Is Training Twice a Week Enough?
Is training twice a week enough? You’re going to love this answer: it depends!
It largely depends on your overall goal as well as where your starting point is. If you are an able bodied person that is looking to generally improve their health and strength, then yes, twice a week can certainly be enough. One can definitely see some strength gains and some health changes in just two sessions per week over time. However, to optimize those results, your workouts have to be consistent along with proper nutrition, hydration, and rest. Something to consider is the duration of each work out. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150-minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes or vigorous intensity aerobic (cardio) PLUS strength training 2 times a week. So with those guidelines in consideration, if you can get all of that done in just 2 sessions a week, you’re doing well!
On the other side of the coin, if you are looking to train for a specific event, to achieve major body composition changes (aka the ever-coveted weight-loss), to get off certain medications, etc., twice per week may not be enough. Some of these more ambitious goals tend to take more time to develop or improve. To make these bigger changes, your body will need to adapt, and the adaptations needed for a notable outcome will take time. Frequency, intention, intensity, and consistency is required to make the lifestyle change when it comes to these significant challenges.
It is important to note that if the goal is to compete in a bodybuilding show, run a marathon, or attain significant weight loss, working out 4-6 times per week may be necessary. There are some people in the industry who claim that they can get a week's worth of training done in a couple of hours, twice per week, which is concerning as overtraining is a possibility. Typically, a body can recover well with proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and solid hydration. If you beat your body up for multiple hours in a session twice per week, your body is more prone to injury and has a tougher time fully recovering. Exercise uses your carbs and fats as energy to perform your workouts. These energy stores are finite. If they are completely burned off and you're still trying to push yourself after those stores are depleted, you are going to start burning protein. Protein is what muscles are made out of and this is ultimately counter-productive. You are starting to burn what you are trying to stimulate while also risking injury and overall exhaustion.
If you are new to exercise and/or live a somewhat sedentary life, to set yourself up for success, try having a consultation and movement assessment done with a fitness professional. This will give you a better idea of your starting point. Oftentimes, those who are just starting will need some sort of corrective exercise implemented to ensure that they are not training towards a potential injury. This is mentioned because if the goal is to maintain two times a week, you will want to be as efficient and effective with your time working out. You don’t want to have to worry about an injury or aching muscles and joints getting in the way of your progress.
