How many times a week should you go to the gym?

vikiwx

How many times a week would you say a person should go to the gym to lose weight whilst eating healthy?
Also, how much weight would you expect someone to lose per week/month?

eloisan27

I go 6 days a week, but you can go from 3-6days a week, its whatever days you wanna go.

stanmann571

1. Going to the gym contributes to but does not necessarily cause weight loss
2. What is your net deficit. "eating healthy" contributes to neither weight loss or weight gain
3. What are your physical goals. Pick a program and follow it.
4. About 1% of your Total body weight weekly. SO for someone who's over 250 lbs, up to 2.5 lbs. For someone under 150 lbs. .5-1 lb is more reasonable. Also understand that normal daily fluctuations of 2-4% and normal monthly fluctuations of up to 8 or 9% due to eating and changes in activity and hormone balance can mask weight loss for a smaller person.

Purplebunnysarah

Never! By which I mean to say, not all exercise happens in the gym. I run 3-4 days a week and will be adding in at home strength training now that my 'big' race for the year is finished.

JaydedMiss

I go every day i can when im not working, So like 3-4 days a week. I use it simply as a reason to go out get moving and not just sit in bed all day. My job is very physically active so i basically work out daily. the gym really has minimal effect on my weight loss, But the mindset of getting up and getting moving 100% did. If your going to go to the gym hate it and then spend the rest of your day not moving it wont help at all. If it energizes you and makes you feel fitter and happier in the hours after and makes you more likely to make healthy choices, It helps alot.

As for how often, Go as often as you happily can keep up, Dont force yourself -within reason- Like if you hate it SO much you dread it maybe go less but if you love it/like how you feel afterwards go more. Really depends entirely on you and your needs/wants/goals. I lost all of my 110 pounds simply eating less and walking more. Never even stepped foot in a gym until i finished losing lol

how much you can expect to lose depends on you- how much you have to lose how much you can healthily lose based on how much you have to lose and how much effort your willing to put in to your eating/exercise

rowlandsw

I do 5 days unless something is up. Last week was such a mess I didn't get it. I only manage a half hour to 45 minutes before the pain starts so I'm going slow and steady to increase endurance.

onematch

I lost weight without exercising for a long time. It's not necessary to exercise to lose weight, but it does help burn calories and is obviously good for your health. I began by going twice a week and doing cardio only. I slowly increased my frequency to 3x/week then 4. Then I added strength training, and started taking classes. Now I am there 5-6 times per week and do cardio each time, and strength train 3-4 times per week. I love my new muscles and I feel strong an healthy.

heybales

9.

Answer for all the questions.

jessef593

You won't lose any weight by going to the gym

You will lose weight by eating in a caloric deficit

You could gain weight by eating nothing but spinach and broccoli.



I personally go to the gym 6x a week with the intention of gaining weight

cwolfman13

vikiwx wrote: »

How many times a week would you say a person should go to the gym to lose weight whilst eating healthy?
Also, how much weight would you expect someone to lose per week/month?

Losing weight comes down to having a calorie deficit. Exercise can help in that regard, but doesn't default to weight loss...a lot of people exercise regularly and are maintaining weight.

The only thing I do in the gym is lift...2x per week. Everything else I do is outside of the gym...mostly cycle.

There really isn't a "should" other than the AHA recommends 150 minutes of light to moderate activity per week.

Azercord

I built a gym in my garage so I guess you could say I live at one. So you should constantly go to and be at a gym (unless you are at work) or 9 like @heybales said (don't know why but it looks reasonable).

And like most have pointed out weight loss is done through a caloric deficit and don't have much to do with the gym.

HoneyBadger302

The weight loss thing has already been covered by other posters.

As to how often, well, that's going to depend on you. Anything is better than nothing.

Personally, I have goals that require me to restore my lost fitness because my racing demands it - if I want to get faster, I have to have the stamina, strength, and endurance to do so. I have to be able to move faster, more controlled, etc.

So, to that end, I'm at the gym or having some sort of workout 5-6 days a week, for a minimum of about 2 hours/day.

Is that what you need to do? Probably not if you're asking that question. How intense your workouts are, how long, how frequent, and what your goals are will drive those decisions.

