Why Training 3 Days a Week Gets Better Results Than 2

If you're a strength and conditioning nerd like me, you've probably spent way too much time reading research, scouring the internet, and debating with colleagues about the perfect sets, reps, and training programs.

Because if we're being honest, most people don't actually love working out. And if someone says they do... they're probably a bonafide psychopath, so proceed with caution.

What we all love is the result. Feeling stronger. Having more energy. Moving better. Looking better. That's the fun part.

With that said, we're always trying to optimize things for you to get the biggest bang for your training buck.

I mean, if you're going to show up and put in the effort, let's make the most of it.

But after all these years of tinkering, what we've found is that the most important numbers you need to know when it comes to training are 3 x 48.

No, not 3 sets of 48 reps. C'mon. This isn't Jazzercise. (Please don't sue us for slander, Jazzercise.)

I mean training 3 times per week for 48 out of the 52 weeks of the year.

Like you've heard a thousand times before, consistency wins.

We've all heard someone say, "I was doing great until work got busy," or "until the kids' schedules got crazy," or "until I got out of my routine."

Life happens. That's totally normal.

But the goal isn't to be some kind of fitness robot and be perfect. 

It's to keep showing up often enough, for long enough, that your body has no choice but to adapt.

Training twice a week is absolutely better than not training at all. You can certainly make progress, especially if you're just getting started, and it's often enough to maintain a solid level of fitness.

But if you want to keep getting stronger, build muscle, improve your body composition, or simply feel better year after year, at some point you'll want to make the jump to three days per week.

Why?

Because instead of waiting four or five days between workouts, you're giving your body another quality training session every 48-72 hours. That's enough time to recover, but not so much time that you lose momentum. Each workout builds on the last, and those small improvements start stacking up over months and years.

It doesn't sound like much, but over the course of a year it's the difference between about 100 workouts and 150 workouts.

That's 50 extra opportunities to get stronger, move better, and invest in your health.

Or put another way, that's 50% more training by adding just one workout each week.

The best training program isn't the fanciest one.

It's the one you'll actually do 3 x 48.

Show up three times a week. Do it for most of the year. Repeat for the next several years.

That's where the magic happens.