Do you think that you train too much, or on the contrary, do you think that you are not exercising enough? One of the most common doubts that arise when we do physical exercise is the number of days to train, either at home, outdoors or in the gym. If you have just started going to the gym or want to exercise on your own with a workout at home every week, it is time for you to know how many days you should train a week to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. Keep reading!
Decide how many days to train based on your goals
Burn fat, lose weight , tone up, gain muscle mass. It is important to decide the number of days of training depending on the physical needs of each individual and the objectives to be achieved. But is there a minimum recommended amount advocated by professionals and specialists in the field of fitness? That’s how it is. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a minimum of three days a week of physical exercise. Now, when defining your weekly training, this figure may vary according to various factors, such as the age of the person, their physical condition or the possible pathologies that they present.
Starting from this minimum of three days a week, the number of training days may be slightly modified depending on the objective being pursued, as indicated below:
- If your goal is to lose weight, you can maintain the figure of three days a week of training, always under the supervision of an expert and following a healthy and balanced diet that complements the sessions in the gym.
- If you want to gain muscle and you have previous experience in bodybuilding work, you can train up to four days a week. You should always take into account the intensity with which you perform each workout and the muscle groups that you want to work each day.
- If you want to overcome a mark or prepare for a race (5k, 15k, marathon, etc.), you must follow a training similar to that of hypertrophy, that is, train four days a week, always taking into account your age and physical condition .
The ideal way to decide how many days to train per week is to seek advice from a personal trainer and undergo a pre-training medical check-up to help you assess your physical condition and what type of training you need to achieve your goals. Also, and in addition to knowing how many days you should train a week, it also doesn’t hurt to know the rest days that your muscles deserve. In this way, you can provide them with the relaxation and rest they need to resume physical activity the following week.
What happens if I train every day of the week?
Although training three days a week at home or in the gym is the best way to stay in shape, can you train every day, Monday through Sunday? This decision is in common sense. Your muscles and your mind deserve to rest. So, except in the case of elite athletes – who train up to 6 days in the same week – it is advisable to dedicate two or three days a week to rest and muscle recovery.
