Get More From Less

While only a small percentage of the population workouts regularly, something like 18%, many of those who do are doing too much.

Three to four days per week is optimal. I’ve even seen clients who only workout two days per week get amazing results. Of course food is always the big determining factor of the results someone gets.

Now, what gets interesting is those who workout more than the recommended 3 to 4 days is that they don’t get any better results. Those extra days don’t add anything to them. In many cases it breaks their bodies down and causes them to have aches, pains, and injuries. We forget that exercise is a stress, stress causes oxidization in the body, and too much oxidation causes the body to age – whether its with aches and pains, or appearance. (That is probably not the technical scientific explaination, but ultimately is what is happens. That’s why we’re coaches and not scientists.)

Yes, I know some believe that they are getting great results by working out every day, but you have to ask how much stronger, leaner, faster, whatever the goal is they would be if they gave themselves more time to recover.

This doesn’t mean you have to sit around for three or four days a week. That is never recommended, but what about getting outside for a walk, doing a mobility circuit with soft tissue work, biking, climbing, kayaking, skiing, pick up basketball, tennis, really anything other than another hard workout in the gym.

If you want to go to the gym every day we recommend at PNF to do three strength workouts each week. After those three workouts maybe do a circuit workout in a Cardio Power, Strength Revolution, or Boxing Bootcamp session. But, here is the trick and often missed part – go easy! That means no heavy weight, keep you heart rate no higher than the 70’s, and just focus on getting in some little movement in those additional workouts.

To get the best results in the gym you need to take your foot off the gas a few days per week.

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