There are so many different workout programs women can enjoy, but I'm going to talk about programs women LOVE.

Sometimes exercise can feel like such a chore that at those times, the concept of loving a particular workout program must seem crazy, but that's what makes some of these programs so special. Keep reading while I go through the criteria for a top workout program, as well as introduce you to programs that you will love.

What makes a great workout program?

I guess each person has their own opinion on this, and some will have their own favorite routines, but let's try and get a general list together shall we?

As far as I am aware, the following things should be considered when determining a great workout program:

• Results - Let's face it, 99% of us are exercising to get results or some form of improvement or another.
• Difficulty - We all know "no pain, no gain", but there is a difference between "challenging" and "impossible".
• Cost - We don't want to break the bank!
• Intensity - We don't want to break our backs!

There are some programs out there that *almost* qualify, and are certainly popular, but do not quite cut the mustard in terms of the above criteria, things like p90x which get results, but kill you in the process, same goes for insanity for women. They are good, but not really programs that everybody can do, so they don't get my vote.

So What Does Get Your Vote?

Wow, I'm glad you asked, now I get to continue writing. My criteria above looks quite general, and that is the point, but if you hold strong standards to it, you can definitely find the best programs. Here is my specific criteria.

Results - Must be able to see results within one month. Any longer and people will find it hard to keep motivation up, trust me on this one!

Difficulty - Must be accessible for everyone, therefore, beginners and advanced alike must get something out of it.

Cost - Must be cheaper than one month's gym membership, and/or must be cheaper than competitors.

Intensity - If it requires more than three days' exercise per week and causes a lot of strain on the body (as well as exhaustion), I'm not interested.

This narrows it down quite a lot. It is quite easy to find a program that matches several of the above, but when you use all four together, there are not many that hold up. On a recent blog post I talked about which programs do hold up to this criteria, and some questions that you should ask yourself before making a purchase.

Do You Need Equipment?

Naturally you can exercise and get results without using any equipment or tools, but if you want a GREAT workout program that works you out to a much greater extent, then perhaps you should consider investigating equipment.

I am a big fan of Kettlebells recently and due to the nature of a Kettlebell, some of the recently released Kettlebell exercise DVDs are actually the best ones out there right now.