"How do you know when enough is enough when it comes to your workouts?"

I'll do my best to break down exactly how much you should be working out based on your goals in this post.

But as you've probably guessed - it's a little more complicated and individualized than you might think

And the answer it depends holds a lot of truth here

In a fitness industry that's infamous for a 'more must be better' mentality, I thought the question at the start of the post was a great one coming from a friend getting restarted on his health and fitness journey

I know way too many guys that, after some time away from eating healthy and working out, jump right back into some crazy high volume workout program they used to perform 10 years ago

That will sometimes work for you for a little while

And it will probably get you results for a little while (assuming you don't burn out physically or mentally)

But eventually it ends bad

I've pushed these limits too many times myself, and I know too many other guys that have done the same and ended with adrenal fatigue, low libido, increased frequency of getting sick, brain fog and trouble concentrating, poor sleep patterns, injury, among many other things

Because there is definitely such a thing as too much when it comes to working out

Overtraining is a real thing that can cause all sorts of problems on your body, hormones, mental/emotional state, and many other things that are sometimes very difficult to reverse or undo

And it's something you need to be aware of if you're currently working out, or looking to get back into a workout program

Different seasons of life might require different styles of training

Lifting in your early 20's with a racing metabolism and lots of free time is a little different than in your mid 30's, with a couple of kids, full-time job, and running on 6 (or less) hours of sleep per night

There's a reason professional athletes focus heavily on recovery, stress, sleep, and nutrition

If you're willing to put in the work in those areas, then you can earn the right to do a little more when it comes to working out than what I recommend for most people

Because there is danger in poor recovery and high workout volumes for your short and long-term health

But there's also consequences when it comes to doing too little

Mainly poor results, frustration, and lower confidence in the form of higher body fat, lower muscle mass, and lower metabolism

Both overtraining and undertraining will lead to wasted time

Overtraining is very hard to sustain for most people, both physically and mentally, and often leads to setbacks in the form of injury or saying 'screw it' (binge eating, skipping weeks at a time of working out, and lacking motivation)

Undertraining is certainly better than doing nothing, in my opinion, but it's going to become very frustrating if you're not training enough to actually reap the results of your hard work

It's rarely time that is your issue to getting results, but rather knowing how much and how hard to train when you are at the gym

So let's talk about where that 'sweet spot' might be for you:

I'm going to assume that your goal is to improve your general strength, body composition, and overall health/longevity.

The more specific your goal is, the more specific of recommendations you'll likely need

A bodybuilder or powerlifter looking to get ready for competition have much different needs than a Dad trying to shed some fat and add a little muscle definition

Here are some guidelines for the 'sweet spot' of working out:

• For most people, 2-4 workout sessions per week is plenty go get great results. I've found the sweet spot for myself and most clients to be 3 for maximum time efficiency. It's likely that 4 might yield some better results in muscle building, but you have to weigh if that's worth it for the extra hour (or more) you'll spend working out
• Aim for at least 10-15 sets per week per muscle group OR 5-10 sets per lift (ex: 10 sets of hamstrings per week OR 5 sets of deadlifts). There is one caveat to this: those above numbers are where most research tends to fall, BUT I've found I've personally been able to get some great results on even LESS than that. For example, I have been doing 5-7 sets of leg per week (which is not very much) for at least the last 6 months and have been able to maintain a 355 lb squat for 6-8 reps despite a lower volume than most people. This may be due to intensity (these sets are TOUGH), is likely due to all sets being compound movements, and likely has something to do with having a higher baseline to begin with. I'll be testing this theory with other clients to see if the same holds
• If you're looking to build strength, think high weight, low reps (1-6), and longer recovery
• If you're looking to build muscle, think moderate weight, moderate reps (6-12), and moderate recovery
• If you're looking to build endurance, think low weight, high reps (12-20), and shorter recovery
• If you already think the recommendations are too confusing, then simply pick 2-4 compound lifts (preferably at least one upper body and one lower body movement) and train 3 sets to near failure, 3 times a week
• If you're worried about cardio, you can mix in 120-150 minutes of Zone 2 cardio per week (at a heart rate of 180-Your Age)...or my preferred cardio of simply walking for 30-60 minutes as many days as you can each week

Remember, no recommendation can replace trial and error. This is simply meant to be a starting point for you - it's up to you to experiment with what works best AND is most sustainable for you to get results over the long haul.