Workout Summary
- Main GoalLose Fat
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration10 weeks
- Days Per Week7
- Time Per Workout60-75 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, Machines
- Target Gender Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
Fat loss is a common goal for a lot of women.
However, there’s a lot of misinformation out there on how women should diet and work out to achieve this goal.
Most women’s magazines will tell you that some fad diet, some basic ab & glute workout circuit, or even tons of cardio is the solution.
The truth is, these things can work (when part of a larger, complete plan) – but there’s nothing special about them and they can make your fat loss journey a lot more difficult than it has to be.
In reality, hard work with some resistance training balanced with some additional cardio to ramp up your daily calorie expenditure is the best approach.
And when paired with a diet that puts you in a slight calorie deficit, will help you shed any unwanted body fat you may have.
Editor's Note: Make sure you’re doing all the right things you need to be doing to lose body fat. For those looking for a more in-depth resource to teach them how to lose fat, we’ve created a FREE 5 day Fat Loss Email Course.
The course will teach you how your body loses fat, how to utilize workout plans on our website to maximize fat loss, how to eat for fat loss, how to supplement to lose body fat and how to track your progress.
Sign up below today to learn and ensure you get the most out of this workout program.
Muscle & Strength’s Women’s Fat Loss Program
This 10 week workout program is perfect for any healthy woman who is looking to lose unwanted body fat through a good weight lifting and cardio program.
The goal is to increase the amount of calories you burn by performing exercises that require multiple muscle groups to help complete the exercise. These are known as compound lifts and will help you burn way more calories than isolation exercises will in the long run.
By the end of the 10 weeks you should notice tighter, slimmer, and stronger muscles and a better body composition than when you began.
The workout itself will focus predominately on building the muscles of the legs and glutes. There will also be upper body workouts that will focus on sculpting the muscles of the arms, back, and shoulders.
Lastly, we’ve included cardio and core training to help you burn additional calories during the day and to tighten up your midsection for a more slender figure.
Rest periods for these workout programs should be kept to 30-90 seconds in between sets and exercises. On days you perform a circuit, no rest should be taken until after the circuit is complete.
Day 1: Upper Body Focus
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pull Down | 3 | 12 |
| 2. Dumbbell Incline Bench Press | 3 | 12 |
| 3. Cable Lateral Raise | 3 | 15 |
| 4. Seated Cable Row | 3 | 12 |
| 5. Dumbbell Curls | 2 | 12 |
| 6. Tricep Overhead Extension | 2 | 12 |
| 7. Machine Curl | 2 | 12 |
| 8. Rope Pressdown | 2 | 12 |
Day 2: Lower Body Focus
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barbell Squat | 3 | 12 |
| 2. Romanian Deadlift | 4 | 10 |
| 3. Walking Lunge | 3 | 15 Each |
| 4. Bodyweight Curtsey Lunge | 3 | 12 Each |
| 5. Glute Kick Back | 3 | 15 Each |
Perform 10-15 Mins of Preferred HIIT Cardio on exercise machine of choice following a 20 Sec: 10 Sec work to rest ratio.
Day 3: Cardio, Abs, & Glutes
Perform 20-30 mins of low intensity steady state cardio. After cardio, perform the following abs and glute circuit:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | 3 | 30 Secs |
| Bodyweight Glute Bridge | 3 | 15 |
| Ab Crunch | 3 | 20 |
| Glute Kick Back | 3 | 12 |
| Mountain Climbers | 3 | 12 Each |
| Side Lying Clams | 3 | 12 Each |
| Oblique Crunch | 3 | 12 Each |
Day 4: Upper Body Focused
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dumbbell Row | 4 | 12 |
| 2. Seated Shoulder Press | 3 | 12 |
| 3. Cable Face Pull | 3 | 12 |
| 4. Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12 |
| 5. Close Grip Pull Down | 3 | 15 |
| 6. Seated Curls | 3 | 12 |
| 7. Lying Tricep Extensions | 3 | 12 |
Day 5: Lower Body Focus
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reverse Hack Squats | 3 | 12 |
| 2. Leg Press | 3 | 12 |
| 3. Leg Extension | 3 | 15 |
| 4. Leg Curls | 3 | 15 |
| 5. Standing Calf Raises | 3 | 25 |
Perform 10-15 Mins of Preferred HIIT Cardio on exercise machine of choice following a 20 Sec: 10 Sec work to rest ratio.
