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Workout Planner for Women: 5 Steps and a Free Template
Most training weeks don't fall apart on Monday. They fall apart midweek, when a late meeting or a bad night's sleep knocks everything sideways. A good workout planner for women turns vague goals into a schedule that fits your real life, with room for the weeks that go wrong.
Updated · 6 min read · By the HerShape team
Below you'll learn how to plan your workouts step by step, then get a fill-in weekly template, three example weeks, a simple progression rule and a plan for adjusting when life happens.
How to plan your workouts in 5 steps
1. Pick one main goal for the next 8-12 weeks. Strength, muscle, fitness or simple consistency: let one lead, because it decides what gets your best energy.
2. Count your real days and minutes. Plan for a normal week, not your best one. Two 45-minute sessions you actually do beat five you skip.
3. Match a split to those days.
- 2 days: full body twice
- 3 days: full body three times (A, B, C)
- 4 days: upper/lower, each twice
- 5 or more days: four strength days plus dedicated cardio
4. Balance strength, cardio and rest. The World Health Organization recommends muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week, plus 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (or 75-150 minutes vigorous). Brisk walking counts. Keep at least one full rest day.
5. Plan recovery. Leave a day between hard lower-body sessions when you can. Warm up for 5-10 minutes, then do one or two lighter ramp-up sets. Every 4-8 weeks, take a deload week: same exercises, about half the sets, lighter weights. Protect your sleep, too.
Free workout planner template
Copy this into a notebook, spreadsheet or notes app.
| Day | Session (strength, cardio or rest) | Exercises or activity | Sets × reps or minutes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | ||||
| Tue | ||||
| Wed | ||||
| Thu | ||||
| Fri | ||||
| Sat | ||||
| Sun |
Each week, add a check-in: average sleep, stress and energy (1-5), and one thing to change.
Example weekly workout plans for women
Strength sessions take about 45-60 minutes. End each working set with 2-3 reps in reserve (RPE 7-8): hard but clean. Rest 2-3 minutes after squats and deadlifts, and 60-90 seconds after smaller exercises.
2-day week
| Day | Session | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Full body A | Goblet squat 3×8-10, dumbbell bench press 3×8-10, one-arm row 3×10 per side, glute bridge 2×12, plank 2×30 s |
| Tue | Cardio | Brisk walk, 30 min |
| Wed | Cardio | Brisk walk or easy cycle, 30 min |
| Thu | Full body B | Romanian deadlift 3×8-10, split squat 2×8 per side, overhead press 3×8-10, lat pulldown or band pulldown 3×10-12, dead bug 2×8 per side |
| Fri | Cardio | Brisk walk, 30 min |
| Sat | Cardio | Hike, bike ride or long walk, 60 min |
| Sun | Rest | - |
3-day week
| Day | Session | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Full body A | Squat (goblet or barbell) 3×6-8, dumbbell bench press 3×8-10, seated cable row 3×10-12, side plank 2×20-30 s per side |
| Tue | Cardio | Incline walk or cycle, 40 min |
| Wed | Full body B | Romanian deadlift 3×6-8, lat pulldown 3×8-10, dumbbell shoulder press 3×8-10, reverse lunge 2×10 per side |
| Thu | Rest | Optional easy walk or 15 min mobility |
| Fri | Full body C | Hip thrust 3×8-10, Bulgarian split squat 3×8 per side, incline dumbbell press 3×8-12, one-arm row 3×10 per side |
| Sat | Cardio | Long walk, hike or swim, 45-60 min |
| Sun | Rest | - |
4-day week (upper/lower)
| Day | Session | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Lower A | Squat 3-4×6-8, Romanian deadlift 3×8-10, walking lunge 2×10 per side, calf raise 2×12-15 |
| Tue | Upper A | Dumbbell bench press 3-4×6-8, one-arm row 3×8-10 per side, overhead press 3×8-10, face pull 2×12-15 |
| Wed | Cardio | Moderate cardio 30-40 min, plus 10 min mobility |
| Thu | Lower B | Hip thrust 3-4×8-10, Bulgarian split squat 3×8 per side, leg curl 2×10-12, side plank 2×30 s per side |
| Fri | Upper B | Lat pulldown or assisted pull-up 3-4×6-10, incline dumbbell press 3×8-10, seated cable row 3×10-12, lateral raise 2×12-15 |
| Sat | Cardio | Long walk, hike or bike ride, 45-60 min |
| Sun | Rest | - |
Short of 150 cardio minutes? Add brisk walks. Training at home? Use dumbbell or band versions. To regress, try box squats or incline push-ups; to progress, add load or a harder variation.
