How often should you workout?
- Chris Symons
- Nov 23, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: May 14, 2023
When it comes to working out, more is not always better.
For optimal results, every workout needs to provide enough stress to elicit change, and enough time to properly recover. Below is a list of things to consider when deciding how often to train. They are intended as a guideline to help you think about your exercise frequency.
Frequency and lifestyle
If you aren't getting enough sleep, eating well, managing your stress, and staying hydrated, your training is likely to be ineffective regardless of frequency. Clients often come to me struggling to make progress in spite of working out frequently, at a high intensity. They continue to add workouts at the expense of sleep and still don't progress. Upon implementing a holistic approach prioritizing sleep, diet, and stress management, they are pleasantly surprised to see progress with less time in the gym. I recommend finding a frequency that fits your lifestyle and allows balance; sometimes a daily 20 minute workout fits your routine better than three one-hour sessions. Whatever frequency you choose. make sure you give yourself enough time to sleep and enjoy life.
Frequency and total training volume
Frequency is how often you work out, and total training volume is how much work you do in those workouts. Specifically, training volume is your total number of reps per body part in a given time period, usually tracked per workout and weekly. For example, if you did 6 sets of 6 reps on your main lift once per week, your weekly training volume would be 36 reps. You could increase frequency and keep the volume the same by doing 2 workouts with 3 sets of 6 reps per week. When deciding on a training frequency, be sure to adjust the volume per workout to manage your weekly training volume. For more information on training programs, book an online consult here.
Frequency and intensity
Intensity refers to how intense your lifts are, specifically how close to your 1 rep max you are training. If you can lift 100 lbs once and you program 5 reps at 80 lbs, you are training at 80% intensity. The higher the intensity, the more rest you will require—not only between sets but also between workouts. Generally, when working at intensities above 90%, you should train each main lift once a week unless you keep the volume very low. I have had great success squatting every day using a long warm up then working up to a single rep at 90-100%. The intensity is high, but the volume is low enough that my central nervous system can recover by the next day.
Frequency and age
It may sound counterintuitive, but increasing training frequency as we age can produce excellent results, as long as the total volume is not too high. For high-frequency training to work optimally, your training session needs to provide more than the minimum required stimulus to elicit adaptation (build muscle, increase strength) without getting too close to the maximum recoverable stimulus. Once you hit 40, your body does not recover the way it used to. High frequency/low volume training can build muscle without over-stressing the body, so that it can recover in time for your next session. Younger athletes recover faster, so low frequency/high volume training programs like German Volume Training can work very well provided the athlete is eating and sleeping well for optimal recovery.
Putting it all together
The best program in the world only works if you do the workouts, Start by thinking about when you want to work out and for how long. Once you've decided on your frequency, make sure to account for how your daily volume will effect your weekly total volume—or better yet, book a consult and let's figure this out together.
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