Q & A: How Much Should I Exercise?

Q: How often should I exercise and for how long to receive the most benefits and get into the best shape possible?

A: Well, it all depends on what you are training for and trying to accomplish. If you are looking to get into better shape, lose excess fat, and increase your muscle mass. You should focus on multi-joint exercises that work muscles in the following 6 movement patterns: Horizontal Push, Horizontal Pull, Vertical Push, Vertical Pull, Squat and Deadlift variations, and Rotational movements. These exercises will give you the most bang for your buck and allow you to get in and out of the gym faster. Which, is my next point. You should only be spending around 45 minutes in the gym. That's it. Anymore and will begin to over work your body. Which, is counterproductive for what you are trying to achieve. Along with that, you should only be working out 3-4 days per week. Again, more than this and your body will not have enough time to recover.

As far as type of exercise goes. I always prefer weight training over cardio training. In fact, it is very possible to achieve high fat loss and a fit body without doing any cardio training. To get around cardio training I incorporate Anaerobic Cardio Circuits at the end of workouts or longer circuits that are a complete workout consisting of only Anaerobic Cardio Circuits. But, if you still feel that you need to do some type of traditional cardio training do it as the 4th workout. And allow for 3 days of weight training.


Have a Great Workout!

Josh