How Much Exercise Do I Need To Lose Weight

Some people go to the gym every day, others workout twice a week. Some do workouts that last an hour and a half, others are in and out of the gym in 40 minutes. It can hard to decide which is the right frequency and amount of exercise for you.

I’ve often wondered how much exercise I need to meet my goals. I tried to find answers and finally realized that there is no clear cut answer that is true for everyone. So, if you’re interested in a short, one sentence answer, I have none to give you. However, if you are willing to read this article through, you will have find the answer.

So, let’s see how much exercise you really need…

Generalist Answers

If you open a magazine or a health website, you’re likely to see some rehashed recommendations about the workout frequency which is best for you. Common recommendations include: training 3 times a week at the gym, doing 30 minutes of activity each day (some say that 60 minutes is the way to go), doing cardio 3 times a week and strength training twice, are you starting to get the picture?

While there is a lot of value in this concise recommendations (and why I often use them myself), they are generalized responses to what is a personal question. You’re likely to be more interested in how much exercise YOU need than what the general health recommendation is.

Personalized Approach

In this post I’d like to share with you the personalized approach to this question. This basically says that the amount, and type, of exercise that you need depends on your goals, your current physical condition, your genetics, age, gender, and so on. While it’s true that there is a minimum level of activity which may prove useful for your health, the amount of exercise you should do is a personal thing.

First of all, you have to determine your goals. Do you just want to drop a few pounds? How fast do you want to lose weight? Are you interested in developing your fitness level to any specific goal like running a marathon or trying to cycle for a 100 miles? Do you want to be able to bench press a certain weight? Each goal requires a different amount of training as well as specific exercises.

One way in which you can determine how much exercise you really need is to try things out and see how you progress. If working out 3 times a week doesn’t give you fast enough results, you may need to change your workouts or move up to 4 times a week. With this periodical analysis approach, you can change your workout frequency with time, according to the results you’re seeing. No longer do you need to go by some general guidelines that may not even work for you. Your goals and the progress you make will determine how many workouts a week you do and what you do in them.

In Conclusion

While general guidelines have their place as simple rules which can deliver results, the really great way to get results is through tracking your own progress and tweaking your workout routine to see how much exercise you really need to achieve your goals.