How Many Days a Week Should You Exercise and Why? [Bonus: Free Weekly Workout Plan for Beginners]

The frequency of exercise is the most overlooked component of planning a workout routine. Some people start without warmup exercises, while some lift weights and train for longer hours than is necessary. Both these habits often ruin their fitness schedule and put them at a higher risk of burnout- or even an injury.

In this blog, we are looking at some of the crucial factors that could help you decide the ideal frequency of your workouts. Our fitness experts recommend the following rule for ends like weight loss and toned muscles.

1. For weight loss: At least four workouts per week.

2. For strength training: Three or four days per week

3. To build leaner muscles: five to six workouts per week

“How Many Days a Week Should I Work out?”

Virtual fitness coaches believe that you should start with exercising three days a week and you should slowly step up the frequency to six days per week. This rule is mostly applicable for beginners and professionals with minimal fitness goals.

For experts and professionals with higher goals, it is important not just to go with frequency but also to go with specialized regimes. One should thus go for Strength Training, 7-Minute Workouts, HIIT, and Pilates. It would be advisable to do them only under expert guidance.

What Is a Weekly Workout Plan?

A weekly workout plan is a schematic representation of all the fitness regimes that you should follow per day a week to upgrade your fitness standards. It consists of several exercises that would help you burn fat and tone muscles of various parts of your body.

You may note that a sample weekly workout plan could comprise chest exercise one day, the back another day, and the arms the next day, and so on. The situation is just the same for the experts too, except that their regimes and weight profiles are more challenging than those of the beginners.

1. Monday: Arms (forearms, biceps, and triceps)

2. Tuesday: Abs and Core

3. Wednesday: Legs

4. Thursday: Cardio or Chest

5. Friday: Shoulders

6. Saturday: Back

This is a sample plan but it can be further segregated as per the exercises per regime for the day. For example, you can do some cardio exercises on Saturday like jogging, running, burpees, bear crawls, swimming, etc.

Special Case: A 4-Week Workout Plan for Weight Loss

Our virtual fitness experts have suggested the following workout plan for weight loss aspirants, including beginners. You can use this exercise plan to lose weight, tone your core, and build lean muscle mass faster.

Tips to Start Your 4-Week Workout Plan

Regardless of whether you go for a gym-based model or a no-equipment-based one that you can pursue at home, you can rest assured that you are working for the goals of staying fit and managing your weight profile (or BMI). It is for this reason that you should start in a well-advised manner, preferably as advised by your fitness coach.

You may go for these three types of exercise frequencies:

a. Overall Exercise

b. Weight Training

c. Muscle Group/Body Part Training

Overall Exercise Frequency

Your weekly workout plan should include weight training and cardio exercises. We all could have different fitness profiles and aspirations, but being consistent with a schedule and a habit is important.

Having said that, you should not exercise more than 6 times a week.

This is because your body and muscles need some rest to recover. If you work out every day, it will affect your performance, endurance, and results negatively in the long run.

Also read: Why Is It Important For Fitness Clubs And Trainers To Go For A Virtual Environment?

Weight Training Frequency

The frequency of doing weight training exercises works is often the exact opposite to that of overall exercise frequency. Our virtual personal trainers say that most of us should train ourselves 3-4 times per week, and never more than 2 consecutive days in a row.

It is so because this regime is designed to build the strength of a person. It is also just as important to give one’s body enough time to recover and rebuild itself. Hence one should not do it more than four times a week.

Muscle Group and Body Part Routine

Our personal training experts suggest the following rules for toning various muscle groups and body parts:

Training once a week:

This one is NOT ideal for the majority of the population. There is no point in giving so much time to your body to recoup that it loses the flow of exercises.

Training twice or thrice a week:

If you are just starting working out with a time-based target, a training frequency of three days a week is the most effective way to train. It is best suited for beginners.

Training six days a week:

This routine is just what you should opt for once you have been in the game for a few weeks. It means that your body has now tuned itself into the more strenuous part of the regime and it is now ready to accept more strain. We recommend you persist with a new and more focused workout schedule.

Beginners Guide: What Is Strength Training?

Also known as Resistance Training, Strength Training refers to the set of specialized workouts that are done to improve the overall level of physical strength and endurance limits. It may be done in two ways, either by lifting concentrated weights (like dumbbells and kettlebells) or by using one’s body as a weight against the force of gravity.

Lifting weights:

It depends on your ability to lift the weight and your willingness to push better by either increasing the lifted weight or by increasing the reps or both. As you continue with it, you can expect a faster weight loss with the melting of body fat.

Using your body as a resource:

You can do no-equipment exercises like squats, pushups, pullups, abdominal crunch, shoulder press, etc. to use your body as a resistance to build muscles. It means that you can get better results over time without investing in the equipment.

How to Do Strength Training at Home?

It is a simple process that involves the following steps:

1. Decide what your fitness goals are.

2. Start with warmups

3. Start with light weights (dumbbells and kettlebells) and lesser reps.

4. Allow a time difference of about 30 seconds between two sets of reps

5. Exercise for an hour at max.

6. Go for cooldown exercises and have some glucose.

7. Do not work out for more than 6 days on a trot.

These are some simple rules to pursue strength training or almost any other type of exercise. We recommend that you also back the new health schedule with a proper diet and eating plan, and also stay away from indulgent eating practices.

Call Us to Talk to a Virtual Fitness Expert of Your Choice!

Our fitness experts advise you to follow the golden rule above to gain the maximum advantage with your subsequent workouts. We also recommend that you exercise proper control of your emotions while working out and not overdo your exercises just because someone else is doing it.

We welcome you to explore MevoLife’s Virtual Services to contact a fitness trainer of your choice and to consult him or her for your specific fitness questions. These sessions are offered virtually and can be availed from any part of the world at any point in time. You can use this specialized guidance to press harder for your workouts every week and to have a better fitness standard.

It's time to work on the revision of your workout routine and plan it with the inclusion of rest days to make the most out of your efforts!