As you get older, your body changes. This can affect which exercises are best for you. So, what are the best exercises for women in their 30s?
The best exercises for women in their 30s are swimming, running, lunges, pull-ups, leg raises, pull-ups, and push-ups. Women in their 30s should avoid doing sit-ups, lunges, rotating rows, and leg presses. The best exercises for women in their 30s involve cardio and core strength.
The best exercises for women in their 30s to do varies depending on what they want to work on. The exercises they should do vary on whether they want to lose weight, increase strength, or simply maintain strength. Keep reading to learn about the best and worst exercises for women in their 30s to do.
Best Exercises for Women in their 30s
Cardio-heavy and strength training exercises are great for women in their 30s. Some specific exercises that are great for women in their 30s are listed below, as well as why they are great for women in this age range,
Running
Running is great for women in their 30s because it involves a lot of cardio. If you do a lot of cardio-heavy exercises, your heart will become stronger. A strong, healthy heart is essential for women in their 30s, especially because heart disease kills millions of women every year.
However, running is considered a high-impact sport, so it can damage your joints, especially your knees, over time. To prevent damaging your joints, wear high-quality shoes while running.
Swimming
Swimming is a great type of exercise for women in their 30s because it is a low-impact sport. When swimming, you use most of the muscles in your body. You can also strengthen your lungs and heart by swimming regularly.
Most people enjoy swimming and consider the activity to be relaxing. You can also go swimming with other people, including your friends or children. This makes the activity more fun and convenient, as you can work out while spending time with your friends or kids.
Lunges
Women in their 30s should do lunges regularly to strengthen their legs. If you want to perform strength-training exercises, do weighted lunges.
To do lunges, put your feet together. Then step forward with your right or left leg. When you step forward, make sure the knee of the opposite leg is almost on the ground. The knee of the leg you stepped forward with should be at a 90-degree angle. Then, push up with the leg closest to the ground and put your feet together. Repeat the process with the other leg.
When doing weighted lunges, hold a kettlebell to your chest while doing lunges or hold one weight in each hand. Start with light kettlebells or weights and work your way toward heavier ones.
Leg Raises
Leg raises can strengthen multiple muscles, including the hip flexor, lower back, hamstrings, and rectus abdominis muscles. Because leg raises can strengthen multiple muscles, it is a great exercise for women in their 30s to do.
To do leg raises, lay flat on the floor with your palms on the floor. Your arms should be to your sides, but you can put your hands under your bottom. Put your feet together and make sure your legs are straight. Then, lift your legs while keeping your feet together. Keep lifting your legs until you finish the set. Never let your feet touch the ground.
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups strengthen many of the muscles in your arms and shoulders, including the biceps, trapezius, rhomboids, infraspinatus, atissimus dorsi, and deltoid muscles. Arm strength is essential for women in their 30s, so to maintain or increase your arm strength, do pull-ups regularly.
Push-Ups
While push-ups may look easy, they are quite hard for many people to do. However, women in their 30s should do push-ups regularly because they work out the triceps, anterior deltoids, and pectoral muscles. If you are unable to do regular push-ups, do modified push-ups.
Exercises Women in their 30s Should Avoid
Here are some exercises women in their 30s should avoid doing.
Sit Ups
It is extremely easy to do sit-ups wrong, which is why women in their 30s should avoid doing them unless someone nearby is monitoring their form. If you do sit-ups incorrectly, you can stress out or harm your back.
Rotating Rows
While the rowing machine can be useful, you shouldn’t pair it with twists if you are a woman in your 30s. If you twist your shoulders while rowing, you can herniate a disk in your spine. A herniated disk is incredibly painful.
Instead, just use the rowing machine as it is meant to be used, without the twisting motion. Make sure your form is correct to avoid injury.
Leg Presses
Because it is easy to put too much weight on the leg press machine, if you are a woman in your 30s, avoid doing leg presses. Do other leg-strengthening exercises instead. You should also avoid doing leg presses because if you over-extend your legs, which is quite easy to do, your lower back can get stressed.
If you do leg presses, don’t increase the weight on the machine until you can’t move it anymore. Instead, only lift a small amount of weight and stop when your legs are at a 90-degree angle. Also, do multiple reps to increase your leg strength. After each rep, evaluate how your legs feel, and don’t overwork your body.
Overall, there are many exercises that you should definitely do if you are a woman in your 30s. Don’t limit yourself based on your age. The exercises that you should avoid doing vary depending on your health and physical strength. If you aren’t sure what exercises could potentially be dangerous for you to do, consult with a physical trainer and tell them what your fitness goals are. They can create a fitness regimen for you.
Women in their 30s can do almost every exercise as long as they know their limits. However, which exercises they do varies depending on their fitness goals, general health, and access to equipment.