Workout 3 days , 4 days or everyday a week?

dragonfiel
dragonfiel Posts: 7
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
Guys! Ive noticed many posting they workout 3 days, 4 days, and even everyday! Taking into consideration what Ive gathered so far about workouts, nutrition, rest etc, I don't see why someone would workout more than 4 days a week if you are working out intensely and experiencing DOMS or even immediate muscle soreness, which hopefully is indicating that the muscle(s) have been worked out hard and are recuperating. Unless, the person does not care about loss of muscle mass and just wants to loose weight no matter "what type of weight it is" (muscle/fat or both), why workout more than 4 times a week?

Replies

  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
    Well you are assuming everyone here has the goal of wanting to stack on muscle and workout until failure. If that is the case then yes you can only really do 3-4 times a week.

    However, for people like myself who are already quite muscular and whose primary goals change throughout the year, it sometimes makes sense to train more. For example, 9 months of last year I was doing 6 days a week as I was trianing for the ironman triathlon. For endurance consistency is very important and you need 6 days a week to adequately get in run, bike, swim and strength trianing sessions.

    At the moment I train 4-5 days a week as I am combining cardiovascular sessions with gymnastics. While I can still only do low reps for gymnastics it doesn't put as much of a strain as something like powerlifting more and some gymnasts train almost every day.

    So really it comes down to doing what is optimal for your goal.
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
    Every day...it's a habit now... :)
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    Ideally I'd do 5-7 days a week depending on free time. Currently I'm doing 3-5 but that just started.
  • Enonoid
    Enonoid Posts: 136 Member
    Currently, I hit the treadmill four days a week.
  • molissep
    molissep Posts: 452 Member
    i decided to challenge myself this month to work out everyday (instead of 4 days) and at the beginning it was difficult, but now it's great. i'm doing strength training and light cardio 3 days a week, a hard cardio workout 3 days a week and then a light, liesurely workout once a week. i haven't experienced any soreness since the beginning of the month. i wanted to get myself back into gear without my workouts and nutrition and this has been working great for me. sure, it's defintely been a lesson in time management, but i'm learning to adjust. i've only lost 4.5 lbs since the 1st of the month, but i'm seeing a lot of toning for sure.
  • Bikini27
    Bikini27 Posts: 1,290 Member
    For someone with a high level of body fat, cardio 5-6 days a week with yoga and strength training is what I'm using to see results and keep me motivated. I don't do the burn out workouts, I'm going for quality and fat burn with toning.

    Ultimately, it depends on what you're looking to achieve. Your muscles need rest, naturally, so varying your workouts is a great way to do this. I come from the schooling of I sit on my duff 9-10 hours a day at work, an hour or two of walking the dogs, a workout video, and yoga is necessary. Plus, our bodies are meant to move, so move it or lose the ability to move it!

    Just my two cents ;)
  • dragonfiel
    dragonfiel Posts: 7
    Honestly, I would base what I posted on the assumption that the majority would prefer to maintain their current muscle mass (and yes maybe increase the % of muscle mass (maybe not "stack it on") as opposed to lose both muscle and fat through their daily routines. Being that this Board is under the "General Diet and Weight loss help" I cant seem to understand how some might "push" or "suggest" a daily workout or a 1200 calorie diet.
    Rompoc01: In your case you are/were training for an ironman triathlon, I can understand the need for a great cardiovascular system and quick recuperation, but its not a "weight loss regimen", same as for gymnastics-> the need for strength and the ability of your cardiovascular system to keep up with the demands of strength through the practice/competition. But that is definitely not the same as loosing weight in general.

    Please understand, I want to maintain the question/inquiry within the topic and avoid relating it to something that isnt "fat/weight" loss related.
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    i work out 5 days a week most weeks (4 at the least). i give myself a rest on the weekends, and maybe a couple of weeks off over christmas.

    i work hard to avoid injury, and so far so good.

    once i get to my goal, i would intend to still workout hard 3-4 days a week to maintain my fitness.

