How often should I workout?

lmsky12
lmsky12 Posts: 32
in Fitness and Exercise
Dilemma: So, before I had my off week when our TV broke, I was only working out 3 days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) for anywhere from 30-60 minutes each day. I was easily losing 1-1.5 pounds a week that way.

After missing a week though, I worked out Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in a row. I was thinking that I should work out more while it's summer and I have extra time (no work because I'm a teacher) to invest in it. However, in the last 4 days, where I worked out 3 days in a row, I lost 3 pounds.

I'm not sure that it's healthy to lose weight that quickly, nor do I think it's realistic for me to expect to work out 5-6 days a week, at least not once school starts back in August. I'll be very busy with work then, plus I'm going back to college, so I'm worried about having enough time to even get in 3 workouts then...

So I was thinking about NOT working out today and going back to my regular schedule of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday workouts. When I did that, it seemed really easy to lose weight, but I didn't feel like I was working out enough. I want to work out more, but I'm worried having a burst of exercise this next month will make me plateau when I can't work out nearly as much starting in August. Any advice?

Replies

  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
    First thing that comes to mind regarding your 3 lb weight loss is that it might be water weight.
    But about how often to work out, three days a week seems low to me, but everyone is different. I would think that the important thing would be to do something you can maintain once school starts in the fall. Also, what type of workouts are you doing? If it's just cardio, then I don't know that it matters how many days in a row you work out. If you are doing strength training, then you need to make sure to give the various muscle groups rest days to recover and heal. You can still work out many days in a row, just alternating what you work on ie. arms one day, legs the next....
  • turtledrummer23
    turtledrummer23 Posts: 20
    The first constarint on a workout schedule is time, but that, as you know, can change based on your personal schedule and time of year and such. I would not suggest limiting yourself now because you won't have time later, I would say it is better to take advantage of the time you have now to make big strides, but it depends on your personality and what you view as a sustainable option. Also to effectively give advice on the maximum amount of workouts you should be doing we are going to need more info as to what you do for a workout, because rest time is as valuable, if not more so, than the actual time spent working out but timing it all out can allow you to work out more and push harder. So what do you do for each of your workouts?
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    3# in 3 days is probably water weight as others have mentioned. I can lose 5 pounds in one day if I don't rehydrate after swimming.

    How often to work out? The key is sustainability. Develop a routine you can sustain in the long term. 4 hours a day is not sustainable.
    Mine varies widely depending in how much I swim. Some days I spend close to 3 hours in the pool. Nearly 4 hours the day I went twice to achieve a 10km swim day. But on weight training only days I spend about an hour in the weight room.
    Find a routine that works for you. Work with a trainer if you can swing it. They can help you develop a good routine to meet your fitness goals.
  • bobf279
    bobf279 Posts: 342 Member
    I work 5 days a week all year round and I have had to make time in the evenings to exercise, sometimes even forcing myself to do something when I didn't really feel like it. I mix up my exercise and have tried to work out at a level that allows me to work out most days.

    I think 3 days a week is probably a minimum 4 or 5 days beneficial. If you can work out more during the holidays I would do that and drop back into routine when you are busier. More workouts would create a bigger weekly deficit for the same calorie intake and may speed up weigh loss a bit but probably not that much you'd need an extra 3500 deficit to lose an extra lb.
  • crzycylr
    crzycylr Posts: 78 Member
    I think you need to ask yourself.....what kind of sommitment can I make that is a lifestyle change? Some might think that exercising 3 times a week is not enough. If you kick it up and can't complete it, your weight loss and your confidence could suffer. I advise steady progress, eventually working up to five times a week.
  • lmsky12
    lmsky12 Posts: 32
    Thanks for all the input so far. I do cardio every workout and wear a HRM to be sure I'm staying at a good intensity the whole time. I never do strength training two days in a row. For my 3 days in a row, I did 30 minutes of jogging on the treadmill, followed by 15 minutes of strength training (push-ups, crunches, lunges) on Thursday and Saturday. On Friday, I just did the 30 minutes of cardio.

    As for the water weight loss theory, I've been increasing my water intake everyday. It's always been a problem for me, so I've been increasing by 1 cup each day (5 Thursday, 6 Friday, 7 Saturday, an 8 Sunday).

    My biggest concern is if I workout as often as possible now (5-6 days a week), but drop down to just 3 days a week this fall, won't I plateau? :(
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member

    My biggest concern is if I workout as often as possible now (5-6 days a week), but drop down to just 3 days a week this fall, won't I plateau? :(

    Weight is about calories. Exercise is about fitness. You need to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. You can do that by eating less, exercising more, or a combination of the both. If you let MFP set your calorie goal, you should be eating back your exercise cals. If you exercise less in September, you will also be eating less, so this should not stall your weight loss.
  • turtledrummer23
    turtledrummer23 Posts: 20
    If that is your main question then "yes". You won't see the gains that you will hopefully be seeing by working out more this summer, but that doesn't mean you won't see gains. For example let's say for ease of numbers you are building one strand of muscle per workout. So previously you were building 3 strands of muscle per week due to the 3 workouts. This summer you are building 5 strands a week because you are working out 5 times. Then this fall you drop to 3 workouts and thus only 3 strands of muscle per week. This, on a chart, would appear to be a plateau, but it's not due to the fact the you went up then back down, only because the amount of working out is less. I guess the point that is rather tough to explain here is that the plateau exists simply because of the comparison of 5 workouts a week to 3. Your body isn't improving less because of the transistion of more to less workouts, it is improving less quickly simply because you are doing less. Clear as mud I know, but is the main point clear? Going back to the muscle strand example, becuse you go from 3 workouts and 3 strands to 5 workouts to 5 strands then back to 3 workouts, will not cause only 2 strands of growth, it will simply go back to 3 workouts and 3 strands.
  • lmsky12
    lmsky12 Posts: 32
    Thanks guys! This was all very helpful! :)

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