When Should I Add a Day Of Training

When someone joins Industrial Athletics, they inevitably do some kind of analysis about how many times they want to work out vs how much time they have to work out.  Busy work and life schedules can limit some members to three times a week.  Others are dedicated to getting to the gym five times a week.  Some ask our opinions along the way and bounce back and forth.  

Experience has shown that you need at least three times of hard high intensity training (like CrossFit) in a seven day period if you want to see progress in various fitness markers.  Therefore, that is where we start.  We start clients with twelve one-on-one sessions designed to be completed in a one month period attending three times per week.  This is a great introduction to the intensity and volume they need to continued progress.  Whether the client stays in personal training, moves to a hybrid model, or moves fully into our CrossFit classes, that three days of training will be sufficient for most in the beginning.  However, at some point, the member may want to, or should, add another day of training each week.  Here are some tips to help you determine when you should add a day of fitness:

3 Questions to Ask:

1. Do You Have The Time?  We are talking about adding one day each week, but you have to look at the big picture.  Adding one day of fitness each week means adding 4-5 more days in a month.  Do you have the time for that?  Maybe this week is particularly slow at work, but what about the rest of the month?  Consistency is key.  Add the extra day when you know it will be consistently added each week. 
2. How is Your Recovery?  In the beginning, three or four days each week may have left you drained and really needing a rest.  But, after a couple of months, are you feeling like you have more in the tank?  Are you left each week feeling like you could do more?  It’s time to add a day. 
3. How is Your Progress Toward Your Goals?  Everyone will see progress in the beginning.  That’s the beauty of a program like CrossFit.  However, our bodies adapt.  When our bodies adapt, the only way to continue progress is to increase the stimulus.  So, it might be time to add another day of training each week if your progress has slowed down more than you’d like. 

If you are considering adding a day of fitness to your regular week of training, go through the questions above.  If you are still on the fence, talk to a coach.  An unbiased analysis may be all you need to subtly push you in the right direction.