A balanced exercise regime should include a fusion of weight training and cardiovascular (aerobic and anaerobic) work. TNS

Mitchelle D’Souza, Sub-editor/Reporter

Keeping active is crucial for staying healthy, and considering how sedentary our lifestyle is, you might be inclined to up your activity levels.

But a common question on our minds is how much exercise you should be doing to reach your fitness goals, be that weight loss or getting ripped.

“The type of workout you do ultimately depends on your ability, goals, likes and dislikes, equipment available, what injuries you have, and how much time you have available,” personal trainer Tom Mans explained.

Whilst there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, there are principles and guidelines that you can follow and apply to your training to ensure you have a balanced, effective, safe and enjoyable workout regime.

How many days a week should you exercise?

If you are committed to achieving your fitness and health goals, training only once or twice a week will only give you a low level of fitness, says Mans.

“You should train at least three times a week if you want to achieve your health and fitness goals in a reasonable amount of time, and stay fit and healthy,” Mans explains.

Training four or five times a week is ideal, but most people find that hard to achieve due to time constraints and busy schedules, so Mans says it’s best to aim for three: “This exposes your body to a large enough training stimulus throughout the week, which enables the body to adapt, get stronger, leaner and fitter.”

You should workout at least three times a week if you want to achieve your health and fitness goals in a reasonable amount of time. TNS

How long should your workouts last?

Some people are of the opinion that you can get an effective and efficient workout in half an hour if you increase the intensity, but Mans believes that if you want to make real progress, you should be working out for 45 minutes to an hour.

He recommends spending 10 minutes warming up and mobilising your body, 30-40 minutes weight training, and five-10 minutes cooling down and stretching,

However, half hour workouts can perhaps be useful for conditioning sessions or interval training.

Can you weight train on two or three consequent days?

Mans recommends taking a day’s break between sessions if you regularly lift weights. “You can train two days in a row but definitely try to avoid doing three days in a row unless you are an advanced lifter.”

If you don’t give your muscles time to recover, you’ll overload your joints and tendons which could become sore and lead to injury.

Mans believes whole-body workouts are best for the general population who want to lose fat and improve their fitness though.

A balanced exercise regime should include a fusion of weight training and cardiovascular (aerobic and anaerobic) work, but Mans says that if you don’t have time for both, focus on doing two to three weight sessions a week.

How important is sleep?

Getting adequate amounts of sleep is vital for those who train.

“For everyone — and especially people who train on a regular basis — getting seven to eight hours’ sleep on average per night is vitally important,” Mans says.

“After you train during the day, the body then grows stronger, burns fat and rebuilds damaged muscle tissue when you sleep.”

Therefore, if you miss out on adequate sleep, you’ll be deprived of your body’s restorative and fat-burning work.

And not getting enough sleep will also sap your energy levels, resulting in no stamina to train.