The best exercises for women are not the same as the best for exercises for men only for one reason
. Women generally have different goals than men. While men usually want to build certain muscles, women want to tone. Toning is the simultaneous reduction in body fat and the maintenance of muscle. While this is possible for some people, toning is not going to happen with toning exercises unless one has a low body fat percentage. Unless the body fat percentage is on the low end of ideal or lean, the best exercises for women are most likely the same as the best exercises for men. The main purpose of exercise in a weight loss or toning goal is to elevate metabolism.
To burn calories during cardio is not as important in the long run as the maintenance of a high metabolism. The activities which will affect metabolism significantly are high intensity activities such as interval cardio,sprints and weight training. Lifting weights is very good for pregnant women. Some say it eases the birth. There are certain things which pregnant women should avoid such as the Valhalla maneuver which is the straining motion associated with holding the breath. Multi joint exercises which work large muscle groups are best to increase the metabolism and tone up. These multi joint exercises should be the base of weight training for men and women alike.
Exercises which isolate certain muscles, such as biceps curls have little or no use for weight training programs for those looking to lose weight. Women should lift highreps with light weight to tone, because heavier weight and fewer reps will bulk. Whether a weight is heavy or not is a matter of perception. The truth of the matter is in order for an exercise to be effective one muscles should fail within the rep range which must be one aiming for. If one perform a weight training exercise and perform twenty repetitions when one could have did fifty the exercise will not be effective regardless of one demands. Toning exercises for women such as inner and outer thigh machines are a complete waste of time for weight loss goals. The time should be spent on a full body weight training program and cardiovascular exercise.