How many days a week should i hit the gym?

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Ashlove5
Ashlove5 Posts: 152 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello to all the gym people , i am trying to work on my arms , chest and butt so how many days should i go to the gym to tone up my body? I was thinking like 3 days because i also workout at home sometimes in my stationary bike. Is 3 days enough to go and tone up your body ? Ps if you have any special work outs you like to do for the cheat and butt area please let me know !

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Hello to all the gym people , i am trying to work on my arms , chest and butt so how many days should i go to the gym to tone up my body? I was thinking like 3 days because i also workout at home sometimes in my stationary bike. Is 3 days enough to go and tone up your body ? Ps if you have any special work outs you like to do for the cheat and butt area please let me know !

    full body 3 x a week would be a good starting point, pick a program:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    do a bit of cardio as well, whatever you enjoy
  • Theoldguy1
    Theoldguy1 Posts: 2,473 Member
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    This is from the Center for Disease Control:

    Key Guidelines for Adults
    • Adults should move more and sit less throughout the day. Some physical activity is better than
    none. Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain
    some health benefts.
    • For substantial health benefts, adults should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) to
    300 minutes (5 hours) a week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) to 150
    minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an
    equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity. Preferably, aerobic
    activity should be spread throughout the week.
    • Additional health benefts are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond the equivalent of
    300 minutes (5 hours) of moderate-intensity physical activity a week.
    • Adults should also do muscle-strengthening activities of moderate or greater intensity and that
    involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional
    health benefts.

    As far as resistance work, concentrate on compound movements, things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, pullups and presses to get the most from your exercise time. As recommended you should work major muscle groups at least 2X a week (could be 2 or 3 full body workouts) or some sort of split where you are doing resistance work on different days for different body parts (i.e, 4X a week doing upper body and lower body 2X weekly).

    Best of luck.
  • Ashlove5
    Ashlove5 Posts: 152 Member
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    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    This is from the Center for Disease Control:



    As far as resistance work, concentrate on compound movements, things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, pullups and presses to get the most from your exercise time. As recommended you should work major muscle groups at least 2X a week (could be 2 or 3 full body workouts) or some sort of split where you are doing resistance work on different days for different body parts (i.e, 4X a week doing upper body and lower body 2X weekly).

    Best of luck.

    Just one little thing to add here. The reason to not train the same muscle groups on consecutive days is big. When it comes to strength training, recovery is where the magic is. Once you stress a muscle, it needs to recover in order to adapt. It's not the stress itself that makes the difference, it's the adaptation - which requires recovery - generally at least 48 hours. 2-3 times per week if you're doing full body is a good start (recommended if you are a novice) for strength training. If you are doing a "split", train different muscle groups on consecutive days.

    My own preference: do compound lifts, as @Theoldguy1 says. They'll work multiple muscle groups at once.

    OP, from your post, I assume you are trying to shape your body. Resistance training is the ticket - provided your nutrition is in line. I didn't see any mention of that, so hopefully you have that part set up.
    People are saying follow a specific workout program so where do i get one ? I workout on my own in my local gym with no trainer.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ashsabiha wrote: »
    Silentpadna wrote: »
    Theoldguy1 wrote: »
    This is from the Center for Disease Control:



    As far as resistance work, concentrate on compound movements, things like squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, pullups and presses to get the most from your exercise time. As recommended you should work major muscle groups at least 2X a week (could be 2 or 3 full body workouts) or some sort of split where you are doing resistance work on different days for different body parts (i.e, 4X a week doing upper body and lower body 2X weekly).

    Best of luck.

    Just one little thing to add here. The reason to not train the same muscle groups on consecutive days is big. When it comes to strength training, recovery is where the magic is. Once you stress a muscle, it needs to recover in order to adapt. It's not the stress itself that makes the difference, it's the adaptation - which requires recovery - generally at least 48 hours. 2-3 times per week if you're doing full body is a good start (recommended if you are a novice) for strength training. If you are doing a "split", train different muscle groups on consecutive days.

    My own preference: do compound lifts, as @Theoldguy1 says. They'll work multiple muscle groups at once.

    OP, from your post, I assume you are trying to shape your body. Resistance training is the ticket - provided your nutrition is in line. I didn't see any mention of that, so hopefully you have that part set up.
    People are saying follow a specific workout program so where do i get one ? I workout on my own in my local gym with no trainer.

    i posted a link, upthread
  • takemetosingapore2019
    takemetosingapore2019 Posts: 52 Member
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    Whatever you can do is good honestly. I’ve seen recommendations to work out every other day when starting out so as to prevent injury and warm yourself up to the point where you can go more frequently. I try to go at least 5 times a week but sometimes I go less and sometimes I go twice in a day, depending on schedules. I also make sure not to work the same muscle group twice in a row with the exception of cardio which I do everyday. I’m no expert but if you need advice maybe consult your physician. The above works for me. :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    This was posted up thread...I'll post again. Lots of good programs in here

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    My wife started with New Rules of Lifting for Women. The program is pretty decent, but the read is really good for a novice female lifter. It dispelled a lot of myths my wife held in regards to females and lifting weights. It also told her what she was doing and why she was doing it and gave her a program to follow so she could just go into the gym and work and not think about it.

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