Frequency and Duration of Workouts

One question people ask me is how many days a week I workout, and for how long each day.

I go to the gym, run or bike between four to six days a week.  How often I go – and what I do -  depends on what I’m trying to accomplish Fitness-wise, and how my body feels.

If I’m looking to get in shape for an Athletic Event or just tighten-up a bit more if I’m going away and will be in a bathing suit more often than usual (something we all want to look good for!), my workouts typically look like this six days a week:

• Cardio: 60 minutes, Four times per week
  • My Cardio work typically includes:
    • StairClimbing
    • Rowing Machine
    • LifeCycle
• Running: Four to Six Miles, Two times per week
• Weights: 20 minutes, Four times per week

Personally, if I’m looking to lose weight I don’t see a major difference in my body unless I’m extremely strict about my workout schedule each of those six days a week.  That also includes my Intensity level, which is incredibly important to your fitness success!

One great way I’ve found to measure my Intensity level is by using a Polar Heart Rate Monitor.  If I’m a little tired (and more likely to slack-off a bit!), my Monitor will help keep me honest by telling me how hard I’m really working!

If nothing special is coming up in my schedule and I’m pretty happy with my level of Fitness and how my clothes are fitting me, I’ll give myself a bit more flexibility in my workout schedule and intensity. 

For a “regular” Maintenance week, my workouts generally look like this an average of five days a week:

• Cardio: 45 minutes, Four times per week
• Running: Four to Six Miles, One time per week
• Weights: 20 minutes, Two times per week

Of course, all of the information above is pretty high-level.  Eventually we’ll go into each of the items above in much more detail in later articles, also including:

1. Intensity - How hard should you workout
2. Healthy Weight Loss – How to lose weight and keep it off while staying healthy
3. Exercise frequency – How many days a week should you work out
4. Duration of Exercise – How long do you need to workout to lose weight
5. Healthy Diet - What kinds of foods can fuel your workouts
6. Best Exercises – How to tighten Glutes, Abs, Legs and back of Arms
7. Unhealthy Foods – What food to avoid!
8. Injuries - How to avoid them, and what to do if you have one

I hope you have a great night, and I definitely look forward to speaking with you soon about all the exciting topics above, and more!

If you have any questions and you’re not comfortable submitting a Comment, please feel free to submit them to AnnQ@averagebutnot.com