Here’s a little insight into the hardest part of any program, getting started.
Q: Hey Chris, how many times a week should I workout when I’m just getting started?
A: Hey Client, here’s a couple things to think about. What kind of workouts do you want to do? How long do you want the workouts to take? What goals are we working towards? How many times per week do you work out now?
Ugh, why can’t it just be a simple answer, just tell me if I should work out three times a week or seven! Sorry friend, those are the types of answers you’ll find in the checkout-line magazine covers. The real answer deserves a little more investment.
These are just some of the questions that we have to run through to get a good idea of how much “volume” is a good starting point. Volume is a very interesting word in the strength and conditioning world. It can be in reference to a number of reps, a gross tonnage of weight, a distance traveled, or any other amount of work done. In any case, too much of it too early on is a major reason that fitness plans fail. Too much volume can result in injuries, and a steep cliff to fall from once the honeymoon ends. Knowing the type, time, and purpose for the training sessions is key to starting out on a path that will be sustainable and productive.
There is also a follow up question that goes back to the client; How many days a week do you actually think that you’ll consistently work out? Key word there being consistently. But that does not mean consecutively or even the same days or times from week to week. If the answer is three, and one week its Monday, Tuesday and Friday, it’s ok if the next week it’s Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday. The overall number of days per week is the important one to start with when I plan a program.
Too many people think a program has to be at the same time, on the same days every single week no matter what, and use that as a reason to delay getting started. While this does make for a more quality program, I’ll settle for much less in order to start building momentum. Finding these answers isn’t usually hard, but it does require a little bit of looking sometimes.
Finding the number of days doesn’t have to be a long intricate process either. Typically, it’s just looking to see where there is an opportunity. Personally, in the beginning, I want the workout to fit into your life instead of altering your routine drastically to allow for a sweat session. I want the barriers to be minimal. If I take your motivation and bog it down with a list of things you have to re-arrange, figure out, purchase, adjust and finagle before we can even start, it’ll be a short trip to failtown.
If you tell me that you have 35 mins at 5:15 am twice a week and you have no equipment, it’s my job to give you the most appropriate and effective program I can. Once we’re in the routine of those two days per week, my hope is that you see value in the program and you’ll be willing and even insistent to add more days to the plan.
Like I said, I’ll take whatever you can give to get the ball rolling, but day to day consistency is obviously preferred. There is a science side to this if that strikes your fancy rather than anecdotal answers. A study from 2018 reported “Individuals reporting low levels of daily routine reported worse physical function…more anxiety…and depressive symptoms…those with greater daily routine.” (1) So, after a few weeks of fitting workouts wherever they land, there may be benefit to making them a more concrete part of the schedule. There was even a study, of course, titled Exercise Habit Formation in New Gym Members: A Longitudinal Study, and guess what. “showed that consistency, low behavioral complexity, environment and affective judgments all significantly predicted changes in habit formation over time.” (2) if that’s not clear, just refer back to the previous paragraph about keeping it simple, barriers low, and growing the habit incrementally.
Um, so, how many days should I work out then? Well my dear friend, it depends and I’d love to start that conversation with you. Here’s the big takeaway from this whole long drawn out answer; a few, and more eventually. Keep in mind that what you are doing is usually far more important than how many times you do it. Getting started with something is the first step and with the right coach, the chances for success only increase.
(1) O'Conor, R., Benavente, J. Y., Kwasny, M. J., Eldeirawi, K., Hasnain-Wynia, R., Federman, A. D., . . . Wolf, M. S. (2018, September 22). Daily Routine: Associations With Health Status and Urgent Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30247549
(2) Kaushal, N., & Rhodes, R. E. (2015, August). Exercise habit formation in new gym members: A longitudinal study. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25851609