How often to exercise??

nicnak8585
nicnak8585 Posts: 6
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

Newbie here and looking for a bit of guidance, just wondering how many days people are working out for and for how long each day?

All help appreciated.

Thanks
Nic
«13

Replies

  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    It depends on how I feel. Minimum four days per week, max seven with some two-a-days. I lift as heavy as possible at every session as well, but that's just me. As for cardio, I hate running like the NRA hates background checks, so I only tend to do that two to three times per week for ten to fifteen minutes at a time.
  • Tyggress73
    Tyggress73 Posts: 104 Member
    I work out Monday through Friday, take the weekends off (although I don't just sit around on the weekends, I try to be active - I just don't do "formal" exercise).

    Monday - weight training + 34 minutes of HIIT cardio on elliptical
    Tuesday - weight training + 30 minutes slow, fat-burn pace on stairmaster
    Wednesday - 60 minutes HIIT cardio on elliptical + ab work
    Thursday - weight training + 34 minutes of HIIT cardio on elliptical
    Friday - work out with my trainer, usually some form of crossfit/Tabata combined for 30 minutes

    I do have a training partner who is just as dedicated as I am...so having someone show up every day faithfully helps keep me motivated...we're competitive and push each other to do better. I also train in the mornings (5 am every day) before work. I find it easier as the gym is not crowded, so I don't have to wait for machines AND if I wait until after work, I skip out with the excuse that I'm too tired more often than not.
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    30 minutes of exercise a day is recommended for good health, so that's what I strive for.
  • courtxoney
    courtxoney Posts: 59 Member
    i try and aim for at least 4 days of going to the gym. i spend about an hour or so there.

    if i don't go to the gym i use an app on my phone called "nike training."

    overall - i try for at least 5-6 days of exercise.
  • moustache_flavored_lube
    moustache_flavored_lube Posts: 849 Member
    I usually work out for around 60 minutes during the week. Even mix of cardio and strength.

    Weekends I will throw in a long session (4-8 hour hike, 2-4 hour bike ride, or 1-2 hour run)

    I workout 6 days a week
  • nicnak8585
    nicnak8585 Posts: 6
    Wow some of you are hard exercisers, hopefully i will get to that point someday :noway:

    I am currently working out on my exercise bike every other day for 2 half hour sessions burning roughly 500 calories according to my polar heart rate monitor.

    I also want to do weights but the maximum weighted dumbell i have is 1.5kg which is hard enough for me to do, and looking at some of the weight lifters here i feel like a mouse :blushing:

    I'm definately more of a work at home girl as i can get straight on the bike when i finish work so no excuses, even if i don't feel like it i drag my *kitten* on it!

    Thanks for the feedback everyone.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    Wow some of you are hard exercisers, hopefully i will get to that point someday :noway:

    I am currently working out on my exercise bike every other day for 2 half hour sessions burning roughly 500 calories according to my polar heart rate monitor.

    I also want to do weights but the maximum weighted dumbell i have is 1.5kg which is hard enough for me to do, and looking at some of the weight lifters here i feel like a mouse :blushing:

    I'm definately more of a work at home girl as i can get straight on the bike when i finish work so no excuses, even if i don't feel like it i drag my *kitten* on it!

    Thanks for the feedback everyone.

    You can get there, and it's easier than you think. My wife had a back injury a couple of years ago. We just started lifting together a few months ago. Her currently deadlift PR is 205. It's all in what you want to do, and what you are willing to do to accomplish it.
  • susannahsutton1
    susannahsutton1 Posts: 372
    I am 4 - 6 times per week. Both Sat and Sun outdoors, gym in the week depends on work. Firstly, try lots of different things to find stuff you enjoy. Then listen to your body. If I am feeling good and have the time, I might exercise every day hard. If I am not I slacken off. If you get bored or go too hard too soon, you won't stick with the programme.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    I run 5-6 days a week, most days 35-50 minutes with one long run on weekends of one and a half to two hours. If I only run 5 days, I cross train on one of the rest days (usually hit the stationary bike and/or stair master at the gym), and always try to have one day of complete rest. I also try to do some core strength training and upper body work a few times a week, but those are pretty short workouts--maybe 10-15 minutes.
  • whatjesseats
    whatjesseats Posts: 228 Member
    Currently I'm doing 6 days per week, at least 30 minutes per session. Three of those days are dedicated to running; the other three are for whatever cross-training I feel like.
  • Amanda21202
    Amanda21202 Posts: 210 Member
    6 days a week doing Insanity
  • NicoleR1980
    NicoleR1980 Posts: 66 Member
    Daily for one hour when working on non working days two hours or so and one rest day per week
  • NaughtyForties
    NaughtyForties Posts: 69
    Every other day (mostly) combination of weights, cardio and squash.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,749 Member
    However many days you'll stick to. Right now I am doing insanity and it's 6 days a week. When I'm not doing insanity I workout pretty much every day. I hit the gym 5 days a week and if it's not too cold walk the dog 3 miles on the weekend or I run on the TM or do an exercise DVD.
  • DeMarraDontStop
    DeMarraDontStop Posts: 342 Member
    Six days, minimum of 60 minutes a day. Good luck on your journey!
  • lilmissbamaqueen
    lilmissbamaqueen Posts: 184
    I work out Monday through Friday, take the weekends off (although I don't just sit around on the weekends, I try to be active - I just don't do "formal" exercise).

