How often should you weight train to gain maximum muscles?

How often should you weight train to gain maximum muscles?

by Nirmalya Dutta

This is a question that troubles many beginners – how many times a week should you lift weights? If you talk to any fitness trainer worth his salt, he will tell you that lifting weights on alternate days, thrice a week is the right way to build muscle. Bodybuilding.com's Editor-At-Large Kris Gethin advocates weight training thrice a week.

Known for training the likes of John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan, Kris writes in his book The Bodybuilding.com Guide to Your Best Body, 'Be sure to stick to no more than three workouts in a week—don't add in extra strength-training sessions, because they will actually slow down your progress, not accelerate it. A lot of people believe that more is better and end up adding in workouts, but this is definitely not the best strategy when trying to shape your body.' (Get a chest like Hrithik or John with these exercises)

While you may believe that doing more weights may be better for you, you're wrong. What you need to understand is that your body needs rest. This is when your muscles recover and rebuild. What you're doing in the gym is simply, proving stress to your muscles. They don't actually grow in the gym but through proper nutrition, rest and recovery.

Overtraining only leads to loss of strength and tiredness. So to sum up, stick to weights thrice a week and cardio the rest of the days for a complete physique. Of course, unless you follow a proper, healthy diet, none of this will make any difference. 

For more articles on diet check out our Fitness Section and for videos check out our YouTube Channel. 

Show commentsOpen link