If you want to get in the best shape of your life, how hard do you need to work to get there? If I work out 5 days a week, will that be better than 3 days a week? All too often people think the more they work out, the more healthy/fit they’ll be. Being in ‘Murrka, the go big or go home mindset starts to apply to everything, and unfortunately it doesn’t always turn out as planned (just look at our obesity problem).
Building muscle happens when you are resting, not when you are working out. Your body needs time to rest in order to rebuild and adapt to the workload being placed on it. If you don’t give it that time, you not only limit your results but also risk yourself for overtraining and overuse injuries.
So how much is enough?
You want to make sure you’re getting rest days in the week, especially if you’re doing circuits, weightlifting, etc. If you are just starting, you will need more time than someone who has been consistently exercising for years. For a beginner, you should workout no more than 3 times a week, with a rest day between each workout day. This gives proper rest time and room for progress. In order to increase intensity, bump it up to 4 times a week, maximum 5 days (more advanced, should only be done for circuit style workouts, stick to 4 max for powerlifting, etc). The number also depends on what types of workouts you’re doing. It’s easier to increase the number of days on a cross-training program compared to say, a powerlifting routine. The greater the weights and intensity of the exercises, the more rest that is needed for that routine.
Here’s a beginner’s crosstraining routine you can try:
Monday:
– Squat (Weighted or Body Weight) – 15 reps
– Burpees – 12 reps
– Dumbbell Curl and Press – 10 reps
– Mountain Climbers – 15 reps
– Russian Twists – 15 reps
– Pull Ups – 10 reps (Use weighted machine to make this easier)
Complete for 2-3 rounds.
Wednesday:
21-15-9 of the following exercises. This means do 21 reps of the 3 exercises in order, take a rest (30 seconds-1 minute), then do 15 reps of the 3 exercises, rest, then finally 9 reps of the exercises.
– Deadlift
– Dumbbell Swings (Use Both Hands, and raise it up to face level)
– Burpees
Friday
– Dumbbell Squat Thrusts – 12 reps
– Pull Ups – 10 reps (increase weight on support machine to make it easier)
– Sit Ups – 15-20 reps (or as many as you can do)
Complete for 4-5 rounds, go for time (Try to complete all 4-5 rounds as fast as you can, with as little rest in between each round)
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are all rest days.
After a few months, you can increase the frequency to 4 times a week with this type of regiment, if you have the time and energy. But the important part is just to stay consistent, stay active, and be patient.