    Monday - weight training + 34 minutes of HIIT cardio on elliptical
    Tuesday - weight training + 30 minutes slow, fat-burn pace on stairmaster
    Wednesday - 60 minutes HIIT cardio on elliptical + ab work
    Thursday - weight training + 34 minutes of HIIT cardio on elliptical
    Friday - work out with my trainer, usually some form of crossfit/Tabata combined for 30 minutes

    I do have a training partner who is just as dedicated as I am...so having someone show up every day faithfully helps keep me motivated...we're competitive and push each other to do better. I also train in the mornings (5 am every day) before work. I find it easier as the gym is not crowded, so I don't have to wait for machines AND if I wait until after work, I skip out with the excuse that I'm too tired more often than not.

    That's awesome, girl! One question (forgive my ignorance)... what is HIIT? I keep hearing it but I have no clue what it is. As for me, I have pretty much zero energy (due mostly, I suspect, to fibro), so doing 30 mins 4-5 days a week on my Wii Fit is about all I can handle.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    I go to the gym 5-6 days a week, 1.5 to 2 hours a day.... doing a combination of cardio, strength (weight) training and classes.

    You have to start with what you can do and what works into your schedule and lifestyle. Then you can always increase frequency and duration from there.
  • giggitygoo
    giggitygoo Posts: 1,978 Member
    We all start somewhere, it's what keeps you going that matters! I started just doing the 30 day shred at home a couple nights a week and walking my dogs every night. I lost my first 10 pounds that way.

    Eventually I progressed to doing group fitness classes, and I found those to be really fun and motivational. I liked sweating it out with people of all fitness levels and it kept me coming back.

    Now I'm lifting 2-3 days a week, and doing interval training on the others. If I were to have started this way, it would have burned me out pretty quick. Exercise is a progression. Start doing something, anything, and when it gets easy - move on. Find something you like and stick to it, that's pretty much the only secret out there.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I work out 5-6 days per week for 30 min to an hour. Right now I rotate Jillian Michaels DVDs. I have 7 and love them all...I'm weird. I just bought the New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women book so I'm going to start going to the gym 3X per week for that, and continue to do 2-3 more days of DVDs at home.

    When it's not winter I run outside 3-4X per week.
  • porky44
    porky44 Posts: 34
    Im just getting back into the swing of things so I am just working out for 30m but try to do that 5-6 days a week. But will be adding time the stronger I get.

    Good luck!!
  • smilesback
    smilesback Posts: 203 Member
    I joined fitness classes last week -- spinning, yoga, gravity. Spinning is my favorite. I dropped yoga yesterday. I exercise about 2 hours a day M-TH (FRIDAY IS OFF) and 1 HR Sat and 1 HR Sun. I am finding that I am eating more, but I have ramped up my exercise intensity. I even felt sick last week so I didn't exercise on Thurs. It might have been because I was not used to the increased exercise level. I dropped the yoga yesterday as I didn't care for it. I imagine that it will take a while for me to modulate my eating and exercise to sync together. I certainly feel like I deserve to have lost more :sad: But I didn't put on my 25 lbs overnight, and so it will not come off that easy. Just stick with it! Exercise daily with fervor - like you love it! Good luck to you all!
  • nicnak8585
    nicnak8585 Posts: 6
    Thanks everyone, i joined this site after reading the message boards because everyone seems so helpful and willing to motivate others.

    I have moved up 3 resistance levels on my bike since starting 2 weeks ago and i definately feel my fitness levels are improving, as i'm a smoker i used to get quite out of breath when walking to work and back home, but now i can breathe with ease and i generally feel excited about exercising.

    Good luck to everyone trying to lose those unwanted pounds, i went from a size 8 jeans to a size 14 after starting taking Sertraline (Zoloft) for PMS, my weight sky rocketed and i feltl hungry a lot, but exercising more seems to curb my hunger... FANTASTIC!! :happy:
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    You guys work out too much, you need to rest more often!

    3, 4 days a week tops. Rest!!! Get lots of rest. And lift weights.
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    While I won't tell anyone what is "too much" for their body/lifestyle, I think the AVERAGE healthy person can stand to work out about 4-5 days a week, with 2-3 half hour/45 min cardio sessions and then 3 weightlifting sessions. I think that any more than that may work for A WHILE, until your enthusiasm wears off, your caloric demands exceed your energy and, in general, life demands get in the way. Wouldn't you rather be healthy and fit for the next 10-15 years rather than the next 1-5 months. Start slow, 3 days a week with an hour split between cardio/strength. and then maybe add another day of whichever you find is more effective. A hallmark of an unsuccessful dieter is someone who is "all or nothing" and then gets burnt out from the unreasonable food and exercise demands they've put on themselves. Exercise and food should be a PART of your life, like the old saying, "Eat to live, don't live to eat!"
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    You guys work out too much, you need to rest more often!

    3, 4 days a week tops. Rest!!! Get lots of rest. And lift weights.

    Nah, I like the fact that I am about to pull a 500+ pound deadlift PR this week, and I've only been lifting since late August.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    While I won't tell anyone what is "too much" for their body/lifestyle, I think...

    I will tell them what's too much. The OP is new, and all these people saying to work out 6 days a week. Your body needs time to rest, and rest is paramount to success. Are these 6 day a weekers really achieving their goals? Or are they working out too much, and overdoing it.

    I go every other day for 60-80mins, so 3-4 days a week. And I see great results and progress at that. I don't know why a new person would want to work out 6 days a week, that's bad advice IMO.
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    Also, don't forget to take a week off every now and then, (for me, it's about every 6-8 weeks, I just have a crazy week and need to use my gym time for other things,) and you'll actually see strength and endurance GAINS when you go back. Just like your body and mind need a "food cheat day" to feel restored/normal, taking a week vacation from the gym can be the difference between you keeping up a lifelong exercise routine or just quitting out of frustration/boredom. Good luck, OP. Exercise is a great energy booster, self-esteem builder, etc, not just the number on the scale!
  • jehavin
    jehavin Posts: 316 Member
    While I won't tell anyone what is "too much" for their body/lifestyle, I think...

    I will tell them what's too much. The OP is new, and all these people saying to work out 6 days a week. Your body needs time to rest, and rest is paramount to success. Are these 6 day a weekers really achieving their goals? Or are they working out too much, and overdoing it.

    I go every other day for 60-80mins, so 3-4 days a week. And I see great results and progress at that. I don't know why a new person would want to work out 6 days a week, that's bad advice IMO.
    Lol, I agree with you; I just worded mine so as to keep the focus on the OP's question and prevent a bickering fest from all the "super exercisers." However, every word you've said is true, IMO. =)


    Previous posters, I would have to ask, are all the stats in your posts how you *started* when you were new? I can see working up to those numbers, (I've done 6 day a week training when I was at the apex of my lifting goals,) although, as I said before, I don't think 6 day/week multi-hour sessions are sustainable for a permanent lifestyle change, which is what the OP (and the rest of us) should all aim for!
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    While I won't tell anyone what is "too much" for their body/lifestyle, I think...

    I will tell them what's too much. The OP is new, and all these people saying to work out 6 days a week. Your body needs time to rest, and rest is paramount to success. Are these 6 day a weekers really achieving their goals? Or are they working out too much, and overdoing it.

    I go every other day for 60-80mins, so 3-4 days a week. And I see great results and progress at that. I don't know why a new person would want to work out 6 days a week, that's bad advice IMO.

    When you are a newbro is the BEST time to go hard and heavy. You will never see strength and mass gains this fast again, so for the first six months, why not go balls out and rip the weight? It was put best when I saw "The B in beginner does not stand for *****".
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
    I pledged to do SOME type of activity for at least 20 minutes every day of the year. So far, so good. I am trying to do a little bit of everything:

    Monday: legs, butt and lower abs
    Tuesday: Cardio/Zumba
    Wednesday: walking
    Thursday: Zumba
    Friday: stretching
    Saturday: walking
    Sunday: arms, shoulders and abs

    I do 30 minutes at least of each, with the exception of cardio/Zumba, which lasts for an hour.

    I find myself getting sore, but not miserable, cant go on, sore.

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