Things You Need To Know: Why Is Working Out 3 Days a Week Enough?

When it comes to working out, a lot of people think you need to do it at least five times a week to see results. But what if you only have time for three? Or perhaps you’re working out that often, but there are weeks when you can only manage two days instead of the usual three?

No matter your circumstances that doesn’t mean your workout routine needs to take a backseat. Working out less frequently doesn’t have to be an excuse not to work out at all. If you're leading a busy life, cutting back on gym sessions to work out only three days a week is completely understandable and advisable.

Working out 3 days a week is great for keeping general fitness, but if you want to see results, you may need to work out more often than that. According to registered dietitian and nutritionist Megan Aehle, it depends on your personal goals. 

Working out 3 days a week may be enough for weight maintenance or even fat loss for those who are at a healthy weight and don’t have much excess body fat. However, the more advanced your goal is (losing fat, muscle growth, being able to see your abs), the more likely you will need to work out more than 3 days a week to achieve that outcome. 

If your main goal is only the maintenance of general health (i.e. staying at a healthy weight), working out three times per week can be quite effective. Read on to learn more about it.

What You Can Achieve With 3 Days Of Working Out Per Week?

If you can work out 3 times a week, you can still achieve significant gains in your fitness level. Additionally, if your goal is weight loss, studies show that 3 days of working out a week can still help you lose fat even if you aren’t exercising every day.

How much you lose will depend on your diet, but working out three times a week is a good start. If you want to see results, however, you may need to work out more than three times a week. Keep in mind that everybody is different, so what works for one person may not work for you.

Experiment and see what works best for you! If you want to build muscle you will need to lift weights more than once per week. If your goal is general health, you can get a lot of benefits from working out three times a week.

Depending on your age, three times a week is the minimum recommended amount of exercise for general health. If you want to see results, you need to challenge your body. 

It might feel like a lot if you aren’t used to it, but it is necessary if you want to see changes. You can do this by either increasing the duration of your workouts or increasing their intensity.

Why Is Working Out 3 Days A Week Enough?

There are some benefits to working out 3 days a week, as opposed to a higher frequency like 6 or 7 days a week.

Less Muscle Soreness

Research shows that when you work out to muscle failure (which is a good thing), your body releases a protein called IL-6 that can lead to pain and inflammation. This process is more likely to happen when you work out more frequently.

Less likely to over train

Overtraining can lead to injuries and decreased performance in the long run. Working out less frequently can help prevent that. - It takes less time. We all have a limited amount of time in a day, so if you’re trying to squeeze in a workout, it’s better to do it less often.

Better for joint health

Working out 3 days a week may be enough to maintain joint health, but more frequent workout regimens may put undue stress on the joints.

Better chance of sticking to your routine

May have a better chance of sticking to your routine. If you’re still finding your footing as a fitness enthusiast, 3 days a week may be just enough to get you into a routine without feeling overwhelmed.

What’s The Best Way To Work Out 3 Days A Week?

The best way depends on your goals, but recommendations include strength training for 2 days and cardio for 1 day or cardio for 2 days and strength for 1 day. If your goal is losing fat, then a combination of cardio and strength training is best since they’re both important for optimal results. 

For fat loss, you should aim to work out 3 times a week minimum, to do cardio exercise for 30 minutes and strength training for 30 minutes. If your goal is muscle growth then you will want to do resistance training.

You can do it 3 times a week minimum, with a goal of 45 minutes of lifting weight. For muscle gain, you want to focus on high-intensity, short-duration workouts that leave you exhausted.

3-Day Workout Plan

The following workout plan can be done 3 days a week. If you are a beginner, start with a lower intensity, less frequent routine and work your way up as you become fitter. 

• Day 1 

Lower Body: Squats, lunges, or Deadlifts and a quad-focused exercise like leg extensions or leg curls (optional). 

• Day 2 

Upper Body: Push-up variations, bench presses, or push-ups, and a chest-focused exercise like flys or push-ups (optional).

•  Day 3 

Core: Planks, crunches, or a variation of your choice.

Full Body Workout

If you only have time to work out two days a week, you might want to try full-body workouts. Even though you’re only working out twice, you can still hit your whole body with a full-body routine.

If you normally have a split routine with different workouts for different days, you can still incorporate a full-body workout on your off days. Alternatively, you can split your normal routine in two, with a full-body workout on each of the two days that you work out. 

For a full-body workout, you can use compound exercises. Like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, pull-ups, and rows.

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises are a great way to strengthen and enhance your muscle mass as well as improve your overall health and well-being. You can do these exercises anywhere, and they don’t require any special equipment. 

This makes them perfect for people who are short on time or have access to limited facilities, like a studio or gym. The push-up is a great exercise for your upper body and core, and it’s also a great way to improve your posture. 

The best way to do a push-up is with your feet firmly planted on the ground and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with your palms facing down. Squats are another great exercise that targets most of your major muscle groups. 

It is also a great way to improve your overall health. To perform the squat correctly, you want to make sure that your knees don’t go past your toes and that your back stays straight the entire time.

Short Workouts Are Still Effective

If you’re only working out three days a week, the best way to get the most out of each session is to make the most of your time. One way to do that is by incorporating short, intense workouts. 

Short workouts, or high-intensity workouts, can help you get results in a shorter amount of time. A short workout can be as simple as doing a few sets of different exercises. 

