Weightlifting Workout Plans for Women

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do I Get When I Sign Up?

When you sign up for a free account:

It is 100% free and provides instant access to our free Gym Independence Guide which tells you everything you need to know about working towards building your own weightlifting workout plans. Plus the following plans available in “My Zone”:

Warm Up Plans

1 x Circuit Plan

1 x HIIT Plan

1 x No Equipment Plan

Workout Plans

1 x Back, Shoulders & Triceps Workout Plan

1 x Boobs & Biceps Workout Plan

1 x Bum & Thighs Workout Plan

1 x Legs Workout Plan

Finisher Plans

1 x Abs & Core Finisher Plan

1 x Cardio Finisher Plan

1 x Legs Finisher Plan

1 x Upper Body Finisher Plan

If you’re a little confused by the above, don’t worry, we can show you how to bring it all together.

Create your free account and get access to the above gym workouts now >>>

When you buy plans as you go:

You get all of the above, plus your purchased plan unlocked forever. If that plan is updated by our team, you get the update completely free too.

When you subscribe for full access:

You get everything you need to become gym independent. All plans are unlocked immediately. It’s a lot, take your time with it, it’s all yours to access as and when you need:

Full access unlocks:

Bonus guides:

Start Lifting Now

The absolute beginner's guide to getting started with weightlifting workouts.

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20 Tips For Getting & Staying Motivated

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The Busy Woman's Guide To Training In A Hurry

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How To Get Physically Stronger Faster

Learn the techniques lifters use to build overall strength and power in the fastest way possible.

How To Eat For Maximum Strength

Eat to perform, build more muscle, burn more fat and maintain your optimum body composition.

Training Splits

There are multiple approaches to rotating muscle groups and building workout plans. This guide breaks down some of the best.

Know How & When To Change Your Workout

No plateau for you when you learn how to keep your workouts fresh for optimum results.

A Guide To Building Any Muscle Group Fast

Know which exercises and lifting techniques will help you build lean muscle, where you want it, as fast as possible.

Achieving Your Gym Independence

This is your exit plan from Lipstick Lifters and the start of your independence in weightlifting.

Reps & Sets

Learn why the number of reps & sets you perform matters, then learn which methods to use for your desired outcomes.

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Why Are The Plans Broken Down Into Warm-ups, Workouts and Finishers?

This part of your learning process, we want to encourage you to start to understand how to bring together a full workout plan that targets your desired muscle groups. To simplify it for you as you learn, we already built the plans, you just need to match the warm-up and finisher with your chosen workout.

If you need help in the beginning, we can support you.

What Is A Finisher?

A finisher is a group of exercises that target the same muscle groups as your main workout plan. These exercises are usually smaller, lighter weight or assisted exercises. The finisher is where you squeeze out those last reps as your muscles fatigue at the end of your workout.

How Will I Know Which Muscles I Am Targeting With Each Plan?

All workout plans are accompanied by a muscle highlighted image, this image tells you exactly which muscles you are targeting with that plan.

Not all workouts in the same category are equal, depending on which exercises are in the plan, there will be secondary muscle engagement. So while you may think a boobs and biceps workout is just a chest and biceps plan, you may actually be targeting other muscle groups from a secondary perspective. This is reflected on the accompanying muscle highlighted image.

Are These Weightlifting Workout Plans Suitable For Beginners?

Yes! We have plans suitable for beginner and intermediate lifters. For the most part the exercises are the same. It’s the weight used and the execution of rep/set ranges that changes.

Which Weightlifting Workout Plan Should I Start With?

It really depends on your personal circumstances and goals, you can reach out to us for some guidance, we’re happy to help.

Most women like to start with one of these 6-12 week packs or a pre-built plan:

6-12 week packs

Pre-built plans

If you need help finding the plan most suitable for your goals email members@lipsticklifters.com with a brief outline of what you want to achieve and one of our team will be happy to assist you.

