The Best 3-Day Workout Routine For Women Over 40

Are you ready to let go of the excuses and get back to feeling healthy and looking great in the process? Then, this 3-day workout routine for women over 40 is the place to start!

Over the years, you may have found that your weight has crept up, you feel more fatigued after a long day, and that your health has declined.

But the responsibilities of life, family, and work get in the way, and your fitness has been put on the back burner.

You just don’t have the time!

Low On Time? No Problem

Well, the good news is you don’t have to spend hours upon hours in the gym to transform your body.

All you need is three solid workouts a week, along with a sound nutrition program, to see positive changes in your health and fitness.

Feel The Burn

In order to lose weight, you have to burn calories. This is accomplished both during and after your workout.

Obviously, while exercising, you are going to burn calories.

But what is really important is how well your body burns calories for the rest of the day.

Think about it. You typically only spend 30-60 minutes working out at a time.

That means you really need to make your body efficient at burning calories the other 23 hours of the day in order to lose weight.

This can be done by emphasizing resistance and weight-lifting exercises along with high-intensity cardio workouts.

Increase Muscle, Increase Metabolism

Studies have shown that increased lean body mass burns more calories at rest than fat mass.

This means by lifting weights and increasing your muscle mass, your body will be more efficient in burning calories at rest, which will boost weight loss.

In addition, there has been ongoing research showing that loss of lean muscle mass can actually increase appetite and stimulate overeating.

That is why fad diets and quick weight loss plans don’t work!

With these plans, you lose weight quickly, but without resistance training, you will be losing lean body mass.

That loss of skeletal muscle will serve to not only decrease your resting metabolic rate but may also increase your hunger signals.

This means that without the proper workout routine and nutrition program, it's nearly impossible to lose weight and keep it off.

Add Some HIIT

On top of resistance training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) will also burn a ton of calories during the workout itself.

The other great thing about these types of exercises is that your body continues to burn calories at a higher rate even when the workout is over.

So, if you can incorporate both weight lifting and HIIT training into your 3-day workout routine, you will be able to lose weight without having to spend every day in the gym.

That means no more excuses about not having the time to make your health and fitness a priority.

The Fit Mother Project

The Fit Mother Project is built on the foundation that health and fitness can be attained at any age and with any schedule.

That is why the team at The Fit Mother Project has put together workout and nutrition plans that are both efficient and effective.

The free Fit Mom 3-Day Weight Loss Jumpstart is a great place to start as an introduction back to workouts that can be a part of your everyday routine.

After checking out this free workout program, you will be ready to dive into this 3-day workout routine that will start you on your way to a toned, strong physique and better overall health.

3-Day Workout Routine

Day 1: Strength Training Full Body Workout

Warm up for five minutes with some light cardio.

This can be anything that gets the heart rate up and blood flowing to your muscles, like light jogging, biking, or jump roping.

Main Workout:

Goblet Squat:

This movement will really sculpt your glutes and quads. You can do these with either a dumbbell or kettlebell.

Or even just start out with your body weight and work your way up. Maintain good form throughout the movement, and make sure to engage your core throughout.

Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

One Arm Rows:

A great back exercise that really will target your lats.

Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps on each side.

Tricep Dips:

You can use a chair or bench with your feet bent in front of you to perform this movement.

As you progress, you can even prop your feet up onto another bench in front of you to make the exercise more challenging.

Again, complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Side Lunges:

The side lunge is great at working the legs at different angles than a standard lunge.

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps on each side.

You can start with bodyweight lunges, then work your way up to holding dumbbells while you perform the workout.

Lateral To Forward Dumbbell Shoulder Raises:

Begin by raising the dumbbells in front of you, slowly bringing them down, then raising them to the sides and lowering them.

This will be one rep. In this way, you are hitting both the front and sides of your deltoids.

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Standing Bicep Curls:

By standing during this exercise, you will be forced to engage your core.

Avoid swinging your body during the movement. You should really be isolating the biceps to get the most out of this movement.

You can do this with a curl bar or dumbbells.

Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Flutter Kicks:

You will end the workout with an ab burnout. Hold your upper body at about a 45-degree angle while you flutter the legs up and down in front of you.

Try to do this for 30 seconds, and gradually work your way up to a minute.

Cool Down and Stretch:

Always make sure to include an easy cooldown, like some light jogging or walking for about five minutes after the workout.

Include some upper and lower body dynamic stretches before completing your workout.

Day 2: High-Intensity Interval Training Day

Warm-Up: Perform each movement for 30 seconds.

1. Jog in place
2. Jump rope
3. Butt kickers
4. Arm Circles (15 seconds forward, 15 seconds backward)
5. High knees

Repeat twice to complete a five-minute warm-up

Main Set:

Perform as many reps as possible in 30 seconds, then rest for 30 seconds.

Move immediately into the next exercise after each 30-second rest.

1. Frog Jumps
2. Side to Side Push-Ups
3. Tuck Jumps
4. Plank Punches
5. Box Jumps
6. Burpees with push-ups
7. Mountain Climbers

Rest for 1 minute after completing the circuit. Then repeat 2 more times.

Cool Down and Stretch

Day 3: Full Body Resistance Day

Warm-up, similar to day 1. A light five-minute cardio warm-up of your choosing.

Main Set:

Leg Press:

Start with a low weight on the leg press machine and gradually add weight as you gain fitness.

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Seated Machine Rows/Cable Rows:

This is a great pulling exercise to work the back muscles. As you pull back on the V-bar, make sure to keep your arms close to your body.

Squeeze your back muscles together and pause, then slowly let the weight move back to the starting position.

Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Dumbbell Bench Press:

Use a flat bench to perform this chest exercise, or you can even lay on a mat if you don’t have a bench available.

As always, start with a low weight and work your way up to avoid injury.

Really focus on the lowering phase of the bench press.

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Wide Dumbbell Bicep Curls:

These can be done sitting or standing, but standing will force you to engage your core and increase the overall effectiveness of this exercise.

Keep your elbows close to your sides and curl the dumbbells up at about a 45-degree angle away from your body.

Complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Barbell Hip Thrusters:

If you are just starting out, you may want to start with some standard glute bridges while lying on a mat.

Then, work your way up to doing the full barbell hip thrusters with your back resting against a bench.

You can start with just the barbell and then add weight to this as you gain strength.

Complete 3 sets of 8-10 reps.

Cable Face Pulls:

This is a great exercise to hit your posterior deltoids.

Make sure you are pulling the rope towards your forehead while keeping your arms above shoulder level.

Aim for 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Tricep Kick Backs:

You can do these while bent over at the waist and kick back both arms simultaneously, or you can lean on a bench and do one arm at a time.

Either way, aim for 10-12 reps on each side. Try not to swing your arms, as this will defeat the purpose of the exercise.

Only your forearms, not your upper arms, should be moving.

Swiss Ball Knee Tucks:

With your feet resting on a Swiss ball, pull your knees into your chest while engaging your core.

Perform this movement slowly, really feeling the contraction of your abs throughout.

Aim for 3 sets of 12-15 reps.

Three Days a Week Is All You Need

This 3-day workout routine is designed to help you burn fat and lose weight without spending countless hours in the gym.

The workouts are efficient and can be done in under an hour.

This means, however, that you really have to up the intensity.

The strength training days will allow you to build strong, lean muscles.

Not only will this give you a great-looking body, but it will also increase your resting metabolic rate.

Basically, you will be turning your body into a fat-burning machine.

The HIIT day will improve your cardiovascular endurance and also increase your calorie-burning potential.

Plus, all of these exercises will improve your overall health.

This will decrease your risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

Look Great And Feel Great

Losing weight and improving your fitness also has the added bonus of improving how you perform everyday activities.

Other issues, such as chronic pain and risk of injury, are also decreased by improving your strength and fitness levels.

No matter what your level of fitness, this 3-day workout routine for weight loss is a great place for anyone to start.

It is effective and efficient and will get you on the road to a healthier lifestyle.

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on a 3-day workout routine for women over 40.