Do This Workout 3 Days Per Week To See Results

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Whether you’re just starting a fitness regimen or trying to keep up with one, finding the time to work out is half the battle. In a perfect world, we’d all be able to hit the gym five days a week so we could split up our sessions between strength training and cardio (and have more time to spend on both). But life happens, and sometimes, fitting a five-day plan into your schedule just isn’t going to happen. 

The good news? You can still make great progress by working out three days per week, if you’re smart about each training session. Full-body workouts with a combination of both cardio and strength training make sense for this approach, says Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., founder of TS Fitness.

And don’t forget about the time you don’t spend working out. “Results have a lot to do with what you’re doing outside of your workout as far as your nutrition and your rest, but we’ve seen some really great results from our clients who do three-days-a-week programs,” he says.

Your Three-Day Game Plan

Ideally, you should have one day of rest in between these workouts, according to Tamir (although two days in a row is fine if you must, he adds—just don’t string all three together). Rest is a crucial part of the plan, too. “When you’re working out, you’re damaging the muscle tissue, so that rest and recovery helps them repair,” says Tamir. In other words, your rest days are where the magic happens.

If you want to sub in a fitness class, like kickboxing or indoor cycling, feel free, says Tamir. But try to swap out your middle day—while muscles need rest, they should ideally be stimulated every 48 hours, he says. To keep up your progress, try not to take more than a few days of rest.

If you can at least fit in a few 45- to 60-minute gym sessions, you’re golden. “If you’re going to do three workouts per week, use a full-body and well-balanced combination of mobility, plyometric exercises, strength training, and interval training,” says Tamir. This combination is optimal for both improving your overall fitness performance and changing your body composition, he explains.

Tamir came up with the ultimate workout plan to do three days a week for SELF—and, hey, any other workouts your schedule can manage are a bonus. Here’s how each of your workouts should work:

Start warming up for five minutes.

Start with a solid warm-up, which Tamir says should be a part of every fitness routine. This is when you prep your body for a tough workout—a good warm-up will help prevent injury and increase your range of motion and mobility so you can get the most out of every move. Mobility exercises (like neck nods and shoulder circles) help “move around the joints to create more space so that it can move freely without restriction,” he adds.

You can also foam roll, if you want—Tamir says it also assists in mobility and helps you mentally prepare for your workout. Plus, it feels good, and there’s nothing wrong with starting a workout that way.

Here’s how to do it:

• Try this athletic trainer-approved warm-up.
• Or start with the five-minute routine from this 30-minute workout.
• And if you want to foam roll, here are five moves to get you started.

Then it’s time to do some plyo moves and core exercises.

Now it’s time for the real work. Before he gets into true strength training, Tamir likes to have clients alternate between an explosive plyometric exercise, like a jump squat, and a core exercise, like a plank variation. “[This routine has] good muscle recruitment, and it’s going to get your heart rate up,” says Tamir. “When you’re doing those plyometric exercises, you’re using a lot of power.”

Here’s how to do it:

• Do 15 seconds of jump squats.
• Hold a tight forearm plank for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat those two moves back-to-back a total of three to four times.
• Bonus: if you want an active recovery between each set, add a third exercise that focuses on mobility such as reverse lunges. Do six to eight reps for side, about 30 to 45 seconds total.

You can also mix up the exercises you feature in this section to keep it spicy. Try one of these 10 fat-burning plyometric exercises and one of these six core exercises. This section should take you about eight to ten minutes, says Tamir.

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