How much strength training a day

When it comes to your fitness routine, do you have a healthy mix of aerobic movement and strength exercise? Movement of any sort is a far better alternative to a sedentary lifestyle, but if you are wanting optimal health benefits in the long-term, a healthy mix of aerobic and strength-training is essential. Aerobic exercise plays a vital role in preventing everything from heart disease and stroke to blood sugar levels and diabetes, increasing your life span, improving cognitive performance, and managing emotions such as depression and anxiety which can interfere with your quality of life across an array of other benefits.

But how vital is strength training in the matrix of your fitness regiment? I n another study performed by Harvard T. As an alternative to traditional weight lifting, there are many other popular types of group fitness that you can incorporate. First things first: There are no one-size-fits-all answers to those questions. It really depends on your fitness level, goals, and how much time you can realistically devote to exercise.

For instance, the best weekly workout plan for a seasoned marathoner trying to set a new P. We tapped three experts for advice on how often you should work out, what to focus on, and how you can make it a lasting habit.

Like we said, there's no simple formula that's right for everyone. If you're looking to amp up your fitness level, your magic number of days depends on how active you already are. For example, you'll probably see physical and mental results from one day a week if you don't already work out at all, Noam Tamir , C.

But if you're used to multiple workout days a week, one day probably won't challenge your body enough to maintain your fitness or make progress. The breakdown varies depending on your specific goals, but in general, four to five days a week will do the trick if you're aiming to improve or maintain your fitness.

And that can turn you off completely from working out. Instead, a good beginner workout plan is to try starting with two workouts a week. After you get used to that, you can consider gradually increasing the number of days. This might mean a minute walk or a series of gentle stretches. For instance, if your mornings are super hectic with lots of last-minute changes, it could be self-defeating to plan on morning workouts , says Fagan.

In that case, an afternoon or evening workout may be more likely to happen as scheduled. And pay attention to your body too: Some people feel more energized in the morning, while others are dragging.

Matching up your workout time to when you feel the best can make you more likely to want to stick with it, Fagan says. If you want to work out five days per week and are working on both strength and cardiovascular fitness, try three days of strength training, two days of cardio, and two days of active rest. If you want to work out four days a week, think about your goals: If you want to add muscle, cut a cardio day. If you want to improve endurance, skip a strength day.

Or switch it each week, says Tamir. Remember, it's important to be realistic about your own schedule when you're asking yourself how many days a week you should work out. If four days makes more sense for you than five days, do that.

But if five days is reasonable, great! Why : Strength training is a super important way to keep your body functional for the long haul, says Fagan: It helps prevent the bone loss and muscle loss that comes with aging. It also strengthens your joints too, says Tamir. Products and services. Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier Strength training is an important part of an overall fitness program.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Related article Strength training: How-to video collection. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information.

Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references AskMayoExpert. Physical activity adult. Mayo Clinic; Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed March 4, American College of Sports Medicine. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: Guidance for prescribing exercise.

Four types of exercise can improve your health and physical activity. National Institute on Aging. Real life benefits of exercise and physical activity. Brown LE, ed. Types of strength and power training. In: Strength Training. Human Kinetics; Laskowski ER expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. March 11, See also Ankle weights for fitness walkers Body-weight training: Is it effective for strength training?