During an online poll conducted in The BarBend Newsletter on Jan. 9, 2023, we asked readers to tell us how many days they hit the gym each week.
Turns out, a(slim) majority of respondents go to the gym four days a week, while readers who go five days a week came in a very close runner-up spot. Here’s how the poll broke down.
Gym Frequency by the Numbers: What Readers Said
We tallied the 388 total votes and found the following weekly session spread:
- 4 Days Per Week: 26.2%
- 5 Days Per Week: 24.2%
- 3 Days Per Week: 21.3%
- 6 Days Per Week: 13.6%
- 0-2 Days Per Week: 8.2%
- Every Day: 6.5%
It’s probably not too surprising that most people fall into the three-to-five-session range. Many commenters pointed out that their gym cadence adheres to their own busy school, work, or family-related schedules, and it seems like this range offers the most flexibility for voters.
“[I would] prefer to go every second day, but I have to fit gym trips around irregular work hours,” one voter wrote. “So, it’s sometimes just twice a week, sometimes four times, though most often three.”
[Related: Best Pre-Workout Supplements for Muscle Gain, Weight Loss, and More]
“Unfortunately, work gets in the way of training,” another wrote. “I try to work out Saturday, Sunday and one other day in the week.”
How Often Should You Go to the Gym?
The American College of Sports Medicine suggests adults between 18 and 65 years old should perform “moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on five days per week, or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on three days per week.” It also says people should perform strength-training workouts two or more days per week to hit “all major muscle groups.” (1)
A study featured in the journal Sports Med. backs up the guideline that two strength-training workouts per week could have a positive impact on hypertrophy, especially for newcomers to lifting. (2)
However, that’s just part of the story; you also need to think about the volume — amount of sets, reps, etc. — included in your workouts.
[Related: The 15 Best Chest Exercises for Big Pecs and a Strong Bench Press]
In 2019, one study followed a group of 23 well-trained men through two separate eight-week lifting protocols. (3) Half of the participants trained each major muscle group five times per week, while the other half trained each group only once per week. However, the overall volume of sets, reps, and exercises was the same.
In the end, the results were virtually the same for both groups regardless of how often they exercised. This means that your overall workload at the gym should be something you keep track of, rather than just counting the number of days you exercised each week.
If you want more information on finding your ideal exercise frequency, head here for a further breakdown for beginners, intermediate lifters, and advanced lifters.
More Training Content
Dig deeper into the exercise tips available from BarBend by checking out the articles below:
- How to Train Your Back for Maximum Hypertrophy
- 8 Common Beginner Bodybuilding Mistakes to Avoid When You’re Just Starting Out
- The 5 Best Long Head Biceps Exercises for Sculpting Your Arms
References
- Trending Topic | Physical Activity Guidelines. American College of Sports Medicine.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697.
- Gomes GK, Franco CM, Nunes PRP, Orsatti FL. (2019) High-Frequency Resistance Training Is Not More Effective Than Low-Frequency Resistance Training in Increasing Muscle Mass and Strength in Well-Trained Men. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S130-S139.
Featured Image: Jacob Lund / Shutterstock