FAQs

How Often Should You Go to the Gym a Week?

How Often Should You Go to the Gym
How Often Should You Go to the Gym

Gym instructors often get asked about what’s the best schedule for them for working out at the gym weekly. If you are confused as well, here are some pointers and guides to help you decide the best time and schedule to keep you fit and healthy.

However, first of all, working more frequently, even in little amounts, has its benefits, contrary to what people mostly think. Some of them would probably say that if you go to the gym every single day, it would only result in tired muscles.

Frankly speaking, not every person has a lot of time to work out every single day due to their job schedules, school, and whatnot. So, what’s the best way to go to the gym for them? Should they stick to a weekend gym session or think of something else? Let’s find out in this article!

Contents

Which is better: daily workout or 3 times a week?

The answer is that it depends on your situation. First, daily workouts are beneficial for those who want to gain muscles. If done right, frequently working out at least 6 to 7 times a week will result in forwarding momentum. This means that your body will habitually get in the zone and it will be impossible for you to miss a day at the gym.

Aside from that, daily workouts will keep you focused on your goal. When you do something every single day, you are likely not going to skip it and you might even feel bad for doing so.  However, with that in mind, going to the gym is sometimes depending on your fitness level and your schedule.

However, not everyone has work that allows them to get extra time for going to the gym or working out. That’s where a schedule of 3 times a week will probably be the best for you. People who work at an 8-hour schedule and have a family to attend to at home might not do well with a weekly schedule.

In some cases, you might also just increase your intensity in the limited time that you work out to compensate – which should be done properly and with enough rest afterward. The same is true for weekly schedules with minimal intensity – it is all about balance.

The frequency of going to the gym should also be coupled with the type of workout you are aiming to do and your training/fitness goals. Some people want to do specific gains, weight loss, a full-body workout, or just to stay fit – you should factor those in and you’ll eventually come up with a good schedule.

Q&A – How often should I go to the gym every week?

With what we mentioned above, going to the gym will sometimes depend on your situation. Some people who are aiming for a higher fitness goal might want to spend more time at the gym. On the other hand, some people just want to stay fit so their schedules should be different.

Different situations call for different schedule recommendations so that you don’t get fatigued. That’s why we will discuss the most common scenarios below:

How often should you go to the gym when you first start?

If you are new to going to the gym, we suggest at least 30 to 45 minutes per session, which can be done 1 to 2 times a week depending on your availability. You can take a friend with you – especially one who is also new to the gym or even a seasoned one – so long as they are supportive of your fitness level.

When you first start, having a friend who is also new to going to the gym will help you feel complacent. On the other hand, if you have a friend or colleague who is a gym buff or knows a lot about fitness training, you will also be guided well enough so that you won’t hurt or injure yourself during workouts.

How often should you go to the gym for muscle gain?

For those looking to get muscle gains, we recommend at least 6 to 7 times a week of working out. However, this doesn’t mean you will only lift and not rest! Some trainers advise at least one full week of resting so that you can come back with enough energy to do workouts again.

Rest is very important, even if you have a very tough fitness goal. While it can be tempting to lift every single day, there should be ample time for rest because it will result in overtraining if you’re not careful enough.

Getting gains is much more effective if you work out nearly every day of a week. You can also do split training if you are doing a daily schedule to help your muscles relax once in a while. This also allows you to focus on your muscle groups at least 2 times in the given week for more efficient gains.

How often should you go to the gym when you have not worked out in a while?

Did you go to the gym before but it was a long time ago? To make sure that your body doesn’t get fatigued, you should only work out at least 1 to 2 times a week. Returning to the gym after a year or so is always very difficult, so you should give it some time.

If possible, you should get a gym buddy to help you slowly recover your momentum once you finally step into the gym. Once you have been used to 1 to 2 times a week of going to the gym, you can change your routine to up to 3 times a week or increase the intensity. 

How often should you go to the gym to maintain weight loss?

For simply staying healthy, a good weekly schedule should be 3 to 4 times. Just like with beginners, you can just go with 30 to 45 minutes but you may want to increase it more depending on the amount of weight you want to lose.

However, you can also do 7 days a week but with minimal intensity. Even just jogging or a few minutes on the treadmill a day will be good for weight loss. Both daily and 3-day training schedules will work just fine, so long as you adjust the intensity accordingly.

Keep in mind that exercising for weight loss should be partnered with a proper diet and watching what you eat. Be wary of what you will have for the day when you workout or else all the burned calories will just go back into your body!

How often should you go to the gym for full-body workouts?

For a full-body workout, usually, trainers recommend even as little as 3 days a week, so long as you have a fairly medium to high intensity and you have good amounts of rest. Training routines like these best suit those who want to do powerlifting or are into the lifting sport, such as athletes.

Recovery is greatly crucial for a powerlifter doing full-body workouts. This is why they should only work out at least 3 times a week for the best results.

Conclusion

Overall, there is no direct answer as to how often you should go to the gym in a week. It all depends on various factors, such as your fitness level, your goals, availability, age, and others. Try to assess your situation first and see what works best for your needs.

As we mentioned above, different fitness levels and situations call for a variety of gym schedules. It also helps to mix and match your routines so that you don’t get tired of going to the gym and doing workouts. This will help you get more motivated and keep the momentum so you never miss a day at the gym.

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