The focus of this lesson is to teach you about how many exercises you should do per day. You would think that this question has a simple answer. However, the answer is quite complex.
This question has several answers based on these variables:
- fitness history
- frequency per week
- how many muscle groups you will work out per day
Each of these variables plays a role in how many exercises you should do per workout. This lesson will teach you how many exercises you should do based on the variables mentioned. Please learn this because you do not want to under or overtrain your muscles. If you do not train enough, you will not see results, or it will take longer to see the results you desire. Some give up and stop at that point.
When you start your fitness journey, any positive movement each day is a step in the right direction. However, there will be a point where you hit a fitness level that the same old workout and intensity will not work anymore. You will need to step it up. To ensure this does not happen to you, make sure you always use heavier weights as you get fitter and give more intensity to your aerobic exercises.
On the other hand, overtraining has its own set of consequences. For example, overtraining can lead to injuries, soreness, or muscle fatigue that cause a drop in your muscles’ performance. Any one of those can set you back in your progress. Therefore you must always give your muscles a few rest days after an intense workout. Understanding the information below will help you throughout your fitness journey. It is a key fundamental piece of how to structure your workouts.
Fitness history
Your fitness history matters on how many exercises per day you should do. Elements that go into your fitness history focus on topics such as how long you have been working out, how consistent you have been over that amount of time, and the history of the intensity you’ve put in. Beginners should do no more than three to five exercises per day. Those more advanced in fitness should do no more than four to seven total exercises per day. This does not include your 10-15 minute warm-ups, stretches before and after you get done exercising, and your 10-15 minute cool down for both groups.
Frequency per week
Your fitness history also plays into how many times you should exercise per week. Beginners should go two to four days a week and do around three to five exercises per day. Those who are more advanced in their fitness should work out three to five days a week and do four to seven exercises per day.
How many muscle groups you will work out per day
How many muscle groups you will work on each day also depends on how many exercises you will do each day. There are numerous combinations of what you can concentrate on within your workout routine. Beginners should still do three to five exercises per day but split between muscle groups. Those who are more advanced in their fitness should do four to seven exercises per day split up between the muscle groups.
If you want to build muscle endurance, you will want to do two to three sets in each exercise. If you want to build muscle mass, you will want to do three to six sets per exercise. If you want to gain strength and power, you will want to do three to five sets per exercise.
Examples of these would be
- bicep and back days
- chest and tricep days
- shoulders, abs, and thigh days
- all upper body workouts
- upper and lower body workout day
- leg day
- arm day
- chest day
- bicep day
- tricep day
- back day
- shoulder day
The important part is to make sure you work out each muscle group at least once per week according to your level of training. Typically twice to see the results you desire.
Summary
The longevity of success in your fitness journey depends on not under or overtraining your muscles.
When someone asks me how many workouts they should do per day, I ask them about their fitness history. If they are a beginner, I would say on average three days a week and do four exercises each time. For those who are more advanced in their fitness, I would say on average you should go four days a week and do six exercises each time. If you do not see the results you want, you have a few choices:
- add extra weight
- add exercise per day
- add an extra day
If you still aren’t getting the results you want or your body hits a plateau, then add all three. As your body progresses through your fitness journey, you’ll have to adapt your training as well. Like I mentioned earlier, the same old routine and effort are not going to cut it.
Activities
In your notebook, describe your fitness history. Answer the following questions/statements:
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- Are you currently working out?
- Have you worked out in the past?
=> If yes, how long have you been working out?
=>If you were to look at your entire fitness history, how would you rate your consistency to go every week from 1-10. 1 being “not very consistent”; 10 being “I’ve been consistent weekly since I started working out.”
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- If you were to look at the intensity of your workouts throughout your fitness journey, how would you rate yourself from 1-10? 1 being “I go through the motions”; 10 being “I give my full intensity the whole time I’m there.”
These answers will be used later to type into the discovery session meeting form.
Another thing I’d like you to do is to look up the dangers of overtraining. Click here https://www.google.com/search?q=dangers+of+overtraining+syndrome. Take notes of anything that you learn and/or are surprised by related to overtraining your muscles.