How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out?

Words: Emily Abbate Producer: Bianca Farmakis in partnership with

The age old adage “less is more” has been applied to many things—but seldom have we seen it associated with how much we should exercise. Until now.

While we may believe we must bombard ourselves with rigorous fitness regimes, and weeks filled with a myriad of gym classes to achieve our ideal form, according to New York City trainer (and certified six-pack haver) Dan Castillo, this simply isn’t true.

"People believe to achieve a certain look that they should be working out every day for hours. This couldn’t be more false.”

It’s not all a sigh of relief however. The Australian Department of Health says adults should engage in 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate physical activity—like walking, mowing the lawn or swimming—a week. This decreases to 1.25 to 2.5 hours if you’re willing to turn up the intensity.

You’re not going to see Arnold Schwarzenegger gains doing this, but it's a great starting point when thinking about overall health. And it’s truly not a lot.

Studies show participants who did a single 23-minute HIIT workout once weekly for a year saw similar improvements in body composition as those who did three different moderate-intensity workouts each week.

So what is the magic number when it comes to optimising our health and fitness?

GQ Fitness expert Joe Holder suggests four times per week is the key amount as it allows people to try a mix of high intensity and low intensity workouts, coupled with a focus on different skills and abilities—as well as crucial recovery time.

The days are not as important as the type of workout. Holder points out flexibility is an important piece to the puzzle, as it can help you feel better day to day. Regular stretching can help improve circulation, which can ultimately shorten your workout recovery time and reduce muscle soreness.

For the overachievers, the other three days of the workout week could be used to add additional weight training day, or leisure based activities, like sports or swimming. Just remember, even elite athletes take a day of rest.

Rest and reset.

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