How Often Should You Workout?

      Some people go into the gym and just jump on whatever machine they can find. By the time they decide to finish their workout...they've trained every body part, and they wake up sore as hell from head to toe the next day. Now they have a dilemma, when should I work out again? I want results, so should I go back tomorrow or wait a few days? If I take a break it'll mean I only trained 3 times this week...is that enough?

Another one of the biggest questions people ask is how often they should work out. You have to factor in a few things before committing to 'x' amount of training days, and possibly running the risk of stressing out if you miss a day because life happened (and it has a tendency to do that when you least expect it). Look at your work schedule, then think about traffic, preparation for the next day and family commitments. Now logically, think about how many days you can realistically make it to the gym. Then the planning begins from there.

If you have only 2 free days to work out...

It's not a lot, but it's something. Be physically active 5 days doing something, and focus on whole body or priority training on those 2 free days.  You can accomplish a lot using circuit style training.

If you have 3-4 days to work out...

This is where it gets a little easier to do "training splits".  Designate certain days to certain muscle groups so 

Training Day 1: Chest & Back, 

Training Day 2: Arms, 

Training Day 3: Legs and if possible 

Training Day 4: Shoulders.

And 5+ days means you can add a little more focus to your training.

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Understand that if your goal is to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, and training helps with that tremendously. But, your goals and your life may not always align. The important thing is to make a solid attempt to be physically active while maintaining a nutrient dense diet. Realistically, if you safely reduce your caloric intake, and train for at least 30 minutes a day, you will notice positive changes. 

Frequency comes second to quality. Some may disagree because if you are doing any type of activity, it will burn calories. But, your goal should be to effectively train your muscles, and increase your metabolic rate. How often you train depends entirely on you.

-T.H.E.