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Confusion / Help!

kim7070
kim7070 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am so confused. I am reading a book by a "fitness expert" that states strength training 3 times a week is good, 4 times is better, but 5 times is the best. Then, I read another expert and he says you only need to strength train 3 times a week, period. Then there are those who say do cardio 6 times a week. But others say no, you only need to do it 3 times a week if you are incorporating strength training. I get so confused and frustrated. Anything approach work better for you guys? I hear "work smarter not harder" but then I hear "it's all about hard work." I'm not afraid of working hard, but I certainly don't want to sabotage myself. Do I need all that time for my body to recover? Any thoughts?

Replies

  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    Do both strength training and cardio. For strength, don't work the same body part two days in a row, muscles need rest. So, if your program is full body, put a day in between. If you do a split like upper/lower, the. You can strength train each day if you wanted. It's a matter of what you like to do and will stick with.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    I do cardio every day in the form of meeting my fitbit goal and sometimes do a mile on the treadmill on top. Monday - Tuesday I do all over weights, Wednesday is a rest day, Thursday - Friday all over weights then rest for the weekend. Some who train to the letter frown on my schedule but it works for me and no injuries as of yet :-)
  • evildeadedd
    evildeadedd Posts: 108 Member
    Rest days are largely program/personal preference dependent. If you are doing a full body strength 5x5 routine, they are usually designed to have a day of rest between workouts. That's because if you are doing it right, you shouldn't be able to do the workouts two days in a row. I think that most people have the more is better mentality. "The program says I will see results in 30 days taking 3 rest days a week, if I don't rest I'll see more results faster". And most times that's just not true. Your body needs time to heal. Going super hard In The gym every day does you no good when you flame out in three weeks and never go back. It is good to push yourself in life and the gum, but if it gets to the point that you hate going because your workouts are hell, you need to reevaluate. You can only force yourself to do something you hate for so long before there will be a rebound.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,761 Member
    There is a lot of conflicting information out there. The key is to narrow down your own personal goals and then figure out which program works best for you and your schedule. And doing what you enjoy so that you stick with it long term.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I do steady-state cardio 6 days a week for 30 minutes a day fasted. I then do 30 minutes of body-weight strength training directly after to take advantage of my elevated heart rate. I make sure to use BCAA's before and during my workouts. I've been doing that for about 3 months now and it's done wonders for me. Since I do my exercise in the mornings I get up at 5:00am Tuesday-Friday and work out from 6am to 7am. Then on Saturdays and Sundays I sleep in, rest as much as I want and still do my hour of cardio and strength training but I do it whenever I feel like it throughout the afternoon. I do it this way so that my body gets extra rest on Saturday and Sunday which helps the fact that I'm hammering my body for 6 days a week. Every once in a while I'll sneak in an extra rest day on Thursdays, but generally Mondays are my rest day. Not everyone is going to want to do cardio that often, and if it wasn't for sleeping in on the weekends I wouldn't be doing it either. My cardio is done on a Bowflex M5, it's a beast. I'm just about at my goal weight (~2lbs to go), and when I get there I will probably drop back cardio to 5 days a week for 15-20 minutes at a time, and increase body weight or free weight training as I work my way up to maintenance calories. At least that's the plan. Eventually when I'm at maintenance I will probably drop to 3 days a week cardio, and the other 3 days will be a mixture of strength training with 1 rest day.

    Do what you feel you can handle, and what fits in your daily schedule, then be consistent. Strength gains take a LONG time. Don't get discouraged. If your muscles need rest, give them rest. Everyone is different.
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