How frequently should strength training be done?
I am trying to do to the gym and do some strength training. I know you body needs to time to recover between exercise. How often should I be going? Everyday at the same time? Every other day? Twice a week? I am not trying to get really muscular ( I am a woman) just want to be a little stronger and look a little better. Also dumb question but how long does it normally take for visual results? I am very weak right now, some of the machines I have to do with no added weight.
If you work your entire body while at the gym, meaning legs, arms, back, chest, etc you should go every other day. Lifting weights creates miniscule tears in the muscle fibers that need at least 48 hours to regenerate. Now, if you only like to lift say, arms one day, and legs another day, then you can go every day. Lift your arms on monday,legs on tuesday, arms on wed, and so on…. What I am basically getting at is that it is not healthy for your body if you dont give whatever muscle group you worked at least 48 hours of rest before working it again.
As for visual results, that all depends on your lifestyle and genetics. If you have a high amount of body fat it may take a while for you to actually see the results because they may be masked by fat that you need to burn first. Also, if it is just genetically hard for you to build muscle, that may make it take longer as well. In general, I’d say to give it 3 months of consistent weight training and then you should see results.
Hope this helps!!
December 14th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
yes i agree
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December 14th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
3x a day!
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December 14th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
You can go to gym everyday to do cardio but do weights every other day. If you keep the weight low and do high amounts of reps then you will get the toned physique you are looking for. You will see a very noticeable difference in 6 months.
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December 14th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Every other day at the same time to maintain consistency. It should take about 6-8 weeks to notice some really good results.
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December 14th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Cardio 20 minutes every day, and weight training every other day. I am in the same situation, and my sister in law is a exercise physiologist. She schooled me on how to get the most from short workouts. Do not weight train everyday. It can harm your muscles.
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December 14th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Every other day if you are serious.
Use lighter weight and more repetitions for a leaner look if you do not want bigger muscles. You should see some results in as little as two weeks if you keep at it and eat right.
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December 14th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
That usually depends on the person. But the theory behind strength training is this: You lift weights, which challenges the muscles. The muscles respond by repairing themselves, and adapt by growing. In order to maximize your benefit of training, you want the muscles to "mostly" repair before training them again. It’s not an exact science, as I said it varies for different people. That is why it’s best to train specific groups of muscles on certain days, allowing rest in between. A good schedule for muscles would be as follows:
Monday – Chest & Triceps
Tuesday – Legs
Wednesday – Rest
Thursday – Back & Biceps
Friday – Shoulders & Forearms
You need to experiment and find out what’s best for you. If you over train your muscles, they will not grow, and your effort would be wasted. There are tons of sites and forums that could help you get started on a great regimen.
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December 14th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
as a beginner I would start with a 3 day a week routine. Something like Mon, Wed, Fri and then take the weekend off. With strength training more is not better. Rest is just as important as the workout. If you are trying to focus on your whole body then I would start with a typical push/pull routine.
Monday- triceps and chest- things like bench press, shoulder press, dips,
Tuesday- biceps and back – pulldowns, pullups, rows,
Friday – lower body- leg presses, squats, deadlifts
Focus on compound movements that work more than one muscle group at a time like the ones mentioned above.
Don’t neglect lower body days. They provide the required stress to produce results for your whole body.
About 6 weeks to see visual results
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December 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
From the articles I am reading, I have discovered that strength training is recommended in short, high intensity sessions followed by a day or two of rest. If you want to really buckle down, I would say get in at least 30 minutes (or more depending on your fitness level) of cardio via running, elliptical, etc. and do a strength training program with or without machines 3-4 times a week. Good luck to you!
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Here’s some links I found interesting:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/strengthtraining/a/strength_strat.htm
http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/f/cardiostrength.htm
Here’s a strength training program you can do without machines!
http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/omagazine/slideshow2_ss_health_omag_200704_oz
December 14th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Yep you have the right idea alternate days, so about 3 times a week is average M-W-F. I felt like I saw small results within 2 weeks because its easy to take off inches. Also, you should try to add 10 or 20 lbs to the machine (if possible) that’s all I lift and I don’t feel that I am very strong. I think if you just added the minimum amount of weight you would see better results.
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December 14th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
3 times a week should be adequate. I highly recommend press ups for some definition. You won’t get big so don’t worry. If you can’t do any, simply adopt the position and gently lower the knees so that they aren’t at 90 degrees. Don’t worry about not adding weights to the machine, in just a week or 2 your body will be ready for more of a challenge. The pull up machine, which is easier the MORE weight you add because it counters your own body weight is also excellent. I think you will see some definition in about a month if you eat a balanced diet, with a little extra protein ie lean chicken, fish, eggs.
Good luck, and enjoy it.
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December 14th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
If you work your entire body while at the gym, meaning legs, arms, back, chest, etc you should go every other day. Lifting weights creates miniscule tears in the muscle fibers that need at least 48 hours to regenerate. Now, if you only like to lift say, arms one day, and legs another day, then you can go every day. Lift your arms on monday,legs on tuesday, arms on wed, and so on…. What I am basically getting at is that it is not healthy for your body if you dont give whatever muscle group you worked at least 48 hours of rest before working it again.
As for visual results, that all depends on your lifestyle and genetics. If you have a high amount of body fat it may take a while for you to actually see the results because they may be masked by fat that you need to burn first. Also, if it is just genetically hard for you to build muscle, that may make it take longer as well. In general, I’d say to give it 3 months of consistent weight training and then you should see results.
Hope this helps!!
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