Exercise is an essential factor in maintaining a healthy body. It’s a necessary activity that can help you live a long and happy life. However, finding time to scrunch in a full-blown exercise routine in the middle of your weekly schedule can be proven a challenge. Is working out 3 times a week enough?
Exactly how often should you work out to get the best results possible?
No worries! We’ll set things straight once and for all and answer all of your brewing questions down below. This article will contain the 101 that can help you construct the perfect workout routine to fit nicely into your weekly schedule.
How Often Should You Work Out Each Week?
Look, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to your workout frequency. The number of times you should workout may vary from several factors such as health condition, fitness level, and personal goal. That’s why setting goals is essential when you’re at the beginning of your fitness journey. Having an exact goal weight and knowing how much you’ll have to cut back will help you devise a workout routine that can fit perfectly with your schedule.
But if you’re struggling to figure out your workout plan and want to lose weight, then this next segment can probably help you out.
What Should Your Working Out Look Like per Week?
If you want to get the best results possible, then a right 4-5 day combination of cardio and strength training will help keep you set. The number of days contributed to cardio or strength training is entirely up to you. However, it’s best to keep a realistic schedule where your body can adjust and perform effectively.
Here’s a workout framework for you to get an idea:
Cardio – 3 times per week
Doing a healthy amount of cardio is essential if you are aiming for significant weight loss. Besides that, doing regular cardio exercises can significantly improve the body’s endurance and optimize oxygen and blood circulation in the body. Doing cardio is also the most common exercise to lose weight.
If you want to lose weight fast, you can go for high-intensity workouts such as a 25-minute HIIT. But if you’re a beginner, then you can go at a moderate pace. You can engage in other cardiovascular workout activities that may take longer yet moderately-paced like jogging, cycling, and even dancing.
Whether it’s short high intensity or long steady-state workout sessions, both can be as effective if done consistently.
Strength Training – 2-3 times per week
How many days a week should I workout to build muscle?
Strength training is as important as cardio when it comes to maintaining a healthy body. It helps prevent muscle loss and strengthens both your bones and joints. Keeping strong muscles can help your body perform physical activities better. Since the body comprises different muscle groups, you can aim for one or two muscle groups per workout session.
And if you’re wondering, “Well, how many days a week should I workout to build muscle?” Then as much as possible, go for an alternating schedule in your 2-3 day workout plan. For example, you can train your upper-body muscles on the first day, then target your lower-body muscle groups on the second.
There’s also a lot of strength training workout variations you can do. In lifting, try to target about 12 to 15 reps on each set. Once you’re used to it enough, you can decrease the frequency and start adding more volume. If you have no time for the gym or have no workout equipment at home, you can do bodyweight exercises instead. Doing so can target multiple muscle groups in your body all at once, such as push-ups, squats, and crunches.
How long should you workout to build muscle? A good 40 to 50-minute session per day is good enough to not only strengthen your muscles but build your body’s endurance as well.
Rest Days – 1-2 Times Each Week
Rest days are by far the most crucial in your workout routine. It will allow your body enough time to repair itself and recover. Without enough rest, you won’t be able to perform your workouts better. Expect miserable muscle aches that won’t go away and only add more strain to your exercises.
But doing rest days doesn’t mean you have to sit in or lie in your bed all day. It’s possible to stay active while you’re on a rest day. Doing simple things such as taking walks, doing errands, and engaging in your hobbies are some activities you can do to remain active without stressing your body out.
It might also be the perfect time for you to do some stretches, such as doing yoga or pilates, which can help keep your muscles loose and relaxed. Remember, you don’t have to go all out in your workout routines by skipping rest days. Cutting would not help your body lose weight any faster. It would only cause stress and potential workout injuries in the future.
Is It Good to Work Out Every Day?
It’s a question that’s probably plaguing the minds of everyone who wants to lose weight effectively. Is working out 6 days a week too much? While it may seem excessive to think of working out every day, it’s still possible if done correctly.
While including a rest day is often advised when it comes to setting up your workout schedule, there’s no harm to doing 6 to 7-day workout sessions as long as you don’t overexert yourself by doing long and intense sessions. A moderate pace of 30-minute exercises is recommendable if you want to work out every day.
However, it’s important to take caution and not get ahead of yourself. Listen to your body. If it needs rest, let it.
