06/03/2025
The PCOS Workout: Go To The Gym
(Works great for women without PCOS, too!)
If going to the gym is an option, this is BY FAR a better choice than attempting an at-home exercise plan. The various equipment that's available combined with the ability to choose a specific amount of resistance (weight) that is right for you makes the gym an ideal place to exercise. This simply can't be matched at home without a large investment in equipment.
Note: This is a beginner program that is designed to be an effective way to start getting results. Especially if you've tried other things in the past, and nothing seemed to work.
The plan is to work out 3 times per week, such as Monday/Wednesday/Friday.
Each day you will do 4 different exercises. The easiest place to start is to use machines. There are lots of different machines that are all slightly different, but still similar enough that all of them are just fine for you to use.
The 4 Exercises:
1. The Arm Push. Find a machine where you sit down and push forward with your arms. Some let you push straight forward, others have you pushing slightly upward, but they are all okay to use. Pick one you like, and stick with it.
2. The Arm Pull. Find a machine where you use your arms to pull towards your body from the front. This can be a more traditional machine, or a "cable machine" where you grab a handle that is connected to a weight stack with a cable. The cable machine is better, but they are similar enough that both work well. Pick one that you are comfortable with and stick with it.
3. The Leg Push. The best choice will be a Leg Press machine. This is a machine where you sit down in the seat and use your legs to push the weight away from you. Usually, the seat will be very low, you will be reclined back a bit, and the weight will be pushed up and away from you. These machines all look different, but are all basically the same in how they work. Find one you are comfortable with and stick with it.
4. The Leg Curl. Find a machine that lets you sit down and bend your knees against resistance. Normally, there will be a padded area your knee goes under (this hold your legs in place) and another padded section that goes behind your ankles. The ankle pad is attached to the weight and is moved by bending your knees.
This is the simple version of the workout plan. There are more advanced options that we can explore later, but for now, keep it simple.
Choosing the correct weight, repetitions, and sets:
You will use the same plan for all 4 exercises. The goal on your first day will be to find an appropriate starting weight for each movement. This will require some experimenting. Start with something you know is light, just as a warm up. Then add a bit of weight and do 5 repetitions (reps). If 5 reps was easy, add more weight. When you get to a weight where the 5th rep starts to slow down slightly, record that weight. It should have been fairly easy. Do that same weight for 2 more sets of 5 reps. Do this for all 4 exercises, and your first workout is complete!
For your second and ongoing workouts, the plan will be a bit different.
Each exercise will be done for 3 working sets. These are the sets done after any warm ups, where you are using the appropriate weight, reps, sets for the day. The working sets are what give your body the stimulus it needs to reach your goals and give you the results you want.
The plan is to do 3 working sets, where you do better than you did in your last workout. For example, if your last workout was 3 sets, where the 1st set was 5 reps and the second and third sets were 4 reps, this time you will do the first step for 5 reps again, then do 5 reps on the second set, and the third set if possible. Each workout you need to add 1 or 2 reps, just like in the example.
When you can do a movement for 6 reps on the first set and 5 reps on the second and third sets, increase the weight for the next workout. The weight increase doesn't have to be huge, just go up a little bit, such as 5 or maybe 10 pounds.
Once you pick a new weight, start your reps over at x4 x4 x4. Then progress the reps each workout like this:
(this example shows adding 1 rep to 1 set, but if you can, it is fine to add 1 rep to 2 sets)
x5 x5 x5 - First day
x6 x5 x5
x4 x4 x4 - New weight
x5 x4 x4
x5 x5 x4
x5 x5 x5
x6 x5 x5
x4 x4 x4 - Increase weight again.
x5 x4 x4
If you stick to this plan, you should be able to make progress for a LONG time.
A quick note - you need to lift close to failure, but don't ever lift until failure. For example, if you could have gotten 6 reps, but that 6th rep would have been a "grind" to get, don't do it. Stop your set at 5 reps. This is called leaving 1 "Rep In Reserve" (RIR). Never push a set past 1 RIR and into the failure rep.
The Diet Basics:
Minimum 120g protein per day.
Minimum 100g carbs per day.
Minimum 50g fat per day.
Those are minimum amounts, and for many will not be enough calories. So long as you are active, increasing carbs can be the most helpful. However, some people respond better to increasing fats. You will have to experiment to find out what works best for you.
The Cardio Plan:
In the end, just do some everyday.
Fasted cardio in the morning works great, immediately followed by a protein shake. So does more intense cardio done later in the day. Not intense like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), but intense like a hard bike ride or walking up stairs as fast as you can, something where you feel like you are almost out of breath.
A Note on Cardio and Calories:
If you eat too little and exercise too much, your body will be in a constant state malnutrition and you'll experience other hormonal dysregulation. This can lead to amenorrhea, where your natural hormone cycle is shut down and you won't experience a period (infertility can come with this).
Conclusion:
How bad do you want to fix your PCOS symptoms? How important is restoring your fertility, improving your mood, stopping the uncontrolled weight gain, or even losing weight to get in great shape?
If any of those are important, or maybe REALLY important, then treat your exercise plan with the same level of importance. Take this seriously and exercise like you mean it!
The focus is on the weight training. That is the key that makes the diet and cardio work better.
The weight training helps with insulin sensitivity, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance.
The cardio helps with glucose disposal and lowering insulin.
The diet helps with glucose control and insulin control.
It all combines together to create a very effective plan to combat the main symptoms and causes of PCOS, while having a bunch of other nice benefits, too.
Here's a link to the free support group:
The PCOS Workout Group
If you have any questions, please ask!
