In a world where time is very important, it may be harder than you thought to slot a workout into your week. This is a point you may need to consider, especially if you have limited time for recreation after work. The actual time of day you allocate for exercise is discussed in the later Recovery Between/After section, but for now we need to look at when you should exercise over a week or month.
The time you take between training sessions is important as it allows you body to recover. You should therefore take off a number of days after your workout before you perform another one. This time varies depending on your recovery rate and your experience, but can be generalised as:
Intermediates and medium exercisers - 2 times per week
Experienced and heavy exercisers - 1 time per week
Beginners, people with average muscle cover, slimmers and general light exercisers should try to workout three times per week with 1 or 2 days off between each. For example, Mon, Wed & Fri (with a longer rest at the weekend), or Sun, Tue, Thur etc. In this way you can maintain the stress of exercise over a week and rest long enough to stimulate muscle growth. Beginners should consider this schedule for the first year of training.
More experienced weight trainers, people with above normal muscle cover, medium/heavy exercisers and people who've simply outgrown a three day workout should try to exercise twice a week, with 3 or 4 days off between them. For example, Mon & Thurs or Sat & Tues etc. Because you are stretching your training a number of days apart, you may need to make these sessions 'count' more than a three week routine. The weight you use must also be large enough to promote gains, without being over-large or you will need to take more days off. Beginners should consider this schedule for their second year of training.
Advanced bodybuilders, people with very large muscles, very heavy exercisers and people who've outgrown a 2 day workout should try to workout once per week with 6 or 7 days rest between them. You may decide you can maintain growth by exercising on the same day every week, or you may prefer a 6 day alternative, for example, Sun then the next Sat etc. This really is for very heavy bodybuilders who use so much weight that they need the maximum number of days off. Longer than a week between workouts is considered too long and can lead to slight atrophy. These one week exercises must stress your body to the maximum to make up for the rest period so very large weights are recommended. Beginners may consider this schedule only after their third or fourth year of training.
