Updated 19th March 2023

Benefits Of Regular Exercise

Is ExercisING 3 Times Per Week Best?

A healthy lifestyle is essential for longevity. It means you have to eat properly, and exercise regularly in order to stay healthy. Experts recommend exercising at least three times a week to maintain good health.

How many days a week should I go to the gym? Many people choose to workout more than the minimum recommended number of days, but busy people should not feel guilty for exercising only three days a week. In fact, there are several good reasons why working out three times a week is beneficial. Read on.

Benefits Of Exercise Three Times Per Week:

Promotes productivity

Most adults are sleep-deprived, getting only less than six hours per night on average. What these people do not realize is that sleep is crucial to productivity. There are people who go to the gym every day, despite not getting ample sleep, and they are always praised for their dedication and commitment. However, exercising while sleep-deprived may lead to fatigue.

The truth about exercising is that the activity adds stress to the body. This is the reason why you have to be well-rested before and after exercising to prevent your body from overdoing things. People have been taking the words, “no pain, no gain,” literally. Listen to your body more, and you will become more productive.

Helps improve overall health

Health practitioners have been advising adults to engage in physical activity for at least three days a week. The recommendation came from numerous studies, and researchers have found that certain activities can help people lower their risk of developing health issues. The health benefits also include reduced risk of heart disease, depression, weight gain, diabetes, certain types of cancers, and premature death.

Promotes better recovery

Exercising has two components: muscle stimulation and recovery. You stimulate the muscles through training, while recovery happens after working out. These two are crucial to maintaining health and fitness, but people often neglect recovery. While everyone is busy for social life, work, and other activities, post-workout recovery should be prioritised.

It is during recovery that muscle repair occurs to ensure your workout is not wasted. This period includes getting adequate sleep, eating properly, and reducing stress. Without ample rest, your body may succumb to illness and your progress is hampered.

Promotes consistency

Some gym-goers will feel reluctant with the idea of exercising for only three days a week.

However, when you have the right training program, you will start to enjoy each session more. This is because you are giving your body enough time to rest and recover, so you are energised and motivated enough to do your best on your next session. You will be surprised at how much you can gain from this three-workouts-a-week concept.

And there is nothing wrong at all with going to the gym three times per week and going for a brisk walk or job on the off days.

When you know that you only have to train three days per week, you will become more consistent with your training. Exercising will also become a lifestyle, and will not make you feel compelled. Over time, you will reap better results because you are less likely to give up.

Saves time

Many people avoid exercising because they feel that they do not have the time for it. The truth is that you do not have to spend one hour or more in the gym. In fact, you can have a good quality workout in only 30 minutes. Quality workouts are essential to burning more calories. Knowing that you only have to do it three days a week should be enough to kickstart your drive to fitness, even with a tight schedule.

Is Exercising 3 Times Per Week Enough?

Exercising three times per week is perfect for people looking to lose weight and improve fitness. In saying that, you want to make sure you’re doing the right type of exercise, and at the right intensity for results.

How to Know You’re Exercising at the Right Intensity

A simple way to workout if you are exercising at optimal intensity for weight loss and fitness gains is using a 1-10 rating system of intensity.

You may not know it, but your EFM Fitness Coaches are always circling the room and getting a feel for how hard you are working. It may seem that all the little questions and short conversations are just your Coach showing a genuine interest in you (which they of course are), however those little conversations also help your Coach to understand how hard you’re exercising!

We generally aim to have our members exercise at a level of 7.5/10 (75 percent of maximum effort). This is the optimal cardiovascular training intensity for most members to achieve the goals of increasing fitness and losing weight.

EFM Fitness Coaches are skilled at working out the intensity that members are exercising at, but how do they know?

We’ve outlined the signs and symptoms of appropriate exercise intensity below:

Level 6 – This is where you are starting to feel warm. You can talk in full sentences and probably string more than one sentence without taking a breath.
Level 7 – Feeling warm, breathing rate is increased, but you can can still talk in full sentences before pausing to take a breath.
Level 7.5 – Puffing/sweating, you can only respond in 4-6 words per breath if asked a question
Level 8 – Starting to gasp for air, can only give one-three word answers in conversation. You probably don’t feel much like talking anyway!
Level 9 – Can’t talk, gasping for air.
Level 10 – Can no longer continue with the exercise due to fatigue

Remember – Exercise should feel uncomfortable, not painful.

So how do you know if you’re at 7.5 out of 10 rating?

Essentially, the main distinction between level 7/10 and 8/10 is your ability to talk.

If you’re only able to spit out one or two words you’re probably above 7.5/10 whereas if you’re able to hold a full conversation, you’re below 7.5/10. You just need to find the right point between and that’s what your Fitness Coach is on hand to help with. 4-6 words per breath is the sweet spot.

You can use this rating system to gauge the effectiveness of your exercise both at EFM and when exercising away from EFM. Of course when you’re at the club, your Fitness Coach is always on hand to adjust your machines to make sure you’re at the right level!

Also read: IS THE CABBAGE SOUP DIET FOR YOU?

The information and content of this website is of a general nature only and does not constitute advice to you. By accessing this website, you agree that: (1) you do not rely on the information and content of this website and (2) you will seek personalised medical, nutritional and/ or fitness advice applicable to your circumstances (as appropriate).