How often do you exercise per week? The exercise recommendations explained

How often do you exercise per week? We'll show you what specialist societies recommend - and how you can incorporate exercise into your everyday life in a relaxed manner.

How often do you exercise per week? The exercise recommendations explained
Melanie Seyfarth
Melanie Seyfarth

More than a quarter of all people in this world don't get enough exercise. And the Follow can be dramatic – professional associations warn that Lack of exercise negatively Fitness and quality of life can have an effect. Are you one of them? Then find out quickly with our article, How often exercise per week is recommended by professionals will. We'll also look at whether it's possible to... too much exercise what it can do and what the consequences of that are.


Your knowledge to go: How often should I exercise per week?

  • You should do at least one thing every week 150 minutes easy (z.B. go for a stroll) or 75 minutes of intensive (z.B. Swimming or jogging) move and additionally twice a week Strength training make.

  • Regular exercise is considered important for the health of professional societies. Maintaining health viewed.

  • You can also do too much exercise – where exactly the borderline of overtraining The location is individual.


Why is sport so important?

Before we look at how often exercise is ideal per week, let's take a step back: Why is sport so important? Well, sport has such a good reputation for a reason (even if people often don't want to admit it)! It's so important, in fact, that Lack of exercise by experts as Risk factor for health is viewed.
Many Studies They investigated the relationship between regular physical activity and health benefits. Among other things, the researchers found the following correlations:

Regular exercise is shown in studies...

  • with a higher life expectancy

  • in research with a lower risk of metabolic and cardiovascular problems

  • often with improved well-being and reduced stress perception

. ...associated with.

Furthermore, according to professional associations, regular exercise can help with the physical function in old age to last longer. And many people report from increased well-being – at least after training, but not so much during it.
Are you motivated and want to reap these benefits? Then let's find out how often you need to exercise per week to achieve them!



How often to exercise per week | Overview

The WHO is THE expert society when it comes to how often exercise per week is best for us. But it's not that simple: the ideal amount of exercise is divided into Endurance sports and Weight training. These two sports are quite different, and therefore their effects on us are also different. We need both to stay healthy and fit.
The recommendation for healthy adults between 18 and 65:

Endurance training:

  • 2.5 hours per week (150 minutes) of light activity such as walks, gardening
    OR

  • 1.25 hours per week (75 minutes) of intensive activity such as jogging, hiking, swimming
    OR

  • a combination of both

Important: Always train for at least 10 minutes at a time – longer is fine too!

Strength training:

  • on at least 2 days per week, e.g.with body weight or dumbbells


Very important: This is the minimum. That is, the minimum amount of exercise and sport you need to meet the basic exercise recommendations.

How can this be divided up?

  • A 30-minute walk every day and going to the gym twice a week.

  • Playing football once a week and strength training twice a week at home.

  • Jogging to the gym twice a week and training there

  • A long hike at the weekend, several visits to the gym during the week.

  • Running to work twice a day for 15 minutes each time and doing a home workout twice a week.

As you can see, there are many. various possibilities, Integrate movement into your daily routine. And the more often you do it, the better. simpler You'll get used to it. Humans are creatures of habit, after all. Soon you won't be asking yourself "How often should I exercise per week?" but rather "How often should I avoid exercise per week?".

How often should you exercise if you are over 65?
Adults aged 65 and over should also do balance training three times a week and increase strength training to three times a week.

How often strength training per week – extra information

We've already briefly explained how often exercise per week is good for us. But there's a bit more to say on this topic!

How often do you exercise per week? Strength Training Edition:

  • Adults should at least twice a week Do strength training. Strength training includes all exercises that make your muscles stronger, such as weight training, push-ups, and the like.

  • The most important muscle groups, The muscles that should definitely be trained are chest, back, and legs. Po, Shoulders and arms – well, actually the whole body. Therefore, a [suitable training program] is particularly recommended for beginners. Full body workout, covering all areas.

By the way: You don't necessarily have to go to the Gym Go. You often only hear "How often should you go to the gym?", but you can also do strength training from at home Get started! Either with your own body weight or by getting a set of dumbbells. For many, this overcomes the first hurdle – not everyone can go to the gym regularly.
And we'd be happy to deliver the protein shake that many people drink at the gym to your home:

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Should you exercise every day?

Perhaps the answer to the question “How often do you exercise per week?” every day? Is exercising every day healthy? That totally depends on what exactly you mean by exercise. Let me give you a quick example:
Going for a walk every day, alternating between a yoga session, a day of strength training or jogging – that's super.
Spending 3 hours in the gym every day and doing an intense full-body workout, or even training hard twice a day – difficult.

