How often do you workout in a week

akitagirl78

I am soooo new to exercise.... :huh: I have been working out & eatting 1200 calories for about 2 weeks now. I am able to do 60 minutes on the elliptical machine. That is pretty much all I am doing at this point. I am getting to the gym 3 times a week. Is this enough? I am trying to lose weight (40-50 pounds) and tone up. Should I go more often? I eventually want to start lifting weights but I was thinking I should get rid of some of this fat first. I don't know. I would love some ideas on a weekly work out schedule for someone just starting out...
Thanks for any and all responses :bigsmile:

bradwwood

good grief, you used the "tone" word. I'm sure someone will take issue with that

stay tuned on that front


I work out seven out of nine days. I know, sounds weird. I'm not 100% religious about that though. Since I'm on a weird 4/1/3/1 schedule, I get workout days that fall on weekends, and I might have done something else that day, so I just push the days out.

akitagirl78

good grief, you used the "tone" word. I'm sure someone will take issue with that

stay tuned on that front

LOL why? Isn't that what it's called?

BEERRUNNER

4 TIMES A WEEK. no more

Jerh29vs11

Wow, you are off to a great start! I belive if you are going to the gym 3 times a week, that it great for starters, But if you can go 5 times a week it is better. You can also work on weight lifting along with cardio intervals inbetween your weight lifting, to help build your muscles. your diet is going to be the most important as togetting the weight off. I have a trainer names Laura London I like to follow her workouts, she has a good varity on You tube, and helps me at home when i cant get to the gym, I will at a link and you can check her out! Renee http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN9Bz1tCdDA

weightloss12345678

4-6 times a week, need least two rest days

ThatSoundsHard

I try for at least half an hour of workout time 5 days a week and try to stay active on my "off days"

JennyJo23

I work out at least 7 and sometimes up to 10. I work out for an hour every morning, elliptical, some arm building exercises and some on the treadmill. 3 days a week I go to the gym to work out my legs and arms and some elliptical and treadmill. On top of that I play softball 2 days a week until the second week of April then it will be 4 days a week. I haven't lost too much but I think it's because I'm gaining muscle. I stick to my calorie plan as much as I can. Good Luck

Shirley61

6 days a week, Sunday off as a rest day.

Usually 50 mins each day, but if i am too busy just 30 mins a day.

sccet

6 on, 1 off.

Cardio or HIIT
Lift
Cardio or HIIT
Lift
Cardio or HIIT
Lift
OFF

Rinse, repeat.

bradwwood

good grief, you used the "tone" word. I'm sure someone will take issue with that

stay tuned on that front

LOL why? Isn't that what it's called?

some people around here can be real jerks and they wan't to correct everyone for everything they say.

"tone" works for me. I get it.

WeightWatcherCindy

I workout 6 days a week . An hour or more a day .

DawnieB1977

I workout 5 or 6 times a week. For example, Mon this week I did spin in the morning and Zumba in the evening. Tues I went for a long walk with my kids and did a HIIT class in the evening. I'd usually do Zumba on a Thurs after work but the week I had to leave work early to pick up my daughter from nursery as she was sick. Today I have a personal training session at 6. Tomorrow morning I am doing high impact aerobics. Sun I am doing a fitball class.

Every week is similar. I can't do evening classes every other week as my husband does shift work, so I try to do something in the morning before he leaves for work so he can look after the kids.

Ocarina

3 days a week usually. I wish 4!!!

aepdx

I work out every day. I don’t go to a gym though, so it doesn’t really feel like working out. During my lunch break from work I will walk briskly 20 – 50 minutes to burn some cals. After work I usually take a yoga class or “jog” on the elliptical at my apartment complex “gym” (which consists of an elliptical). On the weekends I try to walk a lot or hike, or do more yoga : ). I try to stay active every day to burn some calories so that I can eat more without feeling guilty! I think it is good to try and stay active every day if you are trying to lose weight. Going to the gym 3 times a week is totally fine though, in my opinion. Just, on the days that you don’t go to the gym, don’t lounge around all day – make sure you are still being sort of active. Gardening, bowling, anything. Just get that heart rate up at least 30 minutes a day!

leanneragland7

I've been at 1200 calories a day for five weeks. I do the elliptical 3 days a week & settle for nothing less than 300 cal each time (which is about 30 mins for me). Sometimes I add in another day of 30 min core exercises. And I've lost 12 lbs already. So I'd say you're off to a good start.

bunbunzee44

I try to go to gym 2-3 times a week.. cardio once or twice a week.

if you're only going to the gym to use the elliptical, I don't know if that's much of use. It's better than nothing, but you should really try other machines too.

Riemersma4

lift 4 days
HIIT cardio 2 days
rest 1 day

quirkytizzy

20 mins of Pilates a day, 15 or 20 on the treadmill three times a week. Just added some handweights for weight lifting training. One day off a week because rest days are nesscary.

