We get asked this question a lot. A whole lot! But there’s no one-sized fits all answer.

So we will give you our top 5 guidelines we use to help ensure our members are getting enough of a stimulus to get fitter but not so much that they unnecessarily risk injury.

1. Identify your training goals.

What is it that you want to accomplish? Are you just wanting to lean out and not hyperventilate walking up a flight of stairs? Or are you wanting to as grow so big that you have to turn sideways to walk through doorways? Those are different goals with different answers to best training protocol. You need to know your goals. Your coaches can help you with this.

2. Start with 3 days per week.

This may not be the optimal number of days for you but it is a great place to start. Most people can tolerate 3 days even if they haven’t worked out in a while. After a few weeks if you are feeling great and having no trouble recovering each week then consider bumping up to 4 days. Then 5. Then 6 (maybe). At some point you may start to feel worse. Your body can begin to revolt. Listen to those signals and back down to a number that you can recover from.

3. Don’t give 100% your first couple of weeks.

Not only do you need to play it safe with the number of days you workout at first but you also need to pull the reigns back a bit on your intensity. Your body needs time to acclimate to the new stresses. In the first few weeks dial the effort level a few notches off of 10. Then as you start adjusting to your new life of fitness you can start slowly turning that nob back towards 10.

4. Get to 10: Max Effort

Once you’re able to give a 10 out of 10 on the effort level for 3 days a week you can try it for 4… 5… 6. At some point you’ll start to regress and then you’ll have your answer.

5. Rest well.

The more rest you get on your rest days the faster your body can recover from workouts which can influence the number of days you can workout. Take your rest and recovery seriously. We know this doesn’t give you a clear answer. There isn’t a clear answer. Everyone is different. It is always a process of trial and error and you won’t know for sure until you try.

So get the gym consistently, talk to your coaches, and above all, have fun!