Losing weight, living a fit lifestyle or becoming more muscular; these are typical resolutions that are on many people's lists towards the end of the year. Chances are you've had the same resolutions for years. So how do we make sure you actually follow through this time? Otherwise, you’ll never reach actual success.
In this blog, we will tell you more about how to increase the chances of sticking to your resolutions. But also how often you really need to exercise per week to see the desired results.
Don't train too often
Everyone has a reason to work towards a fitness goal. Being able to wear that one pair of trousers again, tight in a suit in wedding photos or finally confident in swimwear on holiday. We all know them. The first few weeks you are full of motivation and good spirits to really keep it up this year. You go to the gym for hours every day. Still, it is difficult to maintain motivation. So where does it go wrong?
Chances are that you are going too fast. To achieve your fitness goals, it is important that you choose the right form of training and get a regular rhythm in how often and when you exercise. Exercising too much or for too long can lead to injury or your body going into hamster mode. When you exercise for more than one hour, your sugar stores are depleted and the hormone cortisol is released which causes muscle breakdown and fat retention on the abdomen.
Number of times in the week to exercise
A common question is how many times a week you should exercise to achieve your fitness goals. For this, we look at the theory behind strength training. Strength training triggers muscle growth for 48 hours. This means that the trained muscle group will not grow after 48 hours unless you train this muscle group again. Therefore, training a specific muscle group 2-3 times is the best frequency to achieve your fitness goals. This way, you also give the muscle groups enough time to recover.
Tip: to keep your good intentions for longer, schedule 2 to 3 fixed times a week to exercise. After a while, you will notice that it becomes a routine and you are more likely to stick with it.
Make sure you have enough variety in your workout
Now that you know how many times a week it is best to exercise, it is important to choose the right type of workout. By just training your legs or arms, you will not achieve the desired results. Do you do the same exercise for two months? Then you find that you stop making progress. This is because your body needs a new training stimulus.
Strength training causes small tears in your muscles. This allows them to grow. But the tears also cause a disruption of homeostasis. This represents balance in the body. By doing strength training, you disrupt homeostasis and your body has to search for a new balance. This takes energy, which makes your body burn harder.
This is why strength training allows your body to stay in a burning mode for up to 48 hours after your workout. Letting your muscles rest is important. After the afterburn, you need to give your body another training stimulus. After 6 to 8 weeks, your body gets used to the exercise. By varying the level or number of repetitions, you activate your homeostasis.
Train when it suits you
If you want to exercise several times a week, it's nice if you can schedule this when it suits you. Have you considered circuit training at Circle-Fit? This effective and efficient form of exercise trains your entire body in just 30 minutes. Our super modern fitness equipment makes it as easy as possible for you. Scan your wristband and all machines automatically adjust to your body and level. You're going to notice and feel the difference.
