How Much Should You Be Doing in the Gym?
The Goldilocks Problem of Training
Do you exercise every day and wonder why your joints are always hurting?
Or maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum…
You hit the gym a few times each week after work and can’t figure out why you’re not seeing results.
Here’s the truth…
More isn’t always better, and less isn’t always smarter.
Just like Goldilocks searching for the “just right” porridge, the key to long-term success in health and fitness lies in finding your “Goldilocks Zone” — the right amount of training for your goals, your lifestyle, and your ability to recover.
In this post, I will walk you through how to find that sweet spot so you can train smarter, feel better, and actually see the results you’ve been working for.
The 3 Key Questions to Ask Yourself
Before we talk about sets, reps, or frequency, we need to start by building awareness.
“Assessment precedes awareness, and awareness precedes change.”
If you want to see different results, you have to first understand where you are right now. Begin by asking yourself three key questions:
1. What’s Your Goal?
Are you trying to lose body fat? Build muscle? Train for a race or competition? Or are you simply exercising for longevity and general health?
Your training structure should always reflect your goal. If you’re training for fat loss, you’ll focus on burning calories, strength training, and increasing daily activity. If you’re training for performance, you’ll emphasize progression, recovery, and periodization. If it’s longevity, you’ll want a balanced approach — a bit of strength, some cardio, and plenty of movement throughout your day.
2. What Are You Currently Doing?
You can’t optimize what you’re not tracking.
Take an honest look at your current weekly routine — how many workouts are you doing, how long do they last, and what kind of intensity are you bringing?
If you show up to the gym every week and bench the same 25-pound dumbbells for 10 reps because they “feel hard,” your body may have already adapted to that weight. You’re no longer giving it a reason to change.
But if you’re tracking your weights and reps each workout, you’re far more likely to challenge yourself — maybe pushing for 11 or 12 reps, or bumping the weight slightly. Those small progressions add up.
Tracking what you’re actually doing helps reveal where small adjustments can lead to big improvements.
3. What Are You Realistically Capable of Doing?
This is probably the most overlooked question of all.
Look at your weekly schedule and ask yourself:
“How much time can I realistically commit to training without burning out or compromising my recovery?”
Recovery isn’t just rest days; it’s how well you sleep, how you fuel your body, how you manage stress, and how resilient your body is based on your age and training history.
Your capacity determines your ceiling, and your recovery determines how often you can safely push that ceiling.
How Many Times Per Week Should You Work Out?
The best training frequency depends on your goals, experience, and lifestyle.
Here’s a practical breakdown:
General Health
Strive for a “minimum effective dose” of 2–4 total workouts each week. For most people, two full-body strength workouts and two moderate-intensity cardio sessions are enough to maintain solid health and fitness.
Alternatively, if you prefer to focus on strength training, aim for at least 30 minutes of intentional movement five days per week to cover your cardio needs. That could mean a 30-minute walk with your spouse or dog each evening, or a 10-minute walk after each meal (which also supports digestion and helps blunt the post-meal insulin response).
These recommendations are backed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), which advises at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise and two or more days of full-body resistance training each week.
Strength and Muscle-Building
If your goal is to build muscle and increase strength, intentional strength training is the key to success.
However, it’s important to recognize that strength training is a stressor on the body — quite literally, you’re breaking down bodily tissue so it can rebuild stronger and more resilient muscles.
Because of that, recovery becomes just as important as the training itself. Your muscles need time to repair and adapt, so your frequency, volume, and intensity must be aligned with your ability to recover.
As you gain more experience, you may choose to train more often or divide your workouts by muscle groups — not because you have to, but because you enjoy it and can handle the additional workload. For these individuals, 4–6 weekly sessions using a structured split (upper/lower, push/pull/legs, or body-part focused) can work well.
That said, remember: you don’t grow in the gym — you grow when you recover. Sleep, nutrition, and stress management are what allow your training to pay off. Without them, you’re just accumulating fatigue instead of building strength.
Fat Loss
The key to losing body fat is a calorie deficit — you must burn more calories than you consume. It’s science, plain and simple.