How to track progress
Log every session: date, exercise, weight, sets × reps and roughly how many reps you had left. Then use double progression:
- Pick a rep range, such as 8-10.
- Keep the same weight until you hit the top of the range on every set with good form.
- Next session, add the smallest jump available (often 2.5-5 lb) and return to the bottom of the range.
| Week | Goblet squat | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 lb: 8, 8, 8 | Starting point |
| 2 | 25 lb: 10, 9, 9 | More reps |
| 3 | 25 lb: 10, 10, 10 | Top of the range |
| 4 | 30 lb: 8, 8, 8 | Heavier, reps reset |
If a lift stalls for three sessions in a row, check sleep, food and stress, then deload or switch to a similar variation.
How to adjust your workout schedule when life happens
When a week goes sideways, adjust instead of starting over:
- Poor sleep or high stress: drop one set per exercise and cap effort at RPE 6-7, or swap the session for a walk.
- Busy week: do two 30-minute full-body sessions with three exercises each: a squat or lunge, a push and a pull.
- Travel: split squats, push-ups, single-leg Romanian deadlifts, band rows and plenty of walking.
- Missed a session: don't double up; just do the next session in order.
- Feeling unwell: rest, then return with lighter weights for a session or two.
- Cycle phase: many women notice energy and recovery shift across the cycle, such as feeling flat before a period. Research on training by cycle phase is limited and mixed, so treat it as one input alongside sleep, stress and recovery. Feel good? Train as planned. Feel rough? Use the poor-sleep rule.
Paper or app: choosing a workout planner for women
| Planner | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Paper notebook or printout | Free, no distractions, fully flexible | You do all the planning and progression math; easy to lose |
| Spreadsheet | Free, customizable, can chart progress | Fiddly on a phone mid-workout; you build and maintain it |
| Workout app | Plan and log in one place, progression prompts, often form videos | Full versions usually cost money; quality varies; can feel rigid |
The best planner is the one you actually open. Enjoy building your own program? The template above is enough. Want the planning and adjusting done for you? That's the gap HerShape is built to fill.
How HerShape helps
HerShape builds your weekly workout plan, plus a meal plan with macros, around your goal, schedule and setup: full gym, dumbbells or bodyweight. Exercises come with form videos, and progress tracking is built in. Plans adapt to your progress, life stage and cycle phase (21-45 day cycles, including irregular cycles, PCOS and perimenopause). On Pro, you can regenerate your plan and ask Coach Sarah (the AI coach) why your plan changed.
Download HerShapeYour first plan is free. Pro is $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year. See what is included
Frequently asked questions
How many days a week should a woman work out?
WHO guidance is muscle-strengthening work on at least two days plus 150-300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. Two strength days is enough to make progress; three or four gives you more room.
What is a good weekly workout schedule for beginners?
Two or three full-body sessions on non-consecutive days, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus walking on most other days.
Can I do cardio and strength training on the same day?
Yes. If strength is your priority, lift first or separate them by a few hours. For most people, easy cardio like walking is unlikely to hold back strength gains.
How long should I follow a workout plan before changing it?
Usually 8-12 weeks while you're still progressing. Change exercises when a lift stalls despite good sleep and a deload, not out of boredom.