Do I Need Equipment To Use These Weightlifting Workout Plans?

Yes. You will need to have access to a well-equipped gym at the very least.

Many of our members have well equipped home gyms, in this case, you may find you need to swap out some exercises to work around the equipment you have. We can help with this. If you’re not sure, email us some details of what you have in your home gym and we can advise.

We do have a handful of plans that can be worked with very basic home gym equipment such as dumbbells, kettlebells and a bench, if you would like to purchase one of those on their own, you can check them out here.

However, keep in mind that in order to lift the kind of weight you will need to see the best results, heavy-duty gym equipment is necessary.

Are these "cookie cutter" plans?

Not really.

While we do have a wide selection of ready made weightlifting workout plans, we do not encourage the same plan or approach for all women, our Members Zone Portal has a wide enough range of plans to suit a wide range of personal goals and circumstances and we encourage you to build your own complete plan from that wide selection of warm ups, workouts and finishers. Or, you can use the single muscle group workout plans to build your own full plan.

It is important for you to you understand that we are not providing all of our members with the same plan, we are encouraging our members to choose and build their own plans from over 130 unique options. They are a temporary solution while we will help guide you towards building your own personal plans that suit your own personal circumstances and goals.

Can I Build My Own Workout Plans That Specifically Targets The Muscle Groups I Want To Work On?

Yes you can.

The portal contains multiple plans under 3 main headings:

Warm ups - Workouts and Finishers. Under each heading there is a selection of sub-categories broken down by muscle group, method and expected outcome.

To build your own plan simply select your desired workout plan and then choose a warm up and finisher that targets the same muscle groups as the workout you chose.

There is also a selection of single muscle group workouts that can be tagged onto any plan for a targeted muscle building boost. Or grouped together to make a full plan based on the muscle groups you want to work on.

If all of that feels a little overwhelming for now, start with one of our workout packs or pre-built plans. Everything will begin to make more sense as you work your way through. And don’t forget, we are available to support you if you need it.

How Exactly Do The Single Muscle Group Workout Plans Make A Full Workout Plan?

The single muscle group workout plans are a small corner of our portal and they are there to provide you with the option to choose a plan that specifically targets the muscle groups you want to target.

Simply choose 2-3 muscle groups you want to work on, and then grab the plan from the portal. Work them together in the same workout.

Remember that exercise order matters, as described above in the main content of this page.

How many days a week should I lift?

It’s up to you. Anything from 2-6 days is fine. Optimum would be 4-6 days a week.

With that said, if you can only manage one full workout per week, do that, it’s better than nothing!

What Is The Best Advice For Someone Just Starting Out In Weightlifting?

Rule number 1 – Quality over quantity.

As tempting as it is to go into a lift with your ego (we’ve all done it), you should pay very close attention to how you are performing every single rep. At least in the early days.

Even with experience, sloppy form is still a no-no, but with a solid foundation of best practice, good form will become your default.

Rushed sets are a breeding ground for poor performance and potential injuries. Fact is, it’s just not worth it.

How should I split my workout?

This depends on your current level and goals. We can’t answer this for everyone here, but we can give some common examples:

For absolute beginners your go-to could be a simple upper/lower body split.

Moving on from that, you can split your workout using muscle group rotation. This is when you really start to strategically build muscle. Breaking your workout plans down by muscle group and rotating them throughout the week, allows for optimum performance and recovery.

To give you an example, when rotating muscle groups, your workout week might look something like this:

Monday – Legs

Tuesday – Back, shoulders & triceps

Wednesday – Chest & biceps

Thursday – Rest

Friday – Cardio

Saturday – Legs

Sunday – Back, shoulders &triceps

Monday – Chest & biceps

And so on…

Your abdominal exercises can be tagged to the end of any workout.

Another way to get a natural rotation in your Workout plans is to use the push, pull legs method.

