How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out?

Creating and sticking to a workout schedule can be difficult when you don’t know where to start or how often you should work out. With so many different fitness variations, it can be overwhelming to just get started.

It is general knowledge that incorporating physical activity into your week is important because it helps:

Build cardiovascular health
Lower blood pressure
Decrease inflammation
Build strength

At Healf, Move is one of our 4 Pillars of Health, and we believe that moving your body is part of the foundation of everyday healthy living. Below is a guide of our tips and tricks to help you develop your optimal weekly workout schedule.

General Tips

We have identified two main general tips to consider when determining how many days a week you should work out.

Define Your Health Goal

Before you can decide what type of training you want to do and how often, the most important thing to consider is what your overall goal is. At Healf we recognize the importance of defining a goal, which is why on our website we’ve categorized our products by different Health Goals. These include Balance, Bones and Joints, Endurance, Flexibility, and Strength.

While people may share similar goals, everyone’s workout schedule will vary based on your fitness level, your body’s recovery time, and your current daily schedule.

To help you define your Health Goal, here are some questions to consider:

What do you realistically want to accomplish in the next few weeks?
Are you looking to build muscle? Improve run time? Create healthy habits and feel good?
What does your current daily and work life schedule look like and how will your workout routine fit into it?

Stay Consistent

It is important to follow a structured plan for at least a month or two. Switching your routine often won’t produce effective results, and you want to avoid overtraining your body and muscle groups. Hannah Davis, a personal trainer, says that “the body builds on consistency and then gets stronger on consistency, so stick with it for a while.”

Your Workout Routine Based on Your Goal

Keeping the two general tips in mind, we’ve organized our workout schedule tips based on your specific health goal.

Goal: Muscle Gain and Strength

Strength Training: 4-5 days

Split your strength training into different muscle groups between upper and lower body
Example: upper body on Monday and Thursday, lower body on Tuesday and Friday
Include dynamic power movements like box jumps and kettlebell swings to get your body moving and engaged
Focus on lifting heavier weights and progressively overload

Cardio: 1-2 days

Too much cardio can offset strength gains, but it’s still important to get your body moving and heart pumping
Examples: short HIIT workouts or walking on the treadmill

Rest: 1-2 days

Consider “active rest” days rather than just doing nothing
Examples: yoga class or stretching

Products we recommend:

Goal: Build Endurance

Strength Training: 2-5 days

Very similar to the schedule for building strength, the key difference is to focus on longer reps and to work out longer
Rather than focus on heavy weights, adding more reps helps build muscular endurance
Ideal rep range: 20-30
Do circuit workouts with less rest time in between

Cardio: 3 days

Engage in long cardio intervals
Goal is to get your heart used to working harder for longer periods of time

Rest: 1 day or more

The amount of rest days you take should be based on what your body is telling you
Not taking breaks can lead to injury, and proper rest and recovery can also lengthen the lifespan of your fitness goals

Products we recommend:

Goal: Stay Fit, Flexible and Feel Good

Strength training: 2-5 days

Aim for moderate intensity
Supersets, compound movements, and combination exercises will work multiple muscle groups at the same time
Examples: squats with a shoulder press or lunges with a lateral raise
Can either strength train three days a week in one hour sessions or strength train five days a week in thirty minute sessions

Cardio: every day

Cardio intensity can vary and does not need to be excessive
Examples: 20 minute simple walk or brisk jog

Rest: listen to your body

You should listen to your body to determine when you should take the day off
“Trust yourself, listen to your body, and adjust anytime something feels bad to you.” - Megan McWilliams, certified corrective exercise specialist through NASM

Products we recommend:

Conclusion

Finding your weekly workout routine can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Once you’ve defined your health goal, the key is to remain consistent. Overall, you should find what feels good for you.