How Often Should You Work Out Each Week?

Ah, the age-old question. How many times should you hit the gym each week? You’ve probably heard one side talk about the sacredness of rest days, while others act like if you're not sweating every day, you're doing life wrong. So what's the real answer?

Let’s start here. Rest days matter. Your muscles don’t grow while you’re lifting. They grow while you’re on the couch, half-asleep with Netflix asking if you’re still watching. If your version of working out is casually strolling on the treadmill while scrolling Instagram, you probably don’t need to worry much about recovery. But if you're throwing weights around like you're prepping for a superhero movie, then yes, rest is a serious player in your game.

Now before giving you a magic number, let’s figure out what kind of workouts you’re actually doing. Are you training like you mean it, or just showing up to see if your gym crush made it today? High-intensity workouts or heavy lifting sessions call for more recovery time between both sets and sessions. On the flip side, if you're spending more time texting on machines than actually using them, you're already resting plenty.

It really comes down to balancing intensity and volume. Intensity is how hard you go. Volume is how much you do. If you’re pushing to failure, lifting heavy, or trying to grow muscle, your body needs time to recover. More is not always better. Too much volume can fry your system and leave you feeling wrecked, even outside the gym. Like, making toast starts to feel like a workout.

Research shows there’s a limit to how much volume gives you results. Piling on more sets and reps won't always mean more progress. In fact, doing too much without enough rest can backfire and kill your gains.

Soreness is another sign. If you're still hurting two days later, your muscles probably haven't finished recovering. That’s why a 48-hour break between working the same muscle group is often recommended. But that doesn’t mean you have to take a full day off. You can train other muscles while the sore ones recover.

This is where training splits come in. A “bro split” is one approach where you train different muscle groups on different days. Pull movements like rows or pull-ups one day. Push movements like presses and dips the next. Toss in a leg day or two and you’ve got a solid four-day routine. Each muscle group gets worked twice a week, which studies say is ideal for growth. Full-body training also works as long as you manage fatigue and don’t go overboard.

The science? For muscle building, aim for moderate intensity around 60 to 75 percent of your one-rep max. Do about four sets of 8 to 12 reps per muscle group, twice a week. If you’re focused on strength, train at a higher intensity, around 80 to 90 percent, and shoot for 4 to 8 sets per muscle group weekly. That usually lands most people in the gym around four days a week, give or take. Sprinkle in lighter sessions or deload weeks to give your body a break and avoid burnout.

Beginners might get away with more frequent sessions since their training loads are lighter. But if you’ve been lifting a while or training hard, extra rest becomes more important.

In the end, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Your workout frequency depends on your goals, your training style, and how your body feels. Experiment a little. Pay attention to performance, sleep, soreness, and mood. That’s how you dial in the routine that actually works for you.

Emmanuel Ofori

Your friendly neighbourhood fitness professional