You can see that the Stress for your body and especially that your muscles are completely different in the two versions. And it's clear that if you do it every day... beyond your limits If you're going somewhere and the same muscles have to perform at their peak, that can't be good. Your body gets no break more, even though it's so important.If you've overdone it, our article will help you "What helps against muscle soreness?"safely onwards."
The first version is great though! If you just do it every day move a little and Sports, some more intense, some less so If you do this, you'll be right on target with the recommendations, neither doing too much nor too little. Especially if you Alternating strength training and endurance training you do. That way your body has a break in between. Time to recover.

So, is it possible to train every day? Yes, if you do it correctly and pay attention to your needs. respects physical limits, Definitely. But it's not absolutely necessary to exercise for 30 minutes every day – as long as you reach your weekly goal, everything's fine. How often you exercise per week is best for you is individual – so feel free to experiment.

Very important: Daily exercise is a different matter entirely:


Sport vs. Exercise

I wanted to briefly touch on this topic again because there is a difference between “How often sport per week?” and “How much Movement per week?” How much exercise per day or per week is good is actually quite easy to answer: A lot! As long as it's only light exercise like walking or climbing stairs, the following applies: Every single step It's good for you. So take the stairs instead of the elevator as often as possible, walk short distances, or take your bike.
So if you've already been walking for 2.5 hours this week, you don't need to say, "Oh no, I've used up my allowance – I have to take it easy from now on." No! Quite the opposite: The time limit is a Minimum entry More would be welcome.
However, the situation is different when it comes to "real" sports:

How much exercise is too much?

Is it really possible to do too much exercise? Yes, it is, and it's called... Overtraining! How often do you exercise per week? to How much? Exactly how much exercise is too much is individual and depends on many factors such as your It depends on your health, training intensity, etc.
The fact is, however, that each and every one of us will eventually reach our physical limits. Those who push beyond them risk, especially over a longer period, health problems such as injuries, a weakened immune system, and severe exhaustion. As with so many things in life, the following also plays a role in sports: amount of poison ; Too little exercise is not good, but too much is not either.

Too much exercise – signs:

  • exhaustion: You are often tired, unmotivated and lack energy, and yet you often still can't sleep well.

  • You are often sick: Are colds, stomach bugs, and similar illnesses suddenly becoming frequent visitors?

  • Reduced performance: You train very often but don't set any new records – quite the opposite: you're getting worse and worse, and what you could easily do a few weeks ago now only works sometimes.

  • Pains: Your muscles and joints hurt.

If you notice one or more of these signs, it's worth taking a look at... Training behavior to look at. Perhaps you're simply demanding too much of your body right now. Rest and regeneration is just as important as sport.Don't forget that! Always listen to your body and take good care of yourself – that includes... healthy eating and good sleep.
So why not sit down on the sofa and eat a delicious snack, such as our protein bars?

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Specific goals

So far, the focus has been largely on how often you should exercise per week to stay healthy – essentially the minimum amount of movement. But what about specific goals?

How much exercise per week to lose weight: If you want to lose weight, it's a bit more complex. The key is to create a calorie deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than you burn. You can effectively control your calorie intake with a balanced diet, and you can increase your calorie expenditure through exercise. So, make sure you're active, incorporate movement into your daily routine, and exercise regularly. Start with the minimum guidelines provided here and gradually increase your activity level if you find it beneficial.

How often to exercise per week for muscle building: A separate article on this topic will be published soon!


Conclusion

So, that's it. You now know everything important about the topic.How often do you exercise per week?The only problem: Now it's time to get to the Implementation And that's the really difficult part! :D If you want something motivation If you need something, take a look at our article on Training motivation It's over – then you run straight to the gym.

Don't stress too much – not every week, not every day has to be perfect. Every single step, every single stair climb, and every single push-up counts.


literature & Sources

  1. Federal Centre for Health Education (ed.) (2006). National recommendations for physical activity and exercise promotion. In: Research and Practice of Health Promotion, Special Issue 03.

  2. Hollstein, T. (2019). Sport as prevention: Facts and figures for the individual level of exercise. In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt, 116(35-36).

  3. Wackerhage, H. et al. (2021). WHO guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior. In: Bayerisches Ärzteblatt, 75(3).


Do you have any questions? Then feel free to write me a message. Mail - I look forward to hearing from you! :)

The information shared in this article does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice.

Inhalt

    Frequently asked questions

    You should exercise lightly for at least 150 minutes every week (z.B. walk) or 75 minutes of intensive (z.B. Exercise (swimming or jogging) and additionally do strength training twice a week.

    You can and should exercise every day, but you don't necessarily train your whole body intensively every day. Make sure that your muscles also have regeneration phases.

    How often you should go to the gym depends on how you train and your fitness level. 2-3 times a week is good for many people - advanced people also like to go more often.

    How much exercise per week is too much is individual and depends on many different factors such as your level of training. Look for symptoms like persistent fatigue or pain to recognize overtraining.