That would look something like this…

Monday – Push

Tuesday – Pull

Wednesday – Legs

Thursday – Rest

Friday – Cardio

Saturday – Push

Sunday – Pull

Monday – Legs

Abs tagged to the end of all/any workout as you wish.

How many reps/sets should I perform?

Each plan will tell you how many reps/sets to perform for both beginner and intermediate lifters. Once you've worked through enough you will be able to determine this for yourself based on your personal goals.

Generally, beginners should keep it simple; 3-6 sets of 10-12 reps is good to start with.

Moving on there are various rep/set ranges you can adopt, depending on your desired outcome.

Other methods include drop sets, supersets, pyramid sets and other more advanced rep/set ranges.

One of our bonus member guides teaches you all about a wide range of rep/set methods, and our workout plans use various rep/set ranges, so there’s enough to keep your workouts fresh forever!

How Often Should I Change My Workout Plan?

You should change your workout routine every 6-12 weeks, depending on what plan you are working with and how you progress.

Pre-built plans and packs will tell you how long to use them for.

What Are Some Signs That I Need To Change My Workout Plan?

As mentioned above, you should change every 6-12 weeks, avoid working the same plan for longer than 12 weeks. If you like the plan you’re working on, you can come back to it later with a different rep/set method.

The reason you need to change your workout plan is not just to avoid a plateau. When you repeat the same plan over and over you get really good at it, but you don’t really allow yourself to get good at anything else. This can lead to you neglecting muscle groups, which in turn breeds unintended weaknesses and imbalances, it can also stunt your progress.

Besides the length of time you’ve been doing the plan, another key sign you need to change is when it becomes too easy.

Why Do Some Plans Have Similar Exercises Targeting The Same Muscles?

Because this is how you build a weightlifting workout plan that gets the best results. All exercises hit differently and belong at different stages of your workout, so if you see a plan that has 2 different squat variations, it’s for this reason.

To give you an example, if your workout starts with a barbell back squat, you may later on in the same workout do some goblet squats. The barbell back squat moves a much bigger load, and as you start to fatigue you can move to the lighter load of the dumbbell or kettlebell and position it in a front rack position. It’s still a squat, but the weight is lighter and distributed differently. This helps you to squeeze out more reps.

And to take it one step further, you can add a leg press at the end and train your legs to complete failure with the machine to assist.

How Should I Warm Up Before A Weightlifting Workout?

There are two main approaches to warming up before a weightlifting workout plan:

A general warm up or a target muscle warm up. A general warm up would be something like a circuit, HIIT training or anything else that warms the whole body up.

A target muscle group warm up is as simple as performing exercises that you intend to perform in the workout you’re about to do, but with a lighter weight to get your target muscles working before you load them with much heavier weights.

Most lifters do both; a general warm up, and then a few light reps before going all in on the bigger lifts.

What are the most common weightlifting goals at Lipstick Lifters?

An ongoing poll on this website tells us that the majority of women who find Lipstick Lifters are most interested in building strength and power.

The strength and power goal is closely followed by aesthetics, fat loss, health, and general wellbeing.

Other common goals are to simply feel empowered or compete as an amateur in a bodybuilding or powerlifting competition. If you intend to go pro – we recommend you get a dedicated coach.

Are there any specific workout plans to support competitive powerlifting or bodybuilding?

Yes, we have both beginner and intermediate workout plans for both bodybuilding and powerlifting. You can get started with one of our 6-week packs. But these are just the start. As previously mentioned - if you intend to go pro, we strongly recommend getting a local coach.

Why Does Exercise Order Matter When Building A Weightlifting Workout Plan?

When you start with the most physically challenging exercise you boost your muscle growth potential for the rest of the workout.

At the start of your workout, you’re fresh, ready to go and have the most power in you at that point. Use that power to set yourself up to move as much weight as possible in your workout (after warming up of course – never skip the warm up)!

As you work your way through the above stages your targeted muscle groups are put under more and more resistance. And as they fatigue you work with smaller weights and even recruit the assisted machines to help you push out those last reps.

