How Many Days a Week Should You Lift? 3 vs 4 vs 5
By Jordan Hoppel · · Updated · 4 min read
For most people, 3 to 5 training days a week is enough. Beginners lean toward 3 to 4 days and more advanced lifters toward 5. At 3 days, full-body sessions usually work; at 4 or 5, use a split. The ceiling is recovery: training frequency cannot outpace how quickly you recover.
There's no single right number of training days. I decide based on four things: goal, schedule, training age and experience.
How many days a week should you lift at each level?
For most people, 3 to 5 sessions a week is enough. Beginners stay toward 3 to 4 days. More advanced lifters move toward 5.
| Training age | Days a week | Usual layout |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 3 to 4 | Full body at 3 days, a split at 4 |
| More advanced | Toward 5 | A split |
| Most people | 3 to 5 | Whatever the schedule supports and recovery allows |
Is it different for strength and muscle size?
Yes: strength favors frequent sessions you recover from easily, while size favors harder sessions with more room between them. For strength, even an inexperienced person may train every day, but not with super high volume each day, because strength wants high exposure to lifting and to sets. Higher frequency that you can recover from easily favors strength.
Hypertrophy works differently. It is more about maximally recovering from every session, so the sessions can be harder but need more room between them.
As long as someone can keep up with the schedule, recover, and continue to make gains, that's what they should do.
Should you train full body or a split?
Train full body at 3 days a week and use a split at 4 or 5.
| Days | Typical layout |
|---|---|
| 3 | Full body: upper and lower lifts on the same day, though not every muscle every time. |
| 4 or 5 | A split: push/pull/legs, upper/lower, or muscle group by muscle group. |
A split divides the body across days so each session can go deeper on fewer muscle groups. A full-body week touches everything more often with less per session.
Is 3 days or 5 days a week better?
I don't pick a winner. There is no correct answer, and the person's individual situation matters more than the split. For context, a 2016 meta-analysis of ten studies found a larger muscle-growth effect for higher weekly training frequency (0.49 versus 0.30) (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). That is an average across studies, not a rule for any one person, which is my point.
Does frequency matter if total volume is the same?
Not much, according to a larger review. A 2019 meta-analysis of 25 studies found that when total weekly training volume was matched, training a muscle more often or less often did not produce a significant difference in muscle growth (Schoenfeld, Grgic and Krieger, 2019). One reading is that more days helps mostly because it lets you fit in more total work. If your week supports only three days, you can still do enough work across them.
Two sample weeks
These are examples of how the layouts above can look, not prescriptions.
| Plan | Training days | Rest days |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days, full body | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday |
| 4 days, upper/lower | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday | Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday |
Spacing the sessions gives each one a day to recover, which matters because frequency is limited by how fast you recover. If you are unsure where to start, three full-body days is the lowest-commitment option that still trains the whole body.
Your schedule has to be real
My first question about time is what you can actually fulfill, not what you would like to do. A five-day plan that becomes a two-day habit is a worse program than a three-day plan you complete every week. If your week can't support five days, choose three and do them well.
How to tell your frequency is right
My test is simple. You should be able to:
- do the sessions well,
- have energy in them,
- perform, and
- keep making gains.
If any of those slip, the schedule may be asking for more than your recovery can supply.
How many rest days do you need?
There is no set number; it depends on the goal. Someone training for a marathon doesn't have to take fully off days. Someone training for competition pushes through differently than someone just staying in good shape.
Frequency is based on how quickly you can recover; it cannot outpace recovery if you want continued quality progress. When recovery slips, see what a deload week is.
Where to go from here
If you're still deciding on the program itself, read how to choose a workout program.
Sources
- Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689-1697. PubMed 27102172
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Krieger J. How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. J Sports Sci. 2019;37(11):1286-1295. doi:10.1080/02640414.2018.1555906
Frequently asked questions
How many days a week should most people lift?
For most people 3 to 5 times a week is enough, depending on level and goal.
Is a 3-day or 5-day split better?
There is no correct answer. The person's individual situation matters more.
How many rest days do I need?
There's no set number. It depends on the goal. Training frequency is based on how quickly you can recover, and it cannot outpace recovery if you want continued quality progress.
What does a 3-day split look like?
Usually full body, meaning upper and lower lifts on the same day, not every muscle every day. At 4 or 5 days, use push/pull/legs, upper/lower, or muscle group by muscle group.
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