Are you looking to level up your fitness game and maximize your strength? When it comes to building strength, the key might be in hitting the gym more often! The age-old question of “how much exercise do I need each day?” takes on new meaning when you consider that frequent muscle training could bring you even greater benefits. So, get ready to flex those muscles!
More Frequent Training for Strength Gains
A study by Japanese researchers examined the impact of eccentric contractions on muscle strength and muscle thickness. Participants were divided into three groups and each group was asked to perform arm resistance exercises for four weeks. The exercises included maximal voluntary eccentric bicep contractions on a muscle strength measuring machine. The participants performed the exercises by lengthening the muscle and simulating the motion of lowering a heavy dumbbell in a bicep curl.
Two of the groups performed 30 contractions per week, with one group doing six contractions a day for five days a week, and the other group performing all 30 contractions in a single day once a week. In contrast, the third group performed only six contractions one day a week.
The results? After four weeks, the group that performed 30 contractions in a single day saw an increase in muscle thickness of 5.8%, but no increase in muscle strength. The group that performed six contractions once a week showed no changes in muscle strength or muscle thickness. However, the group that performed six contractions five days a week saw a significant increase in muscle strength by over 10%, with a boost in muscle thickness like the 30×1 group.
Do Less More Frequently
This study highlights the importance of proper training frequency and repetition in building muscle strength and size through eccentric contractions. As the researchers point out, more frequent, but consistent short workouts have advantages over long training sessions that you do only once per week. The researchers in the study say that even raising and lowering a heavy dumbbell for a few reps per day can help build and maintain strength if you’re consistent about it.
Other research also suggests that a little daily activity is better for health than longer periods of exercise you do less frequently. Therefore, a healthier lifestyle may not be about how much time you spend exercising, but how consistently you fit physical activity into your daily routine. It means you don’t have to set aside hours to work with weights or do other forms of exercise. Shorter strength-training sessions and even activities like taking the stairs at a quick pace have health and fitness benefits.
That’s why mini-workouts are growing in popularity. A study published in Family Practice News showed that short bursts of exercise are as effective for health as a whole as are more prolonged sessions. So, the smaller efforts you make frequently count!
The Importance of Consistency in Daily Exercise
What’s the take-home message? Consistency with physical activity is more important than the length of time you spend working out. Shorter periods of exercise can reap as much or more health benefits than longer, less frequent workouts. Furthermore, ratcheting up the intensity of your short workouts can help you see even greater rewards.
Exercising more frequently may help more with weight loss too. A recent study showed that people who exercised for 30 minutes per day, five days a week, lost more weight than those who exercised for an hour or more once a week.
For example, if you can squeeze in two or three intense, 20-minute workouts a week, you can reap more health benefits than if you spend an hour doing moderate-intensity exercise only once a week. Think of it this way: shorter and more frequent workouts = greater health benefits.
It should come as no surprise that consistency matters. When we make physical activity a part of our daily routines, we are more likely to stick to it, and this can have a major impact on our well-being. It’s worth making time for! Research shows exercise improves mental and physical health, boosts our energy levels, and helps us manage stress.
The Benefits of Short Workouts
In addition to the benefits of consistency, short periods of physical activity can also provide several other benefits for our health. For example, short workouts are:
- Convenient: You can easily integrate shorter workouts into your daily routine, no matter how busy your schedule may be.
- Effective: Studies have shown that short, intense bursts of physical activity can be just as effective as longer workouts in terms of improving our health.
- Time-efficient: With short workouts, we can get the benefits of exercise without sacrificing a large portion of our day.
- Accessible: You can do short workouts anywhere, at any time, without the need for special equipment or facilities.
Find What Works for You
This study doesn’t mean you should avoid long workouts entirely. There are days when you might do an hour-long sweat session. But if that session exhausts you and you don’t feel like exercising for the rest of the week, it’s self-defeating. Listen to your body and find out what works for you. It’s important to find a balanced workout routine that works with your goals and schedule. It’s also important to give your body a break and have rest days in between workouts, where a light physical activity like yoga or a brisk walk can help maintain muscle tone.
Experiment with different intensities and duration of exercise and discover what works best for you. But don’t think that spending 10 minutes lifting weights or doing a HIIT routine is wasted time. It isn’t, as long as you’re doing it frequently enough. And don’t forget to include cardio and stretching in your fitness program to promote overall health and avoid injury. Consistency is key to reaching your fitness goals, so find the balance that works for you and stick with it.
References:
- STUDY: Consistency More Important for Workouts Than Duration of Exercise | iHeart [Online]. iHeart: 2022. https://www.iheart.com/content/2022-08-16-study-consistency-more-important-for-workouts-than-duration-of-exercise/#:~:text=What’s%20more%20important%2C%20the%20length,longer%2C%20less%20frequent%20work%20outs. [4 Feb. 2023].
- Short & Intense Workouts are Proven More Effective than Longer Ones. DMoose. Published 2023. Accessed February 4, 2023. https://www.dmoose.com/blogs/beginner-workouts/shorter-workouts-are-more-effective
- Family Practice News. January/February 2023. “Mini-Workouts: Why They Are Valuable, What They Miss”
Related Articles By Cathe:
Several Short Workouts or One Long One: Is One Better Than the Other?
Don’t Be Afraid to Split Up Your Exercise Sessions
How to Fit in a Workout Even When You Have No Time
Related Cathe Friedrich Workout DVDs:
STS 2.0 Muscle & Recovery Workout Series