For some people, five days a week is too many and can lead to burnout, demotivation, or overuse injuries. Three days per week is generally considered the healthy minimum, so put two and two together, and the ideal training schedule is three to five days per week.
Generally speaking, you should be going to the gym twice to five times per week, but it depends on your goals.
There is simply no need to train more than 4 days per week. Some people with poor recovery ability might be better off with only three training days per week. Train on the days that are most convenient for you, but make sure you pay attention to rule #2.
Yes, it's generally okay to work out four days in a row, but it depends on several factors, including your fitness level, the intensity of your workouts, and how well you recover. Here are some considerations:
Muscle atrophy (loss of muscle mass) typically starts to become noticeable after about two weeks of inactivity. Longer Breaks (2+ Weeks): After about two weeks of inactivity, you may start to see some muscle loss, particularly if you are not maintaining your protein intake or overall nutrition.
The short answer is no. While there are many benefits to strength training, including building stronger bones and muscles and maintaining a healthy weight, you shouldn't lift weights every day. “The science for strength training is that two to three days per week is the best dose for most people.
You'll Lose Muscle Mass
And while your body will hang onto strength gains longer than aerobic gains, throwing in the proverbial exercise towel will gradually lead to a loss of lean muscle mass, muscular strength, endurance, and neuromuscular training adaptations, explains Holland.
The benefits of rest days include: Better mental and physical health: Taking a break is as important for your mental health as it is for your body. Fewer injuries: Giving your body time to rest and recuperate helps you avoid injury.
More exercise can also relieve soreness, albeit only temporarily. Hardwick says it's perfectly safe to exercise through the pain, though it's probably best to avoid the same movements that caused DOMS last time. “If you have this muscle soreness, don't do the same thing you did before,” Hardwick says.
While push-ups are a great exercise, they're not something you should do every day, Thomas explains. “Daily push-ups might lead to overuse injuries if you're not recovering properly,” she says. “Instead, aim for three to four times a week, as that allows time for your muscles to recover and grow.”
If your goal is general health, fitness, and longevity, don't worry about splitting your workouts into upper and lower body sessions or doing targeting specific muscle groups during your sessions, Samuel says. Keep it simple: Aim for three full-body workouts per week, resting at least one day between workouts.
The signs of overexercising and overtraining
Increased heart rate. Not feeling as strong. Lacking physical performance. Difficulty reaching fitness goals.
As long as you have the energy for it, you can do some light cardio on rest days without problems. For example, if you're giving your upper body a rest after lifting weights, nothing is stopping you from getting your feet moving with a light jog.
4-Day Split: Ideal for intermediate lifters balancing strength and hypertrophy with moderate time commitment (45-60 minutes). 5-Day Split: Perfect for advanced lifters focusing on muscle growth and capable of training 60-75 minutes per session.
Experts recommend 2 to 3 rest days between strength-training workouts like lifting weights. So you can plan resistance workouts that target different muscle groups. For example, you might do upper-body exercises on Monday and lower-body exercises on Tuesday. On Wednesday, you could do a cardio workout.
If you're trying to improve your overall health and wellness, three to five workouts per week should be sufficient. However, if you're looking to add muscle mass or improve your athletic performance, you may need to increase your gym time to five or six days per week.
The logical question: Should you be pushing through such soreness or resting your muscles. "Working out when sore is okay as long as it isn't affecting your movement to the point where it's causing you to compensate and do something in a way that's unsafe," says Dr. Hedt.
Rest between set durations should be based on sets/exercise (volume), and not load or training goal. General recommendations include moderate (2 min) rest between sets if performing 2 sets/exercise, long rest (3 min) if performing 3 sets/exercise, and very long rest (> 4 min) if performing 4 sets or more/exercise.
The final verdict? Exercising in a fasted state may burn some quick body fat, but it's not the best option for your body in the long-run. Eat a small snack or meal before and after your workout to ensure that you're properly fueled to perform your best in the gym and recover quickly when you get home.
Gym rest days should be all about rest and recovery. This rest and recovery can be active though. You don't have to be sitting around doing nothing, twiddling your thumbs, waiting for your next workout to come around.
Is 4 days of rest too much? Honestly? It depends on what your goal is. If, say, you're working on building strength and you're lifting heavy three times per week, four days of rest from gym workouts may help you approach each session feeling as recovered and refreshed as you can.
A four-day break from the gym is unlikely to result in significant muscle loss or a noticeable decrease in strength, especially if you have been consistently training before the break.
In the first ten days to two weeks of inactivity/de-training, there is a measurable loss in cardiovascular fitness, but even this level of decrease is only about 2-3% drop in values such as VO2 Max, MAP (maximum aerobic power), or FTP (functional threshold power).
"It's more of a cosmetic thing." When you don't work out regularly, your body composition starts to change. With little physical activity, muscle cells shrink. With less calorie burn, fat cells start to expand, making the body look softer.