A beginner full body gym workout for women: Romanian deadlift, step-back lunge, seated cable row, seated dumbbell press and dead bug. Day 2 of the 3-day Full Body Plan for Women.
Common questions about this workout day: structure, substitutions, and progression.
Light at first. The Romanian deadlift is a hip hinge, and the first weeks are for learning it:
Once all three sets of 10 look and feel the same, add 5–10 lb (2–5 kg). If you feel it in your lower back rather than your hamstrings and glutes, go lighter and stop the lowering a little higher.
10 on each leg per set, so 20 steps in a set. Either finish all 10 on one leg and then switch, or alternate legs; finishing one side first makes it easier to keep count.
Start with bodyweight. When three sets feel steady, hold a dumbbell in each hand.
Lunges should feel like hard work in your thighs and glutes, not in the knee joint. Check these first:
If the pain is sharp, keeps coming back or gets worse, stop lunging, do glute bridges instead, and see a physio or doctor.