I was chatting with a member recently who had increased his workouts from 2x/wk to 3x/wk for the last few weeks, and he was thrilled about how much better he’s feeling.
This is a member who has historically had very serious back pain after an injury 20 years ago (I’m thrilled to say that since joining LSFW it’s been almost nonexistent!), and in his words:
“My back has felt better the last 6 weeks than it has in 20 years. It’s amazing.”
One of the great things about exercise is that any level of it is good. And, depending on the type and speed of results you want, some things are better than others.
So here’s a peek into my mind about how I think about the “Levels of Exercise” for different results.
And if you’re tight on time, scroll to the end for a quick summary.
Level 1 – Be Active Every Day
And as much as I think the term “sitting is the new smoking” is a bit exaggerated, it does speak to a very important thing – our bodies were made to move.
In fact, a lot of the aches, pains, and issues we experience are rooted in a lifestyle that’s far too sedentary.
Modern conveniences are only making it easier to move less and less, making aches and pains more and more frequent as we typically move from one seated position to another looking at screens of various sizes throughout the day.
The benefits range from body composition to mental health to healthy joints to more. If it were a drug, exercise and activity would be the most prescribed drug on the planet.
Here’s what I typically recommend to get 7500+ steps per day on average (or about 52,000 steps per week) which is where you start to see and feel the benefits of activity.
Aim for 30+ mins of zone 2 cardio (fitness speak for a “brisk” pace) in addition to the steps you get going about your day.
That zone 2 cardio can be in the form of walking, swimming, gardening, pickleball, jogging – you name it. And you can do 30 mins once a day, 15-20 mins twice a day, or another combination.
The goal is that you are exerting at a pace where you’re moving, but could still carry a conversation with a friend, and that you do something everyday (i.e. getting all your steps for the week done in one day isn’t as good as spreading it out).
Frequency matters more than intensity, and if you aren’t as active as you like this is a perfect place to start.
Level 2 – Specific Exercise for Specific Benefits
As you progress on your journey, you’re going to want to add specific things to get specific goals.
If you want more shoulder strength and mobility, you’ll need to do shoulder strength and mobility.
If you want a stronger core to protect your low back, you’ll need to train your core.
If you want stronger legs for less knee pain and better function, you’ll need to strengthen your legs (and walking just isn’t enough).
You get the idea.
This is where adding 1-2 days a week of specific exercise is a huge step towards your goals.
I’m a big fan of “intelligent strength training”, where instead of hitting the weights like Arnold you’re doing a 45 minute full body workout that includes mobility, core, strength and more for a very well rounded session.
You’ll:
- Be able to do all the activities you love with those you love
- Build strength while dropping some body fat
- Improve mental health
- Reduce aches and pains while improving mobility and resiliency
- Not feel like your health is holding you back from everything ranging from putting the patio furniture in the shed for the winter to picking up a new sport.
Something is better than nothing, so 1x/wk is a great place to start, particularly if you haven’t been active or exercised consistently for a while.
Although 2x/wk is exactly twice as many workouts as 1x/wk, in my experience it’s triple the results and a worthwhile investment of time and resources once you’re ready.
Level 3 – Making Motivating Progress
One of the challenges you will experience – or may have already experienced – is nothing works forever.
And depending on the speed and type of results, 2x/wk might not be enough to get you where you want to go at the speed you want to move at.
Motivation is a massive factor in fitness, and the feeling of “not making progress” is one of the biggest reasons you fall off track.
When you can see and feel the benefits, it’s much easier to stay on track despite what life throws at you.
If you’re feeling like you want to move quicker, or 2x/wk just isn’t getting you the results you want, the best next step is to try out how 3x/wk feels for a month.
Yes, you’ll need to schedule the time and there will be logistical and mindset barriers that need to be addressed.
And like the client I mentioned at the start of this, after a few weeks you’ll be surprised at how good you feel – both physically and mentally.
Best of all, it will help solidify the habit and routine of exercise, not only giving you better results but making it harder to get off track.
You’ll go from “Ugh, I have to go to the gym…” to “I HAVE to go to the gym because it’s part of who I am”.
3x/wk is only 50% more workouts than 2x/wk, but it’s double the results. I strongly recommend sticking to the “intelligent” 45 minute full body workout I mentioned.
3x/wk is the best bang for your buck in terms of maximizing benefits without feeling like you have to live in the gym or over complicate the workout program.
Level 4 – Bus Bench and Park Bench Programs
If you are looking to step it up even further, here’s my philosophy on how to do that in a way that doesn’t leave you yo-yo-ing and losing the progress you’ve made because you hit a wall.
You’ll alternate Park Bench and Bus Bench over the course of a year.
Bus Bench Programs are for when you’re going places.
They are for when you have a period of time – usually 4-8 weeks – where you don’t have obstacles in life, vacations, or outrageous outside stressors that will get in the way.
You’ve got a destination in mind, and you dedicate yourself to that goal. You step it up in nutrition, sleep, and recovery, and fitness is a primary priority in your life.
This is where you can step it up to 4, sometimes even 5, workouts per week focused on a specific goal.
Your program will need to change, as will other things, and at the end of the 4-8 week block, you’ll feel awesome with impressive results.
If you don’t slow things down after 4-8 weeks, you’ll hit a wall and get off track because of that vacation or work or whatever comes up.
This is where Park Bench Programs come in.
Park Bench Programs are for steady results to keep you above maintenance without it being a stressor or a mental (or logistical) drain.
You’ll drop down to 2-3x/wk (aka level 2 or 3 above), relax on nutrition, sleep, and recovery, and it’s just a normal part of your routine.
If you’ve got this far, this is where I need to qualify that the vast majority of your time needs to be in Park Bench mode.
You can really only do Bus Bench about 3x/year. You can’t have vacations in the middle, stress at work or with family, or big events that will throw you off track.
Good times to do this are typically around now in the fall where you can push it until Thanksgiving, in the new year as a post-holiday push, or in the spring before the activities of summer hit.
That means you’ll be in Park bench mode for at least half the year, if not three quarters of the year, and that’s not a bad thing.
It’s the goal.
If you can make meaningful, measurable progress a few times a year, and maintain it, every year you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of where you were the year before.
Instead of the norm of health and fitness slowly deteriorating as you age, you’ll be steadily getting healthier and fitter, with each year being better than the last and keeping you active well into your later years.
You’ll be the person people ask “how do you do THAT at YOUR age?!?”.
And you’ll answer “Because I’ve always done THAT at MY age.”
Quick Summary
Level 1 – If you need somewhere to start, aim for 30 mins of zone 2 (brisk pace) activity every day to give you at least 7500 steps per day, or 52,000 steps per week on average.
Level 2 – If you have specific results in mind, you need to do specific things. Focus on full body, 45 minute, “intelligent” strength training with a mix of mobility, core, cardio, and strength. 1x/wk is better than nothing, and 2x/wk is three times as good.
Level 3 – If you want to have faster results, 3x/wk is twice as good as 2x/wk. Stick to the same full body sessions, and this has the further benefit of making exercise a habit so it’s harder for you to fall off track and gives you more motivation to keep going.
Level 4 – Alternate the Bus Bench and Park Bench mentality. Bus Bench is 4-5x/wk workouts for 4-8 weeks where you really push yourself to get to a goal. Then, instead of crashing and burning, intentionally switch to Park Bench mode – aka level 2 or 3 above – to lock in the results.
If you’re looking to step up your exercise this fall, click HERE to get 3 weeks of training for 50% to kickstart you moving up to the next level of exercise