Weekends: Cardio, Abs, & Glutes
Perform 20-30 mins of low intensity steady state cardio. After cardio, perform the following abs and glute circuit:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Plank | 3 | 30 Secs |
| Bodyweight Glute Bridge | 3 | 15 |
| Ab Crunch | 3 | 20 |
| Glute Kick Back | 3 | 12 |
| Mountain Climbers | 3 | 12 Each |
| Side Lying Clams | 3 | 12 Each |
| Oblique Crunch | 3 | 12 Each |
10 Week Women’s Fat Loss Workout Notes
The workout listed above is set up so you only have to dedicate 4 days to making it to the gym. Ideally, you’d have some form of physical activity as part of your healthy lifestyle every day. That is why some low intensity cardio is recommended, along with glute and core work, on rest days.
Most intermediate-advanced women trainees should have no problem recovering from the structure of this workout. The layout is structured in such a way to maximize the amount of work that can be done each week while allowing full recovery for women.
If you need to miss a training day during the program (which will happen), try to make sure it’s a cardio, glute, and core day. The key to being successful with this program is ensuring you hit the majority of the weight training sessions during the week.
The main form of progression for this workout should be increasing the weight used when able to do so. That is why your training days will be the same during the entire duration of the program.
Track your workouts, the weight used, and how you feel after each session. This will allow you to better gauge when it’s an appropriate time to increase the weight on a given exercise the following session.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to share your progress with us! We’d love to help out, keep you motivated, and even feature your success. Tag us in your transformation posts on social media!
Women’s Fat Loss Nutrition Overview
The specific diet you use when performing this program will not affect your eventual results too much – so long as you’re in a calorie deficit.
To achieve a calorie deficit, you must burn more calories than you are consuming.
To figure out how many calories you should normally consume, use this bmr calculator.
Once you have your calorie maintenance needs, subtract 100-250 calories from this number. This is a good starting point for a deficit, as you don’t want to drop your calorie intake too drastically.
Measure your progress while you are performing the program and reassess your calorie intake as needed.
As mentioned, the specific type of diet you eat doesn’t matter too much. Although, to get adequate nutrients, you’ll want the majority of your calories to come from whole food sources such as lean meats, whole grains and oats, fruits and veggies, low fat dairy, nuts and seeds, and other healthful food options.
Once You’ve Finished…
Congratulations! You’ve finished the 10 week fat loss specific workout and accomplished a ton of goals along the way! What’s next?
Our first recommendation would be to take a week to deload and relax from the stress caused by weight training and a calorie deficit.
Then, it’s time to continue on with your fitness goals. If you liked this program and still have more weight loss goals, you can continue performing this workout.
Or, you might enjoy our main women’s workout program here.
Whatever you decide, stay motivated and keep achieving your goals!
Post your post-workout swolfies in M&S gear on IG and tag @muscleandstrength, #muscleandstrength, or DM them to us to get a shoutout on Muscle & Strength stories!
277 Comments
Hii my weight is 78.10kg n my age is 15 n height is 165cm....I really wanna do a comeback after loosing weight plzz help me....is it free or fraud ??? Sorry...Coz it has happened with me so for clarification...
Hi there, can you share more about what your goals are and what you did to lose weight before? Also, I am not sure what you mean by "free or fraud." The programs we have here on M&S are free for readers to use.
Can I do 4 days a week and follow the same rotation of the workout , for instance , I do 4 days rest for 3 and then start day 5?
I would suggest keeping track of your recovery, but you could do that. If you feel you don't recover enough or struggle to keep intensity up during those four days, then you need to take a day off in between. If you try this, let us know how it works for you.
Could you please explain a 20 and a 10 second I’m not sure what that means.. I did read 30 to 60 seconds between each repetition to allow rest. But I’m not sure it said something about taking no break when you’re doing a circuit so what exactly is the circuit? Thank you
Hi, Marisa. I believe this part is what you are asking about.
Perform 10-15 Mins of Preferred HIIT Cardio on exercise machine of choice following a 20 Sec: 10 Sec work to rest ratio.
This means you alternate 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest until you've completed 10-15 minutes in total. So, the pattern would look like this.
20 seconds of work
10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of work
10 seconds of rest.
That continues for the duration of your cardio time. I hope that helps!
Hi
would you please explain what is meant by
Perform 10-15 Mins of Preferred HIIT Cardio on exercise machine of choice following a 20 Sec: 10 Sec work to rest ratio.
had a knee replacement back in July, what would be a recommendation for walking lunge and curtsey lunge
thank you
Debbie
Hi Debbie, the HIIT means you start with 20 seconds of work followed by a 10-second break. You continue following that pattern until you've completed 10 total minutes.
As for the replacements, you may have to experiment to see what you'd be able to do in order to find the best replacements for the lunges. You could also talk to your doctor or physical therapist to see what would work best for you. I personally would suggest single leg press or step-ups, but your doctor overrides me in this case.
Hi,
I’ve been struggling to lose weight, especially around my belly. I’m starting this 10-week program, but since I work as a doctor, I don’t always have a lot of time or energy.
