Should Intermediate Lifters Exercise 4+ Times a Week?

darreneatschicken
darreneatschicken Posts: 669 Member
edited May 2021 in Fitness and Exercise
Let's say that you've been running a beginner's workout routine for quite some time now and have made some good gains.

Should you continue to do full body workouts 3x a week or should you switch to a program that requires you to workout at least 4x a week?

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    What I've read is that beginners make the most strength gains lifting 3x per week, them "optimal" shifts to 2 days. Once you move past the beginner's fast and easy gains stage, you need to do more to progress and you need more recovery to get the most out of them.

    I'm some guy on the internet, so take it for what it's worth.
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    edited May 2021
    If you’re still making progress I wouldn’t see any reason to change things.

    Also, frequency isn’t the only variable to be manipulated. There are also exercise selection, volume, and intensity.

    As for three vs. four days, I would say what fits your schedule better: less frequent longer session, or more frequent shorter sessions.

    If you are looking at full body vs split, consider what you respond better to. I’ve found I currently respond better to full body than split, for example. You’ll only figure this out by trying and measuring your results (ie E1RM).
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Nothing wrong with 3-7 days a week depending on your schedule.

    Do you "need" 4 days per week? More than likely not yet especially if you came off a LP type program.

    What programming are you coming off of that is 3 a week?

  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    years ago, when i starting lifting, i had better gains with 3 workouts per week rather than 4, but that is going to vary from person to person. still, i think recovery time and lots of protein when starting out is a good thing.
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  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    There are a lot of variables to consider when switching your programming. Are you still making progress with 3 days a week? Do you have time in your schedule to add a 4th day? Can you spread those lifting days out enough to recover adequately between lifting days? Do you WANT to lift 4 days a week? Those are just a few questions to consider.

    I prefer more lifting days...and generally, I can recover well enough to lift 4 or 5 days a week (I'll split up some of my upper body movements into an additional day or I'll add a high rep day for "fun"). However, I sometimes have to cut back to 3-4 days depending on where I am in a lifting cycle...as the weight on compound lifts goes up, I cut back on some extra "fun" stuff. Sometimes less is more.

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