internet for content others have posted to see what type of trends and patterns go on and generally speaking there is not many quality workouts being written and the thought of “getting fit quick” sounds better to most people than “work hard for months and really reap the rewards.”
No Passion To Help
It is easy for anyone to slap together a workout plan with no thought or intent to have anyone actually follow it; it is more common than you think.
I personally want to see everyone reach their goals whether it’s losing weight, getting a “beach body,” or compete in powerlifting.
The Routine Isn’t The Only Problem
The routine may contain poor exercise choices and be marketed for women simply to make money, but on the other side of the coin there is an issue with the commitment and the amount of effort you put into the workout that can affect the outcome of a workout routine.
Lets take a look at some common mistakes many women make that keep them from reaching their goals.
Lack Of Effort
Lets face it, just showing up to the gym won’t help you achieve anything but it will help you get started.
If you’ve been consistently making it to the gym and not making excuses why you shouldn’t go but you aren’t seeing results yet, the good news is you are 80% ready to achieve greatness.
Most people starting out think they are trying hard (which they may be) but there is a lack of effort that will keep you from making any kind of progress.
This lack of effort could range from being afraid to sweat or what others think about you in the gym to simply not wanting to push yourself to where it can hurt.
Nothing worth having comes easy and the same thing goes with getting fit. You are going to really have to bust your hump to see the results you want.
This effort needs to be applied in the gym while you are training and outside of the gym when you are eating and getting enough recovery in between workouts.
Lack Of Motivation
Motivation comes and goes, it is natural. One thing we can do to combat this is to cultivate motivation daily.
Every day you wake up and cultivate motivation you are moving one step closer to achieving your goals.
I always tell people the way to success is making yourself just a little bit better than you were the day before.
There are going to be days where you just don’t want to have anything to do with working out or eating healthy, just fight through those days and move on; don’t let one bad day ruin your whole journey.
Lack Of Knowledge
Knowledge is power and it certainly can make a difference in how fast you achieve your goals (or if you can achieve them at all).
Learn as much as you can about diet and nutrition, exercising, how the body works, and soak up all of this information while you are putting it to use.
I made the mistake reading and learning everything I could before I put it to use and ended up keeping me from achieving my goals sooner.
Read everything you can and don’t just listen to your friends; they don’t always have the answers they think they do!
If you have any questions feel free to leave them below and I will answer them.
