How many days a week should I be working out?

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juliegin
juliegin Posts: 77 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I guess, not just me, but for everybody? I have read several articles lately that say really you should be working out like every day. To what degree everyday? I always heard my whole life 3 days a week, then more recently that as long as you get in a total of 3.5 hours a week (what would average out to 30 minutes a day) that is ok. I am worried that if I start exercising 6-7 days a week I'm going to plateau or if there's a time later in my life when I can't keep up 6-7 days a week that I'll gain weight quickly.

At the same time I'm really in a zone right now where I have the time and motivation to work out about 6 days a week, and probably end up going over the 3.5 hours a week frequently I'm sure, so is that a bad thing? I'd hate to not work out if I'm feeling like it.

Should I be going harder on cardio some days than others? What constitutes vigorous? If I have a day where I'm just walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes that doesn't feel like its even doing anything, nor does it amount to many calories burned according to MFP.

I'm in pretty good shape as is, as far as tolerance for fitness, but I'm afraid of "overdoing it."

Advice please?

Replies

  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
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    5 days seems right to me. Your body requires a few days of rest.

    I do 2 days weight training and 3 days cardio.

    You need balance. 6 days of cardio is a lot of work with little gain. Add strength training for better results.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    bump
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    So yeah that makes sense to me, but does it actually have a negative effect if you DON'T give your body some rest days, and if so, how many?
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    I'd really like some more responses on this, please???
  • gxm17
    gxm17 Posts: 374
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    I try to work out 5 to 6 days a week striving for 2 days of strength and 3-4 days of cardio with as much yoga as I can add on. But do what your body tells you, if you feel you need to work out 7 days a week, go for it, but try to make 1 or 2 days "active recovery" days with gentle yoga and/or light cardio or physical activity. I'm not a fitness professional though so take my advice with a healthy grain of salt.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    Thanks for the responses!
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
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    Trying to figure this out myself. It seems like a huge grey area and I can't find any definitive answers.
  • villager76
    villager76 Posts: 5
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    Me too. Right now, I have the time and the energy to go to the gym 6 Days a week and workout. A mix of cardio and weight training. I'm also interested to know if I should change it up a bit.
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    I do six days a week cardio and wright training. I work out anywhere from 45+60 above
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Kinda depends on what kind of working out. The higher your intensity, the more recovery time needed. Heavy lifting or HIIT can often need an off day after them. So 3 to 4 days per week if your intensity is high. Probably more often if it is moderate or low. Also somewhat dependent on age and ho quick you recover (says the guy about to turn 61 LOL).
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
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    I do only heavy strength training, though some in HIIT format. I work out 3 days per week for 45 minutes to an hour. The other 4 days, I focus on sleep and muscle recovery (foam rolling, stretching, joint and spinal mobility work, correcting movement patterns, etc.)

    I used to work out 6 days per week for a total of 15 to 20 hours (mostly cardio), and I was constantly injured and tired. When I started training with heavy weights, I realized quickly that less is more.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    I do only heavy strength training, though some in HIIT format. I work out 3 days per week for 45 minutes to an hour. The other 4 days, I focus on sleep and muscle recovery (foam rolling, stretching, joint and spinal mobility work, correcting movement patterns, etc.)

    I used to work out 6 days per week for a total of 15 to 20 hours (mostly cardio), and I was constantly injured and tired. When I started training with heavy weights, I realized quickly that less is more.

    You have unlocked the secret door!

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