Determining the ideal duration for your daily exercise routine is contingent upon various factors, including the nature of your chosen workouts and your individual health and fitness objectives. For those capable of engaging in vigorous exercise, it is advisable to integrate challenging, high-intensity sessions lasting between 20 to 30 minutes. To facilitate recovery, incorporate easier workout days ranging from 30 to 45 minutes. Additionally, include moderate-intensity sessions lasting 45 to 90 minutes to enhance endurance, promote heart health, and facilitate fat burning. Achieving these diverse workout goals necessitates a thoughtful balance in your weekly fitness regimen, encompassing a combination of the aforementioned durations. For personalized guidance tailored to your specific needs, consulting with a certified fitness professional, such as someone holding a master personal trainer certification, can provide valuable insights into optimizing your exercise routine.
Short-Workout Days (20-30 minutes)
High-intensity intervals (HIIT) workouts need to be short. Why? Because your body simply can’t work very hard for a long period of time. If you find that you can complete high-intensity drills for an hour or longer, you’re probably not working hard enough.
HIIT workouts should last 20–30 minutes and feel very hard. Keep in mind, however, that you burn more calories from EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), also known as “the afterburn,” if you structure high-intensity workouts properly. Read the best diet pills.
Measure workout intensity with a heart rate monitor and make sure you reach your target heart rate for the session. If you are well-rested going into the workout, you’ll find it easier to work hard enough to reach that goal.
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Easier Recovery Days (30-45 minutes)
The purpose of an easy day workout is to allow your body and your mind to rest. Of course, you could sit on the couch to recover as well. But an active recovery helps to increase your body’s range of motion, decreases your stress level, and increases your daily caloric burn. Check these alpilean reviews.
Active recovery is simply a low-intensity movement that increases the range of motion in your joints. For many people, an easy walk or a leisurely swim is a good active recovery exercise. Some yoga classes (restorative yoga, for example) are another smart option. An easy active recovery workout can last 30–45 minutes.
Long Moderate Workout Days (45-90 minutes)
Most of your workouts during the week will fall into the moderate category. These workouts burn more calories than a recovery day, but still allow your body to recover and prepare for high-intensity workout days.
However, because your body isn’t working as hard on moderate workout days, you need to exercise for a longer period of time to burn enough calories to lose weight. Try to make these sessions last 45 minutes or longer.
If possible, schedule one long workout, 75 minutes or more, during the week. This longer session challenges you mentally and builds cardiovascular endurance.
A Word From Verywell
If it seems overwhelming to try to schedule all of these workouts into your weekly routine, start by choosing 1-2 days per week for your harder activities. Then schedule the day after each hard day as an easy day. Finally, fill in the rest of the days with moderate sessions, and be sure to include a rest and recovery day as well.
You can design a plan on your own or use a sample workout schedule to help create your own exercise plan. You might also benefit from working with a personal trainer. Developing a personalized plan you can stick to for the long term can help you reach your goals.
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