How Often Should You Work Out per Day?
How often you should work out depends entirely on your schedule. If, for example, you work from 9 to 5, then you can do split workout sessions per day—half of your routine in the morning and the remaining half at night.
Usually, though, people try to work out at least once a day since it’s easier to maintain a momentum of consistency. Whichever workout schedule you may prefer, keep in mind to pick the routine you can commit to while not over-exerting your body in the process.
How Long Will it Take to Weight loss and Muscle Gain?
How long or how fast your body will lose weight and gain muscle may vary from person to person. It depends on a person’s weight, goal weight, routine, and, most importantly, their meal plan.
As they say, a healthy body is built in the kitchen, not at the gym. Your body needs to power through your workout sessions, and cutting back on unhealthy meals can help you shed the weight off fast. While the exact time you’ll reach your goal cannot be verified, you can set your goal weight. Through that, you’ll be able to construct a workout routine and cite the number of pounds you’ll aim to lose per week that can help you reach your desired healthy body.
How to Build the Habit of Working Out?
If you’re a beginner, start small. While working out 3 to 5 times a day is pretty ideal if you want to lose weight, you have to gradually build the habit of doing physical activity first before you get really into it. It’s best to time your workout sessions to a part of the day you feel at your best to do physical activity. Doing so helps you subconsciously stick with it.
Whether you workout at the gym or home, you have to remain consistent and stick to a routine to commit yourself to do each day.
How to Avoid Workout Mistakes?
It’s common to experience workout mistakes, especially if you’re starting. It can happen, and that’s a fact. However, errors are entirely avoidable, and the only way to avoid them is by being aware of the most common workout mistakes people tend to make:
- Skipping warm-ups – Doing basic introductions such as pre-workout stretches help prepare your body for physical activity. It releases tension in the muscles, and doing so prevents you from getting cramps or sores. It’s all relatively simple, yet somehow most people tend to skip the warm-ups and immediately jump into working out right away. It’s time to start making changes, and always including introductions before your workouts are one of the many things you should keep in mind.
- Over-fatigue – Some people may get highly enthusiastic about working out to neglect to listen to the aches and pains in their body. While the “no pain, no gain” mantra might keep people optimistic enough to power through their exercises, it can sometimes be destructive and can lead to over-fatigue. Not getting enough rest between workout sessions can lead your body to burn out. It’s best to pay attention to your body and give it the proper time to recover.
- Inconsistency – Being inconsistent in your workouts keeps you farther and slower to meet your goal. You might feel like skipping a session or two, but this would form into a bad habit that would not help you get anywhere or any closer to your fitness goals. There are also instances where you can do too much on one exercise and do too little on the other. You have to find the right balance in your workouts. Stay committed as possible, and you’ll be able to reach your goal sooner.
- Improper Posture – Posture is everything when it comes to doing exercises. Keeping a proper posture in each workout variation can help you hit all the right muscle groups in your body. Improper posture can cause unfortunate physical injuries, which is the last thing you’d want if you’re aiming to be consistent.
- Not getting enough hydration – Giving your body the right amount of hydration can help stabilize your heart rate and blood pressure. Intense exercises especially drain your body of fluids through sweat, so you should almost always keep your body hydrated. Dehydration can make you feel light-headed and can even cause you muscle cramps due to lactic acid buildup in your muscles.
- Giving up easily – When it gets tough, it’s easy to throw the towel and call it a day without finishing your routine. And it’s more familiar with people who are just starting. You have to prepare yourself that it’s a journey mentally. There will be some uphills and downhills, and that’s okay. You have to keep bouncing back and keep striving for self-improvement.
Do not Ignore Investing in Supplements
Most people would think that supplements are an unnecessary waste of money. Still, they make an excellent investment in helping you maintain a healthy body.
Taking daily supplements can help strengthen our body’s immune system. Providing your body with the right extra vitamins and nutrients, it needs right now is better than dealing with debilitating problems with your body in the future.
Think ahead, act now, and thank yourself in the future.
The Bottom Line
The sheer number of sets and reps to how often you’ll have to do your workouts each week may seem daunting to keep up with, but all worthwhile. Whichever health or fitness goals you have, create a workout schedule that you can fully commit yourself to do. Trust in the process, and you’ll achieve your goal of a healthier body.