To keep things efficient, you can pair exercises that work different parts of the body. Or, if you have a particular goal you’re trying to achieve, you can design your workout accordingly. 

While shorter workouts might lack in duration, they can make up for it in intensity. A recent study found that short but intense workouts are just as effective as longer workouts. 

The study found that people who did short, high-intensity workouts lost just as much body fat as those who did their workouts at a slower pace. To make the most of your shorter workouts, go all out – your body will still reap the results.

If you’re pressed for time, circuit training is a great way to fit in a body workout. You’ll go from one exercise to the next with minimal rest in between.

Things To Remember If You're Doing The 3-day Workout

If your main goal is to maintain general health and stay at a healthy weight, 3 days a week may be enough and can be effective. Of course, there are things you should remember and tips that will help you while doing this 3-day workout.

HIIT Basics

You can’t work out too intensely if you have limited time. You’ll still be able to reap the benefits of high-intensity training even if you only have 15 minutes at your disposal. 

When doing high-intensity training, you want to push yourself to the max. You should be working as hard as you can and be able to talk comfortably while still being difficult enough that you break a sweat.  

When doing high-intensity training, you want to push yourself to the max. You should be working as hard as you can and be able to talk comfortably while still being difficult enough that you break a sweat.  

When doing high-intensity exercises, your heart rate will increase rapidly and remain elevated throughout the rest of your day. This will result in your body burning more calories. It’s also a great way to get your blood flowing and make you feel energized. 

Strength Training Is Key

When we think of working out, we often picture endless miles spent on the treadmill or the elliptical, but weight training is just as important. This is especially true if you’re only able to work out three days a week.

When you're only able to work out three days a week, you'll want to give special attention to your strength training exercise. Strength training and building muscle is a key components to staying healthy and maintaining a healthy weight. It’s also something you can’t do if you’re only doing cardio.

While cardio is great for burning fat, it won’t help you build muscle or get stronger. If you’re only working out three days a week, you’ll want to make sure you’re including strength training in your routine. 

This doesn’t have to be complicated, either. You don’t have to do a specific strength-training routine; you can just make sure you’re:

lifting weights. Squats, deadlifts, and bench presses are great exercises to include in your three-day-a-week workout routine.

Find a few exercises that focus on your major muscle mass, like the chest, back, shoulders and legs. Those are the most important muscle groups to focus on when lifting weights. Then, add a few exercises that focus on your core, since it can help improve your posture and protect your spine as you get older.

Stretching Session

Even if you’re focusing on strength training when you’re only working out three days a week, you should still incorporate stretching into your routine. Stretching can help you avoid injuries and also make you more flexible.

Stretching is one of the best ways you can help prevent injury. Not only does it help you avoid muscle tears, but it also improves your posture by lengthening your muscles and tendons.

While you should include stretching into your three-day-a-week workout routine, don’t try to squeeze it in at the end of your strength training routine. The best way to stretch is to do so after your muscles have been warmed up.

Incorporating cardio

Even though cardio is generally considered one of the most important components of a well-rounded fitness routine, you don’t always need to do it. Especially if you’re cramming three workouts into three days a week, cardio sessions could be the thing stealing time away from your strength training. 

If you’re trying to build muscle, you’ll want to do strength training at least twice a week, if not three times. You should also be focusing on eating enough calories, ideally ones that contain protein. 

While cardio is great for burning extra calories, it doesn’t necessarily build muscle. So, if you’re trying to build muscle, but only have three days a week to do it, you’ll want to incorporate strength training more heavily into your routine.

If you are working out three times a week, you should also be doing some form of cardio. The American Heart Association recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week.  

You can do cardio in one session or split it up throughout your week. Working out three times a week can help you achieve a healthy level of fitness, which is great if you aren’t looking to compete or see drastic changes in your body. 

 If you want to lose fat, be able to see your abs, or compete in a sport, you will need to challenge yourself. When you’re only able to work out three days a week, you’ll want to make sure you’re getting both HIIT and cardio in. 

You can also add in a little bit of steady-state cardio on one of your three days to make sure you get enough cardio. Steady-state cardio is also great for burning fat and helping you maintain a healthy weight.

Keep The Same Workout Routine

If you’re only able to work out three days a week, then don’t try to overhaul your entire routine. You’re already working out less frequently, so you don’t want to make things even more stressful by trying a new program or adding more exercises than you’re used to.

It’s okay to keep the same workout routines – as long as you’re challenging yourself every time you step foot in the gym. If you’re still seeing results from the same workout program or routine you’ve been following since you started working out, don’t be quick to change things. 

If you’re struggling to stay motivated, however, try changing up your routine. This could mean altering your workout order, trying a new machine at the gym, taking a yoga class, or any other number of things.

Conclusion

If your goal is general fitness or weight loss, working out three times a week can be great. If you want to see drastic results, however, you may need to work out more than three days a week. 

The more advanced your goal is, the more likely you will need to challenge yourself with more workouts to achieve your desired outcome. Keep in mind that everybody is different, so what works for one person may not work for you. Experiment and see what works best for you!

If you’re only working out three days a week, you don’t have to let your fitness suffer. By focusing on strength training and incorporating short, intense workouts, you can make the most of your time in the gym and still get the results you want.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to work out three times a week to gain significant results from your fitness routine. You can get a great workout in just two days a week. You may just have to up the intensity of your workouts and spend a bit more time at the gym to make up for the hours you’re missing from your routine.