In using this method your muscle building potential grows substantially.

How?

Simply put; the muscle tears, very slightly as you continue to apply resistance throughout your workout.

And then after the workout, your body works to repair those tiny tears in the muscle, making them grow bigger each time.

Think of it like your body stitching those tears back together, and each time it leaves a tiny gap so that the muscle can build itself up to fill it.

This is why it is necessary to leave time between training muscle groups, your muscles need a day or two at least to repair. And that is why DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) happens – your body is in recovery mode.

That concludes your crash course in how muscle is built.

Do these weightlifting workout plans help with fat loss?

On their own, they don’t.

Fat loss happens primarily through your diet. Simply put, a calorie deficit.

We don’t assume all women want to lose body fat and we do not push diet plans on anyone. That said, we have written some extensive articles to help you make informed decisions about your diet if you would like. See our articles fat loss category here.

You may also be interested in checking out some of these calculators that can assist you with fat loss.

But wait. Hold up!

Before you go, you should know that these workout plans most certainly do complement a fat loss goal, and they’re better than cardio!

Because the more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body burns both during your workout and at rest. In short, muscle tissue helps you burn more overall calories by default..

What’s not to love about that?

You can learn more about how strength training supports fat loss here.

I want to burn body fat with cardio, should I do this first?

You can, but it’s not necessary, and depending on your long-term goal, you may sabotage your efforts.

The largest portion of fat burn is a result of what you eat, with only a small percentage influenced by how you exercise.

Yes, cardio burns fat. But you can’t out-run a bad diet. Also, excessive cardio in an extreme calorie deficit often leads to muscle wastage.

Let your workout plan be about building physical strength and lean muscle.

If you want to burn fat at the same time, take an honest look at your diet and use the resources linked above to help you come up with a diet plan that will support your long-term goals. The best diet is the one you can maintain long term.

How can I build muscle fast?

The fastest way to build lean muscle is to put yourself in a bulking phase.

What is bulking?

In short; it is a matter of lifting as heavy as you can while eating in a calorie surplus.

Eat more to burn fat? Yep!

Temporarily though. Just while you’re trying to build as much lean muscle as possible.

Your bulking phase will run for a specific time period (8-12 weeks for example).

Then you go into a calorie deficit to burn fat. Also known as a ‘cut’. There’s a lot to be said for this method, see bulking and cutting for women.

How can I access Lipstick Lifters workout plans?

Easy! You can join for free; we offer a small selection of free plans for you to sample.

If you want more, you can buy individual plans on a pay as you go basis.

And if you can’t get enough, you can unlock everything right away with an annual subscription. Our annual subscription is your best value offer, it includes unlimited updates and free online support from our certified trainers.

Can I cancel my annual subscription?

Yes. In fact, we expect you to cancel your subscription as soon as you feel ready to face the lifting world alone. Remember, your gym independence is our success, when you’re ready to fly solo, our part in your journey is complete.

You can cancel your subscription at any time. No questions asked. Of course; if you wish to provide feedback, it will always be welcome.

To cancel your subscription simply email; Members@lipsticklifters.com at least 7 days prior to your next billing period.

We are unable to guarantee cancellations within 7 days of your next billing period so please submit your cancellation request in good time.

After your current billing cycle has ended, your account will revert to just free plans.

What happens to pay as you go plans that I purchase?

Pay as you go plans purchased are one off payments and will remain in your account forever. If the plan you purchased is updated, you will get the updated version free of charge – provided your account is still active. i.e. you don’t ask us to close your online account.

Where Can I Find Full Terms And Conditions And Privacy Policy

Full terms and conditions can be found here.

Our privacy policy can be found here.

Can I contact you to answer a question that isn't covered here?

Yes of course. Email your question to; Members@lipsticklifters.com.

We are happy to assist you with any questions related to your workout plans.

Please note; we do not give medical advice under any circumstances.