How many days a week should I train?

For most beginners, two or three training sessions a week is a sensible starting point.

When you're starting out, the goal isn't simply to burn calories or lift heavier weights. It's to build a habit that actually sticks.

Jumping straight into training five days a week might feel brilliant for the first couple of weeks, especially when motivation is high. But what happens when work gets stressful, you're tired, or life gets in the way?

Suddenly, five sessions become two, or perhaps none at all. And it's easy to feel like you've failed.

I'd much rather we start with something manageable.

What counts as a training session?

You don't need to spend hours in a gym to make progress.

A training session could be at home, in the gym, or working with a personal trainer. What matters is that the activity is appropriate for your fitness level, your goals and the time you realistically have available.

For example, we might start with two 30 to 45-minute strength sessions each week, alongside walking, cycling, swimming or other activities you enjoy.

That's a perfectly reasonable starting point for many people.

Make it something you can stick to

Two days a week might even feel a little too easy. That's fine.

We can agree on two realistic training days and make them a regular part of your routine. Once showing up becomes a habit, we can look at adding a third session or introducing more activity between sessions.

When I work with clients, I'm not looking for perfect attendance or expecting them to rearrange their entire lives around exercise.

I'm interested in what will actually work for them.

That means looking at work commitments, family life, energy levels and everything else competing for their time. A training plan should fit around your life, not the other way around.

At Neon Rhino, I help people in Nottingham and online build realistic routines that they can maintain, even when life gets busy.

And remember, progress doesn't mean spending every spare moment exercising.

The best training routine isn't necessarily the most ambitious one. It's the one you can keep coming back to.