How often you should exercise depends on several factors, such as your activity level, age, fitness goals, and more. In general, it is important to get 150 minutes of moderate aerobic (cardio) exercise per week. This is about 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
The best schedule for you is one that you can stick to consistently. You can opt for 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, which is 25 minutes a day, three days a week. An ideal workout plan also includes two days of strength training.
Physical activity improves your fitness and reduces your risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes obesity. How often you exercise depends on your activity level and the time you have available. Start with a small goal if you are new to exercise. You can reduce sitting time, such as going for a walk before or after a meal.
Different types of physical activity include:
- Balance, which helps prevent falls
- Cardio or aerobic exercise or endurance exercise
- Flexibility, which increases agility and range of motion
- Strength training
How you plan your workouts and what you do comes down to what you enjoy the most. Finding enjoyment in exercise will keep you consistent and lead to results.
What you choose to do for cardio comes down to what you enjoy. Research has shown that high intensity interval training (HIIT) and Tabata are some of the most effective cardio exercises.
HIIT, or circuit training, is intense, high-speed training. Tabata is a more intense version of HIIT that you can do with or without weights. Work for 20 seconds, rest for 10, then repeat for a total of eight rounds. You can quickly work up a good sweat in 25-30 minutes.
Other examples of cardio include:
- Cycling
- Doing yard work, such as pushing the lawnmower
- Jogging
- Playing sports like basketball and tennis
- Running
- Swimming or water aerobics
- walking
Try to increase your cardio if you work out three days a week. You can opt for low-intensity cardio if you exercise for a long time.
Strength training keeps your muscles strong. Aim for at least two days of strength training per week.
Examples of strength training include:
- Bodyweight exercises, such as sit-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and planks
- Gardening
- Using resistance bands
- Weight lifting
- Yoga
Try to incorporate different types of strength exercises that work all major muscle groups, including:
- Abdomen
- Weapons
- Back
- Chest
- Hips
- legs
- Shoulders
Incorporating cardio and strength training into your exercise regimen can help you build strength and lose or maintain weight. Combining these exercises supports overall health. Here’s how the frequency and intensity of exercise can vary depending on your goals.
General health
It is important to do 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise each week. You can break this up into five 30-minute workouts per week. You can also opt for 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
Examples of weekly exercises include:
- Walk fast 30 minutes five days a week
- Jog or jog for 25 minutes three days a week
- Do 30 minutes of walking and running two or more days a week
Muscle Gain
Aim for two 30-minute workouts that target the entire body to gain muscle. You can include compound movements or exercises that work multiple muscles at once. Examples include deadlifts, pull-ups, push-upsand squats.
Add lower and upper body days if you have more time and want to build muscle. Lower body exercises include hinge exercises like deadlifts, lunges and squats. Consider doing push-ups and pull-ups on upper body days. Pulling movements include chest presses and push-ups, and pulling movements include pull-ups and rows.
Try to increase the intensity of the session as you get fitter. Increase the weight you use and the total number of repetitions you perform per exercise. Continuous progression will help build lean muscle mass and strength.
Here’s what a workout week might look like if you want to gain muscle:
| Exercise | |
|---|---|
| Monday | 30 minutes of cardio and strength training for the whole body |
| Tuesday | 30 minutes of cardio and strength training for the upper body |
| Wednesday | Light stretching and foam rolling |
| Thursday | 30 minutes of cardio and strength training for the whole body |
| Friday | 30 minutes of cardio and lower body strength training |
| Saturday | 30 minutes of cardio |
| Sunday | Light stretching and foam rolling |
Weight loss
It is important to create a caloric deficit to lose weight. Physical activity helps burn calories, in addition to a balanced diet with reduced calorie intake. You may need to increase the length of time or number of days you exercise to lose weight. Exercising 60 minutes a day, five times a week, can help you lose weight.
A 154-pound person can burn the following calories in 60 minutes:
- 280 calories brisk walking
- 330 calories dance
- 510 calories swimming laps
- 590 calories running or running at five miles an hour
How many calories you burn in 60 minutes depends on several factors, such as exercise intensity and weight. How many calories you need to burn to create a calorie deficit also varies. Talk to your health care provider to create a weight loss plan that works for you.
It is generally advised that you exercise five days a week. How often you should exercise depends on your available time and fitness level. Aim for a combination of cardio and strength training during the week. You can mix up the type of exercises you do on alternate days or on the same days.
Taking rest days is just as important as exercise days. Catch up on sleep, hydrate and gently stretch or roll. Rest days help prepare your body for the next workout.
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