Is working out 2-3 times a week enough?

[sidfahad]

I often see people say they go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week, and others tell them to go more. But as far as I know, most muscles need 24-48 hours of rest and recovery after a workout, so it's not ideal to work each muscle group out more than 2-3 times a week. Is there a big difference between doing a full-body workout twice a week versus splitting it into 2 half-body workouts so you go 4 days a week? It seems like there shouldn't be, but I'm not sure if I'm missing something.

 

[robertwilson009]

That's my routine. On some days, I go to the gym and do calisthenics. I've gained 20 pounds in a year.

 

[Ginalina]

I exercise 2-3 times a week, doing full-body workouts with 8-10 exercises each day. I've been to the gym a total of 265 times. Over the past 2 years and 9 months, I've gained 37 pounds (134-171lbs) without changing my body fat percentage. I'm not sure if this is the best way, but I can definitely see the results.

 

[Herbalhills]

I believe doing three full-body workouts is the least frequent you can go while still effectively targeting every muscle group. Those who work out four to six days a week typically divide their focus, concentrating on specific muscle groups each day while allowing others to rest and recover. While this approach is ideal, not everyone can make it to the gym that often.

 

[RedReder]

I've always gone to the gym three times a week. I started with the classic chest and triceps, back and biceps, and legs and shoulders split. Later, I switched triceps to back day and biceps to chest day. I've also tried a couple of three-day split powerlifting programs. Currently, I'm following an upper/lower split where I do upper body workouts twice a week and lower body workouts twice a week, alternating each week. This routine seems to be working well for me, and I haven't experienced burnout yet.

 

[air2fakie]

It really doesn't matter which workout routine you choose, as long as it's reasonable. However, some approaches can lead to injury or burnout more quickly than others.

 

[Tommy W]

I always advocate for working out 2-3 times a week. It's much easier to stick to a schedule like that compared to going 4-5 times a week. In my opinion, consistency is more important than anything else.

 

[Cerege]

When I first started, I used to work out 4-5 times a week. However, I eventually got burnt out and realized that 3 times a week, with a fourth day for legs sometimes, worked much better for me.

 

[Sam Sulek]

Working out 3 times a week is enough as long as long as the intensity is high.