How many times have you joined a gym or committed to an exercise plan to lose weight, only to back out after a few weeks because you have no idea how often you should work out?
If your answer is “too many to count,” you’re not alone. Knowing how many days you should exercise can be confusing. This is especially so if the amount of time you’re putting in doesn’t match up with your goals.
So, whether your goal is to sweat it out on the treadmill more often to lose a few pounds or to increase the amount of weight you’re lifting in order to gain muscle, the following tips can help you hit your target sooner and with greater success
How often should you work out for weight loss?
In the simplest of terms, you’ll need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. Dieting has proven to be an effective method of losing weight, but in order to maintain weight loss, you need to exercise.
How much weight you lose depends on the amount of exercise you’re willing to commit to and how closely you stick to your diet. If you really want to see results reflected on the scale and continue to make progress over time, you need to commit to working out at least four to five days per week.
But remember, you’ll build-up to this. To start, you might only want to do two or three days per week and slowly work your way up to five days. Plan your workouts to include a combination of:
- cardio
- strength training
- core work
- stretching
For maximum results, a workout program should consist of cardiovascular and strength training exercises. When you lift weights, you increase your lean muscle mass. This allows you to increase your metabolism and burn calories at a higher rate, even when you’re not working out.
Cardiovascular exercise isn’t just essential in maintaining good heart health. Cardio exercise can:
- burn calories
- boost your mood
- decrease stress
Strength training
Aim for two to three days per week of strength training. Include full workouts that focus on compound exercises. These are moves that work multiple muscles at a time. Examples include:
- squats with a shoulder press
- deadlift with a bent-over row
- lunges with a lateral raise
- pushups and plank with a one-arm row
How often should you work out for muscle gain?
Finding the right balance of cardio exercise and strength training is key when it comes to putting on lean muscle. Do too much, and you risk overtraining and losing your hard-earned muscle. On the other hand, if you don’t up the intensity and put the time in, your muscle gains will be minimal.
Cardiovascular exercise
Stick to two to three days of cardio per week. Focus on shorter, higher-intensity sessions, such as 25 minutes of HIIT.
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