You can create a calorie deficit by burning more calories through exercise, eating fewer calories through diet, or a combination of both. Most people find long-term success with the third option — combining intentional nutrition changes with a consistent weekly exercise routine.
On the exercise front, I recommend following the “General Health” guidelines shared above. Pair that with smart, sustainable nutrition habits (see my article “How to Boost Your Metabolism” for details).
Beyond structured workouts, focus on daily movement — walking more, standing, doing chores, taking the stairs — instead of piling on extra gym sessions. These small, consistent actions throughout the day dramatically increase your total calorie burn.
The more you move throughout the day, the more effortless your fat loss becomes.
Performance or Athletic Goals
Training for specific performance or athletic goals is largely beyond the scope of this article, as it typically requires working with a coach who specializes in that area.
That said, when you’re training for a particular sport or performance goal, you’ll likely be in the gym 4–6 days each week, often following a periodized program with built-in rest and deload phases to manage fatigue and maximize results.
High-level performance demands intentional recovery — the best athletes know that progress doesn’t just come from training harder, but from recovering smarter.
How Long Should Each Workout Be?
The average sweet spot is 45–60 minutes.
From my experience coaching in-person clients, those who train for around an hour tend to see the best results. Sixty minutes allows for adequate time to hit each key section of a well-structured strength workout — mobility, power, strength, hypertrophy, and a cooldown.
For fitness fanatics or advanced lifters, 60–90 minutes can be appropriate, as long as recovery is strong and intensity is well-managed.
But remember — it’s not about how long you’re in the gym, it’s about what you do while you’re there.
A 45-minute workout done with intent beats a 90-minute workout done distracted.
Short, focused sessions performed with purpose and progression will always outperform marathon workouts done half-heartedly.
How Should I Track Total Weekly Exercise?
Some people like to track how many workouts they complete each week, while others track the total duration of their exercise. Both matter — they just serve different purposes.
As a reminder, NASM recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiorespiratory exercise and two or more days of full-body strength training each week.
For creatures of habit who thrive on routine, track total sessions per week.
“I’ll train three times this week.”
For those prioritizing overall activity — especially anyone training for an endurance event — track total weekly minutes or mileage.
“I’ll complete 150+ minutes of moderate activity this week.”
The best approach is to loosely track both, but anchor your mindset around total workouts. It’s easier to build consistency around specific training sessions than around vague time goals.
The Ideal Balance
A balanced routine supports not just performance, but longevity. Ideally, your weekly plan should include strength training, cardio, and mobility, while also emphasizing recovery factors like sleep, nutrition, and stress management.
For general health and wellness (which applies to most readers), here’s an example of an ideal weekly breakdown:
Strength: 2 full-body workouts
Moderate-Intensity Cardio: 1 session (~30 minutes)
Low-Intensity Cardio: 120 minutes of walking spread throughout the week
Mobility: included before each strength workout and 5-minute daily micro-sessions
You can adjust this formula based on your goals, but neglecting any one of these pillars will eventually catch up to you. Longevity, performance, and well-being all depend on balance.
Signs You’re Doing Too Much
Here are a few red flags that you may be training too hard — or not prioritizing recovery well enough:
Fat loss has stalled
Persistent fatigue
Irritability
Difficulty sleeping
Loss of motivation
Regression in strength
Chronic soreness
Nagging or recurring injuries
Elevated resting heart rate
Declining performance despite increased effort
If your workouts are starting to take more from you than they give back, it’s time to scale down. Remember — recovery is a key part of training.
Signs You’re Not Doing Enough
On the flip side, here are some signs you might not be doing enough weekly exercise:
No measurable progress (same weights, same look, same energy)
Feeling unchallenged
Frequently missing workouts
Low energy or sluggishness
Poor endurance
Elevated resting heart rate
Progress is the best feedback loop — not soreness or exhaustion.
You don’t have to crawl out of the gym to know you’re improving.
The Bottom Line
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula — but there is a personal sweet spot.
The right amount of training will fit your schedule, challenge you without burning you out, and ultimately move you closer to your goals.
The goal isn’t to do the most. It’s to do enough — consistently — for long enough to see real results.
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