How often should you work out?

How often should you work out? Adults should be doing some kind of physical activity every day, but that doesn’t mean you have to visit the gym or do the same workout 7 days a week.

Overall, whatever exercise you’re doing should be spread over the whole week. This means you might go to the gym one day, walk another etc until you’ve hit your daily goals. Realistically, this means 5 to 7 60-minute sessions are perfect to keep you healthy and enjoying the physical and mental benefits of exercise.

You could even split this time up into multiple sessions throughout the day. A walk at lunch, combined with a gym session in the evening

Cardio

Aerobic exercise is great for your heart. Adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity a week. Moderately intense means you can still hold a conversation while working out, but you are a little out of breath. During vigorous exercise, you wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation, just say a few words at a time.

This breaks down into two 60-minute and one 30-minute brisk walk a week, or equivalent activities. Remember that some daily chores can count too. Mowing the lawn can get your heart rate up, as well as other types of gardening or carrying boxes.

Strength training

You should also be doing strength training every week, at least two days a week. Three days of compound-style strength training is ideal as this will help build muscle and allow rest days in between where you can enjoy something else.

Strength training doesn’t always get your heart rate up enough to count towards your weekly activity goals. Track your heart rate to find out if it reaches between 50% and 70% of your maximum heart rate. If it stays in this range consistently, your strength training can count towards your aerobic goals as well.

Examples

So, to summarise, an example solo weekly plan would look something like this, and get you well above the recommended number of active minutes, provided your strength training raises your heart rate enough. If you prefer lower-intensity strength training you can add more time to the walks.

Monday: Strength training, 60 mins
Tuesday: Walk, or other cardio 30 mins
Wednesday: Strength training, 60 mins
Thursday: Walk, or other cardio 30 mins
Friday: Strength training, 60 mins
Saturday: Rest or light active rest day
Sunday: Walk, or other cardio 30 mins

Need support with an exercise programme or don’t know where to start? You can claim a free one-day pass at an Anytime Fitness gym and speak to one of our friendly and expert team about your health goals.