How many times a week....

spm2010

Should you do weights? I found a 30 minute routine (longer if I do more sets which I plan to on days I am not working). I was thinking 4 should give me some results but it is a total body routine (lacking in time). I look online and some sites say 2 days a week, others say every other day and some say 4-5, what has worked for you?

karyabc

Lol Lol i saw the title and all it came to my mind was Sex SEx! . anyway i don't do weights yet so can't help you , but don't worry many amazing people will jump here with lots of info

spm2010

lol you can never have to much sex so def wont be asking that question lmao

btc1987

Some people advocate full-body routines 3 times a week. If you want to do more a week, you should look for a routine that will rotate body groups so you give your muscles adequate time to rest.

Either will work, full-body 3 times a week is probably the most efficient/quickest, but the most important thing to me is establishing a routine. I'm not looking for quick results.

getalife9353

You will likely find the same recommendations on here. So it would likely be safe to say 2 days/week minimum and 4 days/week maximum if you are doing full body workouts.

This is what I am currently doing.... 2 (mostly) body weight workouts and 2 cardio (cycling using my bike on a fluid trainer, since it's cold and dark this time of year) during the week, and usually some type of active recreation on the weekends (walking, cycling, kayaking). I am a bit "old school" and believe that a proper fitness program should include muscle-skeletal (weight), cardio-vascular (cardio) and flexibility (stretching) exercises, some people would also add balance exercises also.

blueakama

It depends, if you are doing cardio as well?

As a general rule you don't exercise the same area the day after, and have one rest day every week.

spm2010

I am actually waiting on my bike to be repaired, my treadmill died so got a bike now that's broken and waiting for them to send someone (no luck with cardio lol) So that's why I want to make sure I am doing enough weights until I can get back with cardio.

TimothyFish

spm2010 wrote: »

I am actually waiting on my bike to be repaired, my treadmill died so got a bike now that's broken and waiting for them to send someone (no luck with cardio lol) So that's why I want to make sure I am doing enough weights until I can get back with cardio.

They will send someone? When my bike needs fixing, I either have to fix it myself or take it to the bike shop.

emdeesea

My workout is primarily weights 2-3 times a week (usually 3), and 2-3 days of light cardio. I focus on weight training because that's more important to me personally.

sjaplo

It depends on your program - mine is currently only twice a week, but I run 2 days, do yoga one and take the dog for a long walk on another. Earlier it was three times a week - but do what your body responds to - and listen to it if it wants a rest day.

Also - I've come to realize that "weeks" are man made constructs that make no difference to your body. So as long as you are exercising with some regularity you should be good.

Roxiegirl2008

I typically do weights three times a week. Two days with my trainer and one day is a body pump class. I have cardio built in the form of runs or a spin class three days week. I also really love to ride my bike so I will add that in every so often. It is just fun to me and doesn't seem like I am working out. Most likely because I am singing to the top of my lungs. Yes, I am one of those people.

jukyu

This is totally subjective. "What has worked for you?" What do you mean by that? What are your goals?

ViolaLeeBlueberry

I think it depends on goals. I actually weight train every time I go to the gym, pretty much. My son (high school) just started going to the same gym, and the same trainer set up his routine -- which is weight training twice a week, with some different approaches.

One difference is that my son's goal includes building bulk, whereas my goal is basic strength and toning. If you think about it, the natural way that humans have good muscle strength is regular work. I have relatives who are quite fit, naturally, from non-mechanized farm work ... and they don't exactly take a rest day in between. I figure that what I'm doing is just a gym version of "carry the firewood, milk the cows, grind the lentils," etc.

But a focused routine about building bulk in a gym context might reasonably be different. Just a guess, but that's where I'm thinking you'll be reading "2 times a week" or "3 times a week." Probably those routines are focused on increasing weights each time to increase strength or muscle mass significantly over time. So they stress the muscles more. I'm not stressing my muscles much; just make sure I'm using them

cwolfman13

Full body routines are typically done 3x weekly whereas split routines are typically 4x weekly...sometimes 5.

I typically do a 3x weekly full body routine...except for when I'm doing endurance training and I need to spend more time in the saddle...in that case I usually drop it to 2x weekly minimum.

Keep in mind that with resistance training, the "magic" happens when you're resting...for that reason you wouldn't want to be doing a full body routine on back to back days....basically wasting your time. If your'e going to do that, you need to do a split.

As far as your weight control goes, that is largely about your consumption.

Sydking

I go every second day but usually rest on the Saturday and Sunday, so its 3 times a week for me

I do this because my routine is a full body of Squats, Deadlifts, Bench, Military Press and BB curls.

I need to balance rest and recovery with muay thai 6 days a week too.