Chieflrg

However many times you have in your goals to be in a caloric deficit.

One can go zero times a week and lose the same amount of weight of somebody who lives at the gym.

giantrobot_powerlifting

Frequency? What your programming dictates.

Weight loss? Unpredictable.

AnnPT77

Go to the gym as many times a week as you find fun and energizing. If it isn't fun and energizing, you'll eventually find reasons to stop going.

Manage your calorie intake to lose weight with consideration for what you decide to do as active fun, if you do anything.

Exercise is optional for weight loss, but it feels good to be strong and energetic, and it makes you more successful in other parts of your life.

If there's something fun at the gym - weights, exercise machines, group classes, swimming pool - go to the gym. Otherwise, do anything you enjoy that's movement-oriented: Go dancing, learn a martial art, go hiking, kayak, ride a bike, roller skate, run outdoors, take a tap-dance class, you name it. Do something that's so fun you'd do it even if it weren't good for you.

Fitnessmom82

I personally go to the gym 6 days a week, occasionally 7. I have a routine that I follow for 6 days a week. If I go for the 7th it's generally because I want to bank some extra calories for a particularly high calorie weekend. That 7th day is never anything crazy, as it's supposed to be my rest day. I'll avoid the weights and just get some cardio in. Alternatively, I'll just take a long walk or go for a hike on that 7th day, if it works with my schedule.

ridiculous59

As little as possible. I ski and snowshoe in the winter. I run, bike, hike, and paddle in the summer. I do weights and yoga year round at home. For me, anytime spent outside, especially if it includes my dog, is a million times better than time spent at the gym. All I'm saying is don't forget there's an awesome world out there to explore too

Okiludy

If new to fitness and looking at resistance training, I would recommend one of the full body 3-day beginner programs. They really work well and it doesn't matter the specific one (Starting Strength, Strong Lifts 5x5, Strong Curves). They seem to hit the correct amount of stress and recovery to make impressive strength gains. That is when done as written and not changed by the participant.

I am not able to really give recommendations on cardio. It is far outside my realm of knowledge.

In terms of weight loss, I think a healthy amount would be 4-6lbs would be healthy for the first couple of months. I lost more but I was at 300lbs. The closer you are to your goal weight the slower you normally need to go on it. It is important to remember that exercise contributes but very little towards weight loss. To lose weight you really need to watch diet more, but you mention that so I am pretty sure you are on top of it.

Good luck!

ap1972

Only go to the gym if you are not going to eat extra calories. If you burn 500 calories then eat an extra 1,000 to help fuel it then it will not help your weight loss.

Soieblanche

Eating less but not working out will make you skinny-fat guys. You need to do some sort of activity to increase muscle mass to some extent, otherwise you'll just be a small blob rather than a big blob

Usual advice (which has been my experience too) is twice a week minimum, and not more than 4 times a week if you're new to the gym - your body won't be used to the exertion and you'll burn out.

deputy_randolph

I go to the gym 5-6 days a week and have gained 15lbs in the last 2.5-3 years.

Are you following a lifting program? If so, go the # of days dictated by the program. If you are only doing cardio, you could probably go every day.

vikiwx

At the moment I go twice a week for an hour and a half, I do both cardio and strength training, but have been stuck at the same level for a couple of months.
I think the best thing to do is up the amount of days and keep an eye on the deficit.

Katzedernacht

Gym surely helps in looking better, if that's something you are interested in. I hit it Mon-Friday. Heavy weights, less heavy weights, battle rope, skipping rope, planks, all of that too

heybales

vikiwx wrote: »

At the moment I go twice a week for an hour and a half, I do both cardio and strength training, but have been stuck at the same level for a couple of months.
I think the best thing to do is up the amount of days and keep an eye on the deficit.

Same level of what stuck at?

Amount of weight lifted?

Are you doing the cardio first?
If so how much and how intensive?

How much lifting are you attempting to get in that time - too many lifts or reps isn't the method to increase strength. Hence the recommendation to follow a program, even a full-body program intended for 3 x weekly can have benefits at 2 x weekly.
But not if you knock yourself out with hard cardio first.