One of the questions that I get asked all the time from new clients is how often they should train in the gym each week if they wish to notice significant results with their physiques. Unfortunately when it comes to a person’s own target health and fitness goals, there is no one size fits all answer. Sure, some trainers will give the the generic 4-5x/week response. After all, the bulk of these trainers’ incomes rely on how often their clients train with them each week. So obviously they’re going to recommend a higher number that fills their wallets much quicker then a lower number that won’t. But let’s say you really do need to train 4-5x/week to gain some serious muscle and develop a decent looking physique. How should you structure a training program like that? And what if you honestly don’t have the time to train 4-5x/week in the gym? Does this mean that all hope is lost?
Let’s find out!
Quality Over Quantity
As is the case in most things in life, when it comes to your training in the gym, it’s not necessarily all about how often you do it, but more importantly how you do it when you’re there. If you’re someone who goes to the gym six days a week and spends 90% of your time “resting”/texting between your sets on your phone, snapping selfies in the squat rack, and having long drawn out conversations with your friends and fellow gym patrons, you’re just wasting six days of your week hanging out in a gym. On the other hand, if you’re going into the gym 3-4x/week with a game plan as to which muscle group(s) you’re going to train, which exercises you’re going to perform, and a mindset of complete and utter focus to your actual workout, and nothing else, well then now you’re going to see some serious results. Yes, you’re going to have to work ALOT harder, but at the same time you’re also going to be working ALOT smarter!
Realistic Results
If you want to see a change in your physique for the better then you’re going to have to set a timeline for that change to occur. I’ve yet to meet a single person who has been able to successfully achieve their target training goals, unless they have set a deadline date to accomplish these goals. Yes, you can go to the gym and not have a clear goal in mind as to what you want to achieve. However without this goal, then you’re most likely going to be just drifting around aimlessly, wondering around from machine to machine while going through the motions of the exercises. How can you expect to have a sense of drive, urgency and determination, if you have no timeline set to achieve your goal?
Now let’s say you do have a goal. The next question you have to ask yourself is if your goal is realistic. Look, I’m all for motivating people to do their best and to believe in themselves to achieve anything they wish to achieve. But I’m also a realist and understand that there are certain limitations that we all face when it comes to transforming our physiques for the better. For example, if you’re currently 100lbs over weight and sitting roughly at 45% body fat and your goal is to win the Mr. Olympia within the next year, the odds are really going to be stacked up against you. On the other hand, if you modify this goal and set a timeline to lose roughly 50-75lbs of those 100lbs over the next 12 months while bringing your body fat levels down to a healthy range, not only are you making this a realistic goal, but you’re also setting a realistic timeline to achieve this goal. In this particular case, once this goal has been achieved, only then would I consider advising a client to set a new goal to step on stage and compete if that still is in fact, his or her’s ultimate goal.
The Bottom Line
Okay, so we now know that it’s not only about how often we train that matters, but more importantly how hard we train that matters most. So does this mean that if you go to the gym once a week and train balls to wall for 45-60 minutes that you’re going to achieve the ultimate physique? Maybe. But in my opinion, most likely not. With that said, we have plenty of clients that only train with us 1-2x/week. Although the majority of these clients also train on their own or do some form of physical activity outside of the gym whether it be hiking, running, skiing or playing an intense physical sport such as hockey or soccer. And the majority of these clients don’t aspire to have washboard abs and bulging biceps. Most of these people just want to be healthy and fit. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that goal. In fact, in my opinion training for ultimate health and wellbeing is far more motivating then training for a nice looking bum or $5.00 bodybuilding trophy.
Now, if I had to venture a guess and offer my own personal opinion as to how often you should workout each week to achieve significant results with your health and physique, I would suggest taking the following steps
1) MAKE A GOAL
2) SET A REALISTIC TIMELINE TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL
3) TRAIN HARD
4) DIET SMART
5) REVALUATE YOUR PROGRESS EVERY FEW WEEKS
6) REPEAT
Simplicity + Intensity = Success
Remember, it’s not about how much you train, it’s about how hard you train. If what you’re currently doing in the gym hasn’t been working for you, then STOP doing it! If that means adding a few more days to your training split each week, then add a few more days. If that means cutting back on the amount of volume you’re using in the gym, then cut back on your volume. Keep things as simple as possible, but at the same time don’t confuse this simplicity with a lack of intensity. Whether you train 1x/week or 7x/week, just make sure every single time you set foot in that gym, that you give each and every workout you do 110%.
Therefore your question should not be “How Often Should I Workout” but rather your question should be “How Hard Should I Workout?”…………
Yours in Good Health,
Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance