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What is the best weekly workout plan to see results?

This sample weekly workout schedule is an example of a well-balanced exercise routine to help you lose weight or build muscle.
Exercising five days a week with a mix of cardio and strength training is a good rule of thumb.
Exercising five days a week with a mix of cardio and strength training is a good rule of thumb.Gam1983 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

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It seems like every day there's another viral fitness trend claiming to transform your health. With so many different workouts to choose from, it can be hard to figure out what the best plan of attack is when creating a fitness routine.

What's the best workout schedule? What types of exercise should you include in your routine and how often you should be doing them?

Before we get into the details of creating an effective weekly workout plan, it's important to know that any exercise is better than nothing! I never want people to feel discouraged to even start because they feel like they can’t commit to a certain number of days per week or a certain length workout each day. Even a 10-minute walk around the block has positive benefits for your health — so do what you can, when you can! 

For those people with a general goal of improving their health and fitness, incorporating different types of exercise on a consistent basis, and reaching a moderate-intensity during those workouts, will provide the best results. Being regularly active boasts a wide variety of health benefits that include managing weight, reducing the risk of disease, strengthening bones, improving brain health, and improving a person’s ability to perform daily activities.

As a personal trainer, many of my clients enlist me to create the best workout schedule for their lifestyle and their goals. While this is customized to each person, there are a few basic guidelines that I follow.

How often should I exercise?

To improve overall health and fitness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends exercising 4-5 days a week for at least 30 minutes a day, though some exercise is better than none.

Everyone's workout schedule will look sightly different based on fitness goals, gym accessibility and the kind of exercise they enjoy. But this is the workout schedule I generally recommend to improve overall health and fitness. I recommend that my clients exercise five days a week, dividing the workouts as follows:

How much cardio per week?

The amount of cardio you should be doing weekly depends on your specific goals. If your goal is to lose weight, doing at least two days of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or another aerobic activity (like spinning, swimming or fast walking) is what I recommend for my weight-loss clients.

Most lower-intensity cardio sessions will only increase calorie burn during the activity itself. More vigorous activities increase calorie burn not only during the workout, but afterward when at rest (this is referred to as the “after-burn effect”). This means that not only are you burning calories during the workout, but for hours after your workout session.

How much strength training per week?

I recommend that my clients strength train three days a week. Following this schedule you can expect to build muscle and lose weight if that's your goal. Not only does research show that strength training helps reduce overall body mass and fat, but research also shows it can improve your body image. Many of my clients report feeling stronger and more confident after a single strength-training session because they find a sense of accomplishment in strengthening their bodies. Other clients have found that after adding in strength training, their bodies begin to release weight and they finally see the number on the scale start to go down.

A sample weekly workout plan

This weekly workout plan gives you an idea of what a week of well-balanced workouts may look like, including strength training, cardio, yoga and rest days.

I usually recommend adding Pilates core work to strength-training days and yoga and/or stretching to the cardio days.

However, if you are crunched for time, you can do cardio and strength training on the same day. Just keep in mind that it’s best to not do the same strength-training workout two days in a row because the muscles need time to rest and repair. You can do cardio, core work and stretching every day!

  • Monday: Strength training (full body) with Pilates abs and yoga stretching
  • Tuesday: Cardio HIIT Session (20-30 minutes) or long walk/swim
  • Wednesday: Strength training (full body) and Pilates abs and yoga stretching
  • Thursday: Rest day
  • Friday: Strength training (full body) and Pilates abs and yoga stretching
  • Saturday: Cardio HIIT session (20-30 minutes) or long walk/swim
  • Sunday: Rest day