HappyElizabeth

I'm not sure how "working out" is defined. I try to do 20,000 steps each day, 7 days per week (I have a FitBit). There are days when I do it very fast because I'm kickboxing, jumping rope or the like, and there are days when I just walk for a few hours at a brisk pace. Now I'm wondering if I shouldn't be so "active" 7 days per week.

MinnieInMaine

Welcome to the world of fitness!

The only thing wrong with using the word "tone" is that it's a bit of a pet peeve to the diehards. It's basically a made up word that makes women comfortable with strength training because many are under the very wrong impression that they'll bulk up like men or professiona women bodybuilders do. Fact is, we're just not built like that and it takes a strict diet and exercise regime to even come even remotely close to getting "bulky". Plus, as women, we naturally have more body fat then men which softens the look of our muscles. Again, it takes fairly strict diet and training to have that more defined look.

So what you really mean to say is that you want to start strength training. And there's no need to wait. In fact, the sooner you start, the better off you'll be in the end. Strength training helps to retain the muscles many lose while dieting and the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn. You may build a bit of muscle in the beginning but as a woman and as someone on a caloric deficit diet, it won't be much. Make sure you'll also eating plenty of protein to retain that muscle. The minimum set by MFP is quite low by fitness standards so don't be afraid to let that one go in the red on a regular basis.

Now to answer your original question:

I personally workout at least 5x per week for 40-45 minutes. This time of year I usually start doing someting on the weekends regularly as well because it's warm and I want to get out for a walk or run.

As far as what "enough" is depends on your goals. What are you looking to achieve?

And by the way, you didn't mention it so I'm going to mention that you need to be eating back at least half of your exercise calories. MFP already sets you up with a deficit and if you don't eat the earned calories back, you're making that deficit too high for healthy weight loss. If you don't feel like you can eat more, try incorporating calorie dense snacks like nuts, seeds, eggs, etc AND get rid of any diet foods and eat the regular versions.

Good luck!

taso42

It really depends on your goals. A good starting point is 3x/week in a structured strength training program. And 2-3x/week doing some sort of cardio/conditioning. If you're looking for fitness, 1200 calories ain't gonna cut it. If you want to eat 1200 calories, you might as well stay in bed all day.

Lift_This_

5-6 days a week for at least an hour if not more.

EmmaKarney

2-4 times a week.

If I don't go - I eat less.

KANGOOJUMPS

7 days a week.
2 to 3 hours cardio a day.

marthajo1

I run 4 miles 6 days a week and I am also doing Jillian's Ripped in 30. Trying to do that every day until I hit day 30.

Sweet_Potato

There was a study done recently (I'll see if I can find it) that determined 4 times a week to be the "sweet spot" where it's most effective.

sandradev1

It really depends on your goals. A good starting point is 3x/week in a structured strength training program. And 2-3x/week doing some sort of cardio/conditioning. If you're looking for fitness, 1200 calories ain't gonna cut it. If you want to eat 1200 calories, you might as well stay in bed all day.

^^THIS^^^ I tried eating 1200 calories and doing cardio exercise. Lost weight initially then stalledl. Increased my calories to 1450 and started to lose again. Then I started Stronglifts 5 x 5 which I do 3 x a week and just do very light cardio on alternative days. I very quickly found that 1450 calories was not enough to fuel my body for the strength training and my weight loss also stalled. I now eat around 1700 calories on lift days and I am still losing weight and above all inches.

I should point out that other than lifting and light catrdio I do very little else physically.

If you are wanting to do strength training I would advise the following:

1. Do not wait until you lose weight, you will also lose some muscle that you already have which will be difficult to replace.
2. Ensure that you eat enough calories to fuel your body to be able to progress through the weights.

Good luck :flowerforyou:

cwolfman13

I workout 6 days per week. I try to just be generally active on my rest day. When I first started, 3 days per week was more than enough, but ultimately required more training as I started meeting certain fitness goals in order to progress. My basic routine...

Monday - Run 3 miles

Tuesday - Long walk around lunch to get some sun and move (45-60 minutes); weight training in the evening for 45-60 minutes.

Wednesday - 45 minute running intervals (roughly 3 miles)

Thursday - Long walk around lunch....; weight training in the evening

Friday - 3 mile run

Saturday - weight training AM; some elliptical recovery cardio afterwards

Sunday - just generally active...bike ride, hike in the mountains, etc.

As has been mentioned, if you workout, you're going to need to eat more to fuel that activity. The 1,200 calorie goal assumes you're pretty much going to sit on your *kitten* and do nothing...make sure you're eating back exercise calories as the 1,200 calorie goal already has a substantial calorie deficit built in.

gracielynn1011

I work out every day, but I use DVD's at home, so I don't have to worry about when I can get to the gym. I also go for a 30 minute 2 mile walk, while carrying my 25 lb baby at least 3 days a week, when the weather is clear and not to cold for her. I plan to add more outdoor time as the weather warms up.

dad4192

6 on, 1 off.

Cardio or HIIT
Lift
Cardio or HIIT
Lift
Cardio or HIIT
Lift
OFF

Rinse, repeat.

looks like my schedule