Could you please tell me if training 3 times per week is enough, and which days I absolutely shouldn’t miss? Also, is it okay to do HIIT on leg day, or would that be too much stress on the legs?
I like to alternate my cardio between the StairMaster and the elliptical. Lastly, do you recommend including EMOM workouts?
Thank you so much!
Hi Yara, thanks for reading M&S!
I think three times a week would work to make some progress as long as you make the most of those days. Your nutrition and recovery must be on point, though. Of course, we can't be sure you would see the same results that you would if you followed it as written.
I would say simply do the workout in front of you on the next day you train, regardless of what day of the week it is.That way you are doing each workout and still reaping the benefits they offer.
HIIT on leg day will be too much for many lifters, so I would advise against that unless you are going to do an upper body HIIT workout like boxing, battle ropes, etc.
EMOM workouts can be beneficial, but I would suggest making sure you are consistent with the program and routine before trying to add them in. If you can be consistent with this for a month, then throw in an EMOM workout.
My thoughts on this, but we hope you will share progress with us and wish you the best of luck!
Hi, I started the programme and I have a question please. Does it matter if I change the order of the workout on the same day, as sometimes it depends on the availability of the next machine at the gym, thanks.
Hi Ella, as long as you prepare for strength to be different for the exercises you usually do first but end up moving further down the workout, you should still see results. Hope this helps!
I would like to include hip thrust and hip adductor machine workout to the lower days. What exercises should I substitute with these? Thanks
Hi Pragati, I actually think you could add them in without taking anything out. If time is a limiting factor, then you could swap out the curtsy lunge and leg extension.
Can a male do this workout also just adding more weights of course. Am trying to find a workout plan for my wife cause she likes to workout with me so I found this one for her to do can I jump on this one as well?
Hi Giovanni, men can absolutely do this one. More often than not, the titles or branding of workouts are to help people find specific plans for their needs, but it is rare that a workout here is only for a set group of people. Men can do it, and I hope you will share the results of this if you and your wife take it on. Thanks for reading M&S!
Hello. Can you please clarify what this part of the article meant? To me a circuit is going from one machine to the next with no rest but I see in the comments it is suggested to perform each exercise and rest between sets (which is what do most of the time unless I am short on time then I will super set a couple of exercises). Thanks!
“Rest periods for these workout programs should be kept to 30-90 seconds in between sets and exercises. On days you perform a circuit, no rest should be taken until after the circuit is complete.”
Hi Agorista, some of the workouts are traditional and one is a circuit. The abs and glutes is a circuit, where you would go from one station to the next. The others are traditional workouts with the rest between sets. I hope that helps.
Thanks Roger. I have successfully finished this workout. I am looking for my next workout program/challenge. I would say I am intermediate/advanced with a lot of flexibility to get to the gym. For back ground I am a yoga teacher and also a circus/acrobat/aerialist who unfortunately due to shoulder overuse injuries am currently not training in my arts (flying trapeze/silks and handstands). I am a little overwhelmed with the program selection and am wondering if you could recommend a program on your site? I am looking maintain my upper body strength while continuing to focus on overall body conditioning.
Hi Agoritsa! Thanks for being here and congrats on the progress you made. This article might be able to help you, but if not, I can find some personal recommendations so you don't feel overwhelmed.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Hi,
I have just started the program, I have a two questions:
It is ok if I drink vegan protein?
If I do cardio every day after the routine it is ok? I use to do 30-35 minutes in the treadmill
Thanks for the program!
Hi Grace, yes and yes. If you have other questions along the way, feel free to let us know. We wish you the best of luck and appreciate you reading M&S!
Hi,
I’m going to start this program but have a question about the rest time. Would I complete all 3 sets of the pull down without a rest and once completed, rest for 30-90 seconds and then move onto dumbbell Incline Bench Press?
Hi Nicole, the rest periods are between each set. So, do a set, rest for 30-90 seconds, then do your next set. You then take 90 more seconds rest as you transition to the next exercise.
I hope that helps, and please feel free to share feedback and more questions you may have on this program. We appreciate you reading M&S!
Do we complete one exercise at a time or go through all exercises then repeat x number of sets?
Hi Bern, you are to do all sets of each exercise before moving onto the next one.
Set 1, Rest, Set 2, Rest, Set 3, Rest, then move on to the next exercise.
Hope this helps!
How can I reduce this to a 3-day workout plan? Thank you!
I would suggest just following the schedule for the three days you can train. For example, do the first three workouts on those three days on the first week, then pick up with the fourth workout on the second week. I hope I explained that so it makes sense but if not, let me know.
Hi!
