Buzz
As a woman who exercises, it's always strange to encounter advice on the 'best exercises for women.' These lists typically feature low-resistance movements like bird dogs, or light dumbbell exercises like overhead presses. Meanwhile, when I work out, I simply... lift something? Maybe go for a run or ride my bike? Am I failing at femininity? Probably, but that’s a whole different conversation.
Men, women, and all genders have access to the same variety of exercises and fitness techniques. Picture the most stereotypical feminine woman and the most stereotypical masculine man. Both can do a bird dog. Both can lift a barbell. Their starting points or comfort levels may differ; in this case, the woman may be less familiar with the barbell. However, the exercises that will benefit each person remain the same.
After seeing countless articles about the best exercises for women, I decided to search for 'best exercises for men.' Here’s what the Internet suggests men should focus on:
Deadlifts
Squats
Bench press
Bicep curls
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Farmer’s walks
Kettlebell swings
And here are some of the common exercises listed as 'best for women':
Planks
Jumping jacks
Squats (illustrated without any added weight)
Leg raises
Push-ups (the one exercise that makes both lists)
Clamshells
Single-leg deadlifts (with tiny dumbbells)
Glute bridges
HIIT intervals
Right from the start, it’s clear women are being shortchanged. The men's list offers a legitimate workout; the women's list feels more like a warmup.
Nearly every list I encountered for 'women’s exercises' involves moves done without weights or with the smallest dumbbells possible. At first, I was thrilled to find a list that included a 'military press,' but my excitement faded when I saw the demonstration – a woman raising her arms overhead repeatedly... with absolutely no weight in her hands. So, what exactly is she pressing?
Weight load matters
My issue isn’t just that heavy weights are more enjoyable for me. Honestly, if calisthenics are your thing, you can still gain strength, muscle, stability, and health. You can work towards pull-ups, push-ups, pistol squats, handstands, and more. But those aren’t typically what you see listed as 'women’s exercises.' Instead, we see movements that are severely underloaded.
As a beginner, this is fine. If you're not yet ready to use weights, you can practice the motion of a military press with empty hands, then progress to using dumbbells before eventually working up to a barbell. But this isn’t a 'women’s' workout; it’s simply a 'beginner’s' workout. Men’s lists don’t approach it this way—they just demonstrate the move with weight and provide guidance on starting with lighter weights if necessary.
There’s a clear distinction between doing beginner exercises with the understanding that you’ll advance quickly, and doing beginner exercises with the idea that this is all that’s appropriate for you long-term. Even Jane Fonda did better, starting with three-pound weights but making it clear that after some time, you’d need to upgrade to 10-pounders. After all, real strength requires appropriately challenging exercises.
More importantly, strength is crucial for health. If you maintain a focus on building strength throughout your life, you’ll enter old age with far more muscle mass, which increases your ability to keep doing things for yourself as you grow older. Prescribing meaningless exercises for women while recommending heavier weights for men mirrors the wage gap, but with muscles instead of money.
