5 Best Exercises for Women to Build Lean Body

Getting a lean body is every woman's dream, but not everyone knows how to achieve it. Although the task might seem challenging, the truth is that you can get a lean body without putting on unwanted muscle size if you focus on the right type of workouts.

It's also very important to have a well-planned strategic approach to a routine that works best for your body type and fitness preference.

The best thing you can do to achieve a lean body is to include compound exercises in your workout routine. These exercises target multiple muscle groups simultaneously and help build muscle strength and mass, and even burn calories.

They boost the fat-burning process and enhance muscle-developing hormones, helping you build the lean body you want.

Incorporate the following exercises into your strength-training workout routine to enhance your overall fitness and achieve a lean body.

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Top Exercises for Women to Build Lean Body

These exercises are suitable for beginners and pro exercisers alike, but if you're a beginner, be cautious, and always start with lighter weights. As you gain strength, you may increase the weight to challenge yourself. Be consistent and focus on your form.

On that note, here's a look at five top exercises for women to get slimmer:

1) Goblet Squat

The goblet squat is a great exercise that targets your lower body muscles, including hamstrings, glutes, and calves, helping build a lean body while reducing quad engagement. This exercise uses an upright upper body position and deep squat, which improves core strength and endurance.

Here’s how to do a goblet squat:

• Stand upright, and position your feet a little wider than shoulder width with your toes diagonally turned to the sides.
• Engage your core muscles to keep a natural curve in your lower back, and hold a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest level. Make sure to keep both elbows pointing towards the floor.
• Lower your hips, and bend your knees into a squat while keeping the weights close to your upper chest throughout the move.
• Lower down till your hips get below your knees.
• Pause for a few seconds at the bottom, and return to a standing position by pressing into your heels.
• Repeat.

2) Lat Pull Down

For an overall lean body and to improve upper body muscle function, women should include pulling exercises like lat pull down in their workout routine. This exercise largely works on the lats and also helps improve the arms and boosts back strength.

Here’s how to do a lat pull down:

• Sit straight, and adjust the pad of the lat pull down machine so that it’s under your thighs.
• Hold the bar using a wide grip, and make sure to keep your torso straight.
• Keep your shoulders relaxed, and pull the bar down at your chest level.
• At the bottom of the move, squeeze your lats, and move the bar up.
• Do not lean back, and keep your back straight throughout the exercise.
• Repeat.

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3) Weighted Russian Twist

The weighted Russian twist primarily works on the glutes, abs and obliques. It's one of the best exercises to keep the core muscles toned and strong.

Here’s how to do weighted Russian twists:

• Hold a weight plate or a medicine ball firmly with both hands. Sit straight on the floor or mat, with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
• Slightly lean back to lift your feet off the floor.
• Slowly start to twist your torso from one side to another keeping the weight at your chest level.

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4) Deadlift

Deadlifts are a must-do exercise for women who want to get a strong and lean body, as the exercise targets almost all the major muscle groups in the lower body.

Deadlift is particularly beneficial for women, as this exercise focuses more on the pulling movement of the glutes and hamstrings. That helps improve and support the pelvic floor muscles.

Here’s how to do a deadlift:

• Stand tall with your feet at hip distance and firmly planted on the floor.
• Hinge at your waist to grab a barbell or dumbbell.
• Using both legs, lift the weight as you squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to stand back up. As you do that, make sure you don’t lock your knees.
• Lower the barbell back to the floor again, and repeat the movement.

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5) Overhead Press

The overhead press is an excellent exercise that helps improve shoulder function and health while also increasing core stabilization.

Here’s how to do an overhead press:

• Stand tall with your feet at a hip distance.
• Hold a barbell or a pair of dumbbells in both hands at chest level and palms facing out.
• Engaging your upper back muscles and shoulders and without bending your back, lift the barbell straight over your head.
• Pause for a few seconds at the top movement without locking your elbows, and lower the barbell down to the starting position with control.
• Repeat the exercise.

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Bottom Line

Practicing the aforementioned exercises regularly can help you achieve a lean body. Along with these workouts, though, you also need to eat right to shed fat and gain mass. Hence, you must follow a calorie-deficit diet, and include more protein and whole-grain items in your everyday meals.