I’m planning to start this workout plan today and excited! Would it be okay if I added 30 mins of rowing machine HIIT (5 mins warm-up + 20 mins HIIT + 5 mins cool-down) on days 1, 2, 4, and 5 instead of the regular cardio? Because I really love doing that session and feel great afterwards! I get at least 6000 steps every day as well)
I see no issues with this, Sue. Feel free to go for it, and please let me know how this works for you. We appreciate you reading M&S!
And thanks love the fact that some one is always here to reply
Thanks, Thomas. But please no more external links. Can't approve them.
Thank you for this workout plan! I can’t do deadlifts because of my sciatica—what alternative(s) would you recommend?
Hey LR, I would suggest speaking to your doctor to find exercises you could do. I would suggest sticking to stretches, pelvic tilts, and side lying hip rotations in place of the deadlifts, but I am not a physician so run those by yours before you take them on. Then, you could also discuss strength training exercises like partial reverse hypers or machine low back exercises.
Hi!! Could you recommend a substitute for a hack squat? My gym doesn’t have a hack squat machine - just smith machine, squat rack, ham curl/leg extension, and kickback machines . And the AD/ABductor. Thank you!!
Hi Ashlyn, you could do front squats, goblet squats, or if your gym has a box or bench to spare, do box squats. Hope this helps!
I'm doing this 10 week women fat loss for quite some time and I'm loving it too but the problem I'm facing is I'm gaining muscle more than losing fat. What should I do I just want to loss fat and get slimmer should I trust the process or am I doing something wrong?
Hey there, PJ. Not sure how far in you are on this, but you could do a couple of things.
1. Scale back the protein a small bit so you have enough to maintain muscle but not so much that you start losing muscle.
2. Up the cardio a small bit as well, even if it only 10 minutes per session.
Also, if you are not taking a weight loss supplement, that may be the trick to get you over the top. I don't mean energy pills, either, I am talking supplements such as 5-HTP, Ginger, etc. This link may help you if you need some guidance on this.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/5-essential-fat-loss-supplements
Hi team,
I am 33 years old, 5'11 and weight about 62kgs. I am just wondering which activity level to select for BMR to get the best results. I strength train 4 x per week and am keen to have a go at this program next. I add in two polarised 10 minute cardio session at the end of two weights sessions. I also play golf twice a week (usually about 10kms a round) and will practice 3 times a week. When time permits I will also walk for 60 minutes about 3 x per week.
Any help is much appreciated, looking forward to starting this program.
Cheers
Hi Ashleigh, I would go with Very Active. Hope this helps, and best of luck with the program.
Hi, can't wait to start this workout! Can regular hack squats be substituted for reverse hack squats? I don't think the reverse hack squats will be good for my low back.
Thank you!
Thumbs up from me, Brenda. Go for it! Hope this program serves you well.
Is the order of exercises important? If I go down the set in order, I'm bouncing all over the gym. Could I group all the free weight and then machine exercises to make it more efficient? Thanks
Hi Hollie, the first exercise should definitely be at the top of the order, but if doing the rest as you suggest helps you stay consistent, then go for it. We hope you will share your results at the end. Thanks for reading M&S!
I’m not sure what you mean by the 20sec to 10 sec work to rest ratio
Hi Tia, this means to work for 20 seconds, then rest for 10. Repeat until you complete the time for the workout. I hope this helps.
I am 60 years old and about 50 pounds overweight. I do have a gym membership and go 5-6 times a week. I struggle with the diet portion. I don't like to cook, so quick and easy is always my goal. Can you help me put together a 12-week plan to get in shape.
Hi Kimberly, thank you for reading M&S.
We don't do individual plans, but I can offer some guidance on how to make the dieting portion a little easier on yourself.
- Cook once a week and prepare 3-4 days worth of meals so you can simply heat them up and have them when you like.
- Add protein shakes into the plan, and consider doing recipes to make them even more enjoyable such as fruit smoothies or seasonal holiday flavors like pumpkin spice.
- Find the healthiest meals at local restaurants and go out to eat once or twice a week. You don't have to cook, and you can throw something different into the diet (get water instead of a soda to drink and save some $ too)
- Consider salads as well because they are simple to make and even come premade at most stores.
Hopefully these at least get you going on a path forward.
Hello, I finished the 12 week fat destroyer program. I'm a female and would like to take it up a notch but can you advise the difference between this program The Fat Incinerator: 8 Week Fat Burning Workout
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/8-week-fat-incinerator-workout
And this program. I'm want to continue to melt Fat and build muscle. Is the women program geared more towards creating curves?
Hi Talisa, if you feel you need to build muscle and have been dieting for a while, then I would suggest going with the Incinerator. The rep ranges allow you to go a little heavier. If you still feel you have significant fat to lose, then this one may be a good one to go with for now because of that extra cardio day, then switch to the Incinerator.
You should be good either way, but that would be my approach. Hope this helps!