    i'm not always sore, not by a long shot. when i do a spin class, i'm not muscle sore, when i do cardio sessions, i'm not muscle sore, so i might do something that makes me muscle sore twice a week, and the other 3 days is mainly cardio, if that makes any difference. i actaully have to really bust my ar$e to make myself muscle sore. Admittedly i'm not a man, and am not trying to do really heavy weights, but compared to many women in the gym, i think i'm fairly strong.
  • meg0013
    meg0013 Posts: 102
    in my opinion & experience, working out everyday is fine as long as you change it up. i do strength training 3x a week, high cardio 2x a week, and long distance running 3x a week. saturdays are strength & running day, i like to have a high calorie burn once a week so as to have a high calorie intake day. doing this for the past year has helped me lose 85 lbs and over 10% body fat.
  • meghan1789
    meghan1789 Posts: 81 Member
    I try to be active everyday of the week, but I only "workout" 4 days a week. Mon, Wed, Fri - I do a cardio workout on the treadmill, working towards 5k. I believe it's important to give your body a break. Tues - I take a dip in the pool. Thurs - I do a muscle workout. Sat and Sun - I do yoga at home and go for a walk in the afternoon. None of these things are hardcore or burn a lot of calories, but they help me to get active and feel better instead of not doing anything at all.
  • cthoma70
    cthoma70 Posts: 228 Member
    I do chest and triceps one day, back and biceps on day 2 and leg and shoulders on day 3, Day 4 is a rest day then back at it
  • kammy92
    kammy92 Posts: 408 Member
    I workout 6 days a week, sometimes 7 if I am feeling up to it!
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
    I used to walk everyday...Now I set a goal of 50 miles a week. That way if I want to skip a day I just tack on more miles the other days. I use a Garmen and find that it keeps my distace and mile per minutes extremely well.
  • missfluffyuk
    missfluffyuk Posts: 245
    I work out 5 days a week, the other two I am at work for 6+ hours, which is quite a workout in itself!

    However, my workouts aren't the intense 500+ cal burns that other people post. Even doing an hour of cardio, I struggle to burn 200 calories. I also only do weights two days a week, although I am going to change that in a few weeks (building up).
  • inagadda1976
    inagadda1976 Posts: 5
    I am an advocate of 5-6 days a week. Abs every day I workout, Upper body & cardio 3 days a week, Lower Body & cardio 2 days a week with the optional Saturday for some extra cardio. I think everyone shld have 1 or 2 days of rest each week.
  • nas24
    nas24 Posts: 880 Member
    6 days a week, and i put my rest day in the middle of my week (WED) so that im less likely to over eat on that day, weekends are tough for me-food temptations. Even on my rest day, i do some sit ups and resistance bands for upper body, and a few pilates reps.
  • maryjay51
    maryjay51 Posts: 742
    i try to workout 5-6 days a week ..one day a week i do not go to the gym
  • hollyjo21
    hollyjo21 Posts: 25
    I work out everyday, and it seems to work for me so far. I try not to push myself too hard everyday but I am seeing great results. My body felt sore the first four days but now I dont even get that sore. I am enjoying working out and feeling good about my success. Everyone is different and different things work for them.
  • jenlb99
    jenlb99 Posts: 213 Member
    I'm at the gym 6 days a week and have been for 2 years now. Three days a week, I do back-to-back workouts (20 minute Tabata training followed by kickboxing - exhausting!!). Why? It's SO MUCH FUN!!
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    I work out every day. Not everyone has the same goals!
  • amandakaye79
    amandakaye79 Posts: 9
    I hit the gym at least 5 times a week. And in the last three weeks its been working pretty well. I will switch it up day by day, either changing machines, or doing different classes. Right now I'm doing strength training once a week, but planning on increasing that to twice a week starting in Feb. And even though it's only been three short weeks, it's already part of my routine. It'd feel really weird not going to the gym tomorrow.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    3 to 4 intense workouts with milder home workouts in between, like some Wii, fun and only a couple of hundred calories. One day a week off usually due to schedule.
  • fitplease
    fitplease Posts: 647 Member
    If you alternate muscle groups, working out every day should not be a problem.
  • kenzysmom
    kenzysmom Posts: 50
    I try to workout a minimum of 5 days a week but certainly don't beat myself up if I miss an extra day here or there. I also try to make sure I'm fueling my body well on my intense workout days. I try to get 3 intense days and the other days I'm doing a walk on the treadmill and maybe some weights or an "easier" class at the gym. I am struggling with keeping my eating in check most days so the extra workouts help me burn extra and also on the days I don't go to the gym I have a harder time staying on track than I do on gym days!
  • Erin51
    Erin51 Posts: 35
    in my opinion & experience, working out everyday is fine as long as you change it up. i do strength training 3x a week, high cardio 2x a week, and long distance running 3x a week. saturdays are strength & running day, i like to have a high calorie burn once a week so as to have a high calorie intake day. doing this for the past year has helped me lose 85 lbs and over 10% body fat.

    Meg0013, you are my hero! :smile: Losing 85 lbs is fantastic and it looks like you worked very hard at it. I have around 100 total to lose and would love to get to a workout schedule like yours. The running, not so much. I already wrecked my joints from obesity, so I am not sure I will be able to run. But the rest...oh yeah!

    Currently, I do 30 mins of cardio at least 5 days per wk. Doctor's orders to control blood sugar. I use the treadmill M-W-F and exercise DVD's with a cardio and strength training on T-Th. Sat and Sun I go to the gym, usually and do some of each. We are not consistent on the weekend, so I am faithful to M-F.
    You are inspiring! I had to work my way to where I am today, and will continue to reach your level of commitment! :smile:
  • Jazzyrose77
    Jazzyrose77 Posts: 153 Member
    Depends on the workout. Walking or Yoga everyday are good none stressful work outs.
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