How often is exercise healthy per week? What science says

How often should you exercise per week? How to train effectively

Exercise is important for an active and healthy life. Whether it's endurance training or strengthening exercises to build muscle , exercise is beneficial to your health. Scientific research has shown how often you need to exercise per week —and also how much exercise is too much. Exercising every day can actually be detrimental, as your muscles need time to regenerate.

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published alarming figures. Around 1.4 billion people worldwide are insufficiently active, thereby putting their health at risk. According to the WHO report, too little exercise is a risk factor for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The question remains : how often exercise per week is ideal to counteract this – without overtaxing the body ?

How often exercise should be on the to-do list per week varies by age group. Science divides people into three age groups:

Children aged 5 to 17

How much daily exercise is recommended for children and adolescents? For those between the ages of five and 17, at least 60 minutes of exercise per day is considered the minimum. Twice that is recommended. Activities can be moderate in intensity, such as cycling, or vigorous in intensity, such as school sports. Movement promotes bone development and muscle growth. It also boosts metabolism , significantly reducing the risk of anxiety and depression.

Adults aged 18 to 64

Adults between 18 and 64 years of age should do at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. Moderate activities include walking, running, swimming, and cycling. However, household chores like vacuuming and window cleaning can also be good exercise. For a higher intensity workout, you can jog or play a team sport. The gym is also an option for building muscle. As a general rule, you should train at least two major muscle groups per week. This will improve your heart and lung function, increase muscle strength, and reduce your risk of depression.

Adults over 65 years

The WHO also recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week for healthy people over 65. The best activities for this age group are walking, cycling, or club sports. Working out at the gym can also improve your bone health. It also strengthens your heart, lungs, and muscles. Regular exercise reduces the risk of depression and dementia. People with physical limitations should exercise not excessively, but at least three days a week.

It's never too late to exercise!

Beginner-friendly sports like Nordic walking, cycling, or swimming are easy for most people. Yoga or Pilates can also help you stay fit and lose weight. How often you need to exercise per week to lose weight depends on the individual. To reduce body weight in a healthy way through exercise over the long term, a mix of strength and endurance training with HIIT workouts is recommended. The relatively short sessions combine endurance and strength exercises. Because the full-body workout engages many muscle groups, it also burns a lot of calories.

How often should you exercise per week to build muscle?

Experts recommend that beginners start with three to four workouts per week. You should align your exercise plan with your daily routine and observe how often you manage to exercise after work. This way, you can spread your exercise program out over the week. It's important to listen to your body and not overtax it.

Those who demand too much of their body risk injury and quickly stagnate in their performance. Good nutrition and sufficient sleep are essential for training success. If you feel exhausted or sore, you should take a day off to recover or do a sport with a lower intensity.

How to avoid loss of motivation

Another important aspect of training is the variability of the load: If you consistently do the same exercises, you not only overtax certain muscle groups but also risk boredom and loss of motivation. Therefore, it can be beneficial to consciously vary your heart rate – for example, by changing training intensities, interval phases, or alternating strength and endurance training. This continually stimulates the body, resulting in better long-term results in endurance, muscle building, and metabolism . At the same time, such variety protects against the so-called plateau, when little progress is seen despite regular exercise.

Regeneration is just as important as training

Furthermore, recovery is an often underestimated component of training: Between workouts, the body needs time to recover, build muscle, and replenish energy reserves. For example, if you train intensively five or six times a week, you should consciously plan rest days or active recovery sessions such as gentle swimming or yoga. Studies show that the combination of strenuous and regenerative phases is significantly healthier in the long run than daily maximum strength or endurance training without a break. Those who pay attention to their sleep and eat a nutrient-rich diet also have the best conditions for sustainable fitness progress.

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