If you have been beating yourself up for not being able to work out at least 5-6 times a week then you would be happy to know that you are not the only one- literally, all of us are floating on the same boat. But why do we even care about working out almost every day?
It is a common misconception that you need to hit the gym or exercise at home on all days of the week to maximise results and enjoy the outcome sooner. But pause for a second, breathe a little- studies claim that working out three days a week can do you a world of good and bring you equivalent results to working out six days a week.
According to a report that had been published in the ‘Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research’ what is necessary is how well you workout and not the number of days you are working out.
To make it simpler, what it suggests is that if you are giving your best while working out on alternative days instead of exercising on all six days then the former is definitely more effective.
Debashis Dutta, head trainer and owner at a reputed gym in Kolkata suggests “Exercising just three days a week is absolutely alright, nobody needs to drag themselves to their yoga mats or even to the gym and not workout wholeheartedly, that could be dangerous.”
“Exercising is known to improve one’s mental health by reducing anxiety and depression and which is why you need to enjoy the entire process of working out and not consider it as a burden or a task which you need to every day, three days is just fine.”
Medha Nandi a fitness enthusiast and a blogger finds her solace in exercising and often immerses herself in working out whenever she is feeling low, and it has always helped her out.
She says, “Working out 3 times a week is great because it’s never about weight loss or abs or cuts but rather about being healthy and fitness is a necessity.” Medha does a combination of strength, Zumba, pilates and functional which she evenly spreads across all the three days that she is training.
Vinayak Sethi, a personal trainer based in Noida is of the belief that “If you are into hardcore strength training then my suggestion would be to lift weights and train only on three days because then on the other days you can rest and will have ample amount of time to recuperate.”
However, it is important to make a long-time agenda and stick to it and not let lethargy get the better side of you. If you have set your mind on the idea of working out thrice a week then so be it, but you need to make sure you adhere to this plan in order to maintain and have a better lifestyle.
