In the journey of becoming fit, the most common question asked by the people is, ‘How many days a week should I work out?’ The answer is not the same for everyone; it changes for each individual. Because it depends upon the goal of the individual. But I will guide you on how you can decide.
For Beginners: Start Slow and Steady
For a beginner, you should start working out for 3 to 4 days a week; it will best match your capability. Start with a full-body workout like cardio, strength training and flexibility exercises; this will make your anatomy strong and make you ready for a heavier load.
Example schedule:
- Monday: Full-body strength
- Wednesday: Cardio (running, cycling, or HIIT)
- Friday: Full-body strength
Rest on other days or do light stretching, yoga, or a walk.
For Intermediate Lifters: Building Strength and Endurance
If you are doing workouts for 4 to 5 months, you can go for 4 to 5 days of training in a week. You can divide muscle groups for different days, or if you are in a different sport, you can make variations for endurance work (like long running, core strength, lactic workouts, strength training, etc.).
Example split:
- Monday: Upper body
- Tuesday: Lower body
- Wednesday: Rest or cardio
- Thursday: Push (chest, shoulders, triceps)
- Friday: Pull (back, biceps)
- Saturday: Optional active recovery (yoga or stretching)
This schedule gives your muscles enough time to recover while keeping progress steady.
For Advanced Athletes: Consistency Is Key
Now for elite athletes, you can go for 6 days of work in a week, but remember to give at least 1 day of rest to your body. Listen to your body because muscles need rest for recovery and to become stronger; if ignored, the result will be negative.
Don’t Forget Recovery
You should know one thing: your performance mainly depends upon how much sleep, nutrition, and recovery you are giving to your body. Your muscles will grow when you give them rest, not when you overtrain them, so make sure to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, eat well, and stay hydrated.
The best workout schedule is the one which you can do on a regular basis. Try to start small and stick to it. Increase your load as fitness improves because “completing a race is more important than ending the race because of fatigue.”