What is an appropriate training frequency?
We received this message from one of our members this week:
“I’d love to read a newsletter about rest, and knowing when you take it.
Little bit of context: last week I went to the gym 3 days in a row and I really wanted to go the 4th but I was sore and decided not to. I’d love to read your take on when you should rest vs when you should push yourself.
I’m struggling with this now as I’m getting more consistent showing up to the gym.”
There are many factors how often a person can exercise.
Schedule.
Budget.
Goals.
Injury and/or medical history.
Training or exercise intensity.
Age.
Lifestyle.
Environment.
Since our gym population is primarily busy adults with demanding jobs who have kids, we’re going to focus on that specific population.
What if I can only commit to exercising one day each week?
Exercising one day a week isn’t ideal but if that’s all you can do, then give it your best effort and focus on movements that include multiple joints working together – total body exercises.
Push, pull, hinge, squat, carry, and core work. Perform all movements with intent, while at the same time making sure you’re not just trying to bury yourself.
If you can fit in time to go for walks throughout the week, even better.
What if I can only commit to exercising two days per week?
This frequency of training might be the most misunderstood and neglected option. If you exercise consistently twice a week with focus, intensity, and effort you can reap wild results.
This is a great starting point for many people because it’s not overwhelming and is easier to build the habit of exercise while developing skills and strength.
Building adherence and consistency are critical components of fitness success.
Twice a week works great for people who are looking to be in a “maintenance phase,” maybe due to an unusually busy schedule or want to maintain their current body composition.
If you were to train twice a week, a Monday/Wednesday, Monday/Thursday, Tuesday Friday, or Wednesday/Saturday exercise schedule is optimal.
Some people prefer a more intense or heavy day and then a second day that’s lighter and focused more on movement quality.
It’s helpful to aim for at least 48 hours of rest between sessions since a quality program will include total body training and you’ll want to recover between sessions.
What if I can commit to exercising three days per week?
This is the most common exercise frequency at ELEVATE with a training split that looks like Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.
Increased exercise frequency and training volume throughout the week, along with the ability to add in a little more variation with exercise selection, are all pro’s here.
Depending on how intensely you’re exercising, 48 hours of rest between sessions is crucial. Rest, proper nutrition, sleep, and managing stress will improve your ability to push yourself each session.
If you get thrown off of your schedule and have to train two days in a row, like Monday/Tuesday/Friday, reduce your working weight and/or total volume on Tuesday to accommodate your need to recover from Monday.
What if I can commit to exercising four days per week?
Just like the three-day-per-week exercise schedule, four sessions a week is great if you manage the intensity and volume appropriately. You’ll see gains in skill, strength and conditioning from increased frequency and total workload.
The downside is recovery. Many people find it difficult to dial back and manage their effort or rate of perceived exertion appropriately.
This frequency allows you to work through split routines – off setting upper and lower body training days Monday and Tuesday, then again on Thursday and Friday. With this schedule Friday is usually the heavy or most intense session because there are two weekend days to recover.
What if I want to commit to exercising five or more days per week?
To be upfront, we don’t recommend this and don’t believe it’s necessary.
Back to our first point – we’re working with adults, not athletes.
We’ve seen adults struggle with their intensity gauge – it’s either too low or too high.
Many people don’t feel like they’re working unless they’re crushing themselves in the gym.
Anyone who successfully exercises this frequently knows how to properly adjust their training intensity, or they’re not working hard and doing it for the pure enjoyment of movement and skill development.
As an aside, we offer a number of different programs at ELEVATE including:
- Team (3 programmed sessions per week)
- Bars & Bells (3 programmed sessions per week)
- Worcester Kettlebell Club (2 programmed sessions per week)
- Metabolic Conditioning (2 programmed sessions per week)
- Elite (1-3 small group personal training sessions per week)
A few of our members come in for Bars & Bells three times per week and add 1-2 Team sessions. Their primary focus is Bars & Bells and they use the Team sessions as “movement sessions” and keep the weight lighter.
A few members do 2-3 Team sessions per week and practice their kettlebell skills in WKC twice a week. They make sure there are rest days built into their schedule and they’re prioritizing one program over the other.
You’re a busy adult who cares about your health and fitness. As you can see there are a number of different exercise frequencies that can work.
Start with less, two sessions per week, and build from there with consistency.
Avoid training three days in a row. If you must, adjust your intensity for those sessions having a heavy (intense), light (easy) and medium (moderate) day.
Make sure you’re getting the appropriate rest, ideally 48 hours between sessions.
Most importantly, have fun, be safe, and put forth the effort!