Finding the Sweet Spot - How Often Should You Be Working Out?
It’s so common we get asked the question on what is the optimal amount of training?
Or how many workouts should someone be doing in order to get the results they’re looking for.
But in reality, the right amount of sessions is so different from person to person.
The obvious considerations come to mind, like how much time someone actually has to commit to workout each week. And of course, the starting point that they’re at in terms of their fitness level or experience.
But what else should we consider before flying into an unsustainable routine that’s not going to live past 2 weeks…?
Quality over quantity
It’s a cliche term that we hear all the time, but it couldn’t be more truthful in a fitness sense.
If the quality of your workouts are high enough, then you don’t need to be doing more just for the sake of it.
Getting a resistance training session across multiple muscle groups at least twice a week would be ideal. And should be enough for the average person to progress in their strength.
How structured are the sessions?
Do you have a plan in place to help you progress with your movements week after week?
If your strength sessions are left to random, spontaneous workouts, it makes it harder for you to progress on any key movements.
Progressive overload is the key to getting good results. We can achieve this by sticking to a programme, and aiming to increase our weight or volume on movements every week.
What else is going on in your life that makes up the rest of your week?
If you’re someone who already has large amounts of stress elsewhere in your life - whether that is family, work, or social stress… Then adding a large amount of fitness into the week is a guaranteed way to quickly reach burnout.
Aim to reduce the stress in your general life where possible, before adding new things in - there’s only so much room on the plate!
So what’s the answer?
Managing to achieve 3-4 sessions per week would be a great amount for most people. Of those sessions, we would normally like to see at least 2 strength training sessions, which of course leaves a little bit of time in the week for some cardio training in the form of steady aerobic work, or high-intensity interval training.
But what’s realistic?
Because 2 sessions are better than 1, and 1 session is better than nothing!
It is still possible to progress by doing just 1 session per week, and if that’s all that someone can fit into their schedule, then that is something they should definitely commit to doing!
Whether you’re able to do 1 session or 4, there are some other considerations that you can do to positively impact your health and fitness outside of your workouts.
Increasing your step count and general day to day activity
Working on your nutrition by managing your protein intake and considering how that might fit in with your goals
Improving your habits in areas such as your sleep and mindfulness
Are you struggling to put together a week of training? Or are you wondering how you should be structuring your strength sessions?
Then click the button below, get in touch to have a conversation with us - we’d love to see if we could try to help.
