As a word of caution,

Though these are referenced workout minimums, inactive, injured, sedentary, older, unfit and alike people would likely start with far less than the levels discussed below.

The Cardio

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) outlines that adults 18-65 should be getting 30 mins of moderate aerobic activity 5 days a week or,  20 mins of vigorous aerobic activity 3 times a week. They also discuss that you can make improvements in strength, stamina, balance and more into your 80s and 90s and beyond.

Cardio is not necessary for getting lean and weight workouts can certainly boost your cardio levels. That being said, some cardio activity nicely complements a well rounded fitness routine.

The Weights

For weights, the ACSM recommends 2x/week, 8-10 multi joint resistance exercises for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. For spacing, I’d go with at least 48-72 hrs recovery between sessions.

I will say that 2x/week for weights is truly a minimum for good progress. It’s really tough to get progress with less than that whereas maintenance once per week is sufficient but this would STILL be inclusive of one upper body workout and one lower body workout to hit all major muscle groups.

Flexibility

The ACSM also outlines flexibility programs to be performed 2-3x/week with stretches being held for 10-30 seconds or 30-60 seconds if you’re older.

I’ve certainly performed flexibility programs with clients and on myself and I’d like to up that number to 3 times per week. This is especially the case if your a stiff guy like me.

*On the other side of this coin, make sure not to over-stretch. This can cause strains which are small muscle tears as discussed by healthline.com. Don’t let an instructor stretch you out into pain or hold stretches for long periods of time.

Summary

So, there you have it, some basic minimums to shoot for. Balance training, skill training (such as coordination) and kinesthetic training could also fit into a well rounded program.

Coach James

 

References:

Exercise Guidelines: https://www.acsm.org/education-resources/trending-topics-resources/physical-activity-guidelines

Over-Stretching: https://www.healthline.com/health/overstretching#about

Resistance Training Recommendations: https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/files-for-resource-library/resistance-training-for-health.pdf?sfvrsn=d2441c0_2

Flexibility: https://www.acsm.org/blog-detail/acsm-certified-blog/2021/03/18/stretching-and-flexibility-guidelines-update