How Often Should You Workout to Lose Weight? The Evidence

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How often should you workout to lose weight? The 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans ask adults for 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate cardio, preferably spread through the week, plus muscle-strengthening workouts on 2 or more days. Exercise alone moves the scale only a little, though. An American Heart Association scientific statement says exercise by itself is unlikely to produce a 5 percent weight loss unless cardio levels are exceptionally high.

I’m Judy. I’m a woman over 40, not a trainer and not a medical professional, and I spent years tracking calories and exercising before I started GLP-1 injections in May 2024. That is my experience, not medical advice. This page sticks to what the guidelines and studies show, and it says who was studied. Talk to your clinician before you start, especially if you have heart disease, joint problems or osteoporosis, or if you take medication.

Table of Contents

How Many Days a Week Should You Work Out to Lose Weight?

Aim to move on most days of the week and to strength train on at least 2 of them. Mayo Clinic says to exercise most days of the week, and the CDC lists brisk walking for 22 minutes a day, or 30 minutes on 5 days, as ways to reach 150 minutes per week. The CDC also says adults need at least 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activity.

Here is a sample week built from those rules. It is an example, not a prescription:

5 days: 30 minutes of moderate cardio such as brisk walking, where your breathing is faster but you can still talk
2 of those days: a strength workout for all the major muscle groups, with a full rest day before you train the same muscles again
2 days: off, or an easy walk for recovery

That routine meets both guideline targets. For the whole picture, see our exercise for weight loss guide for women.

Can You Lose Weight From Exercise Alone?

A little, yes. A lot, rarely. A trial of 411 sedentary women with overweight or obesity after menopause (average age 57) randomized them to a non-exercise control group or to one of three doses of supervised exercise for six months. The exercise groups, working out about 72, 136 and 194 minutes a week, lost an average of 1.4, 2.1 and 1.5 kilograms, roughly 3 to 5 pounds. Waist size dropped in every exercise group, even without much movement on the scale.

That fits the wider evidence. A review of exercise and weight loss found that cardio programs matching public health recommendations may produce up to about 2 kilograms of weight loss, with big differences from person to person. The American Heart Association statement cites studies suggesting fewer than 15 percent of people reach a 5 percent weight loss with cardio alone, although a loss of about 3 to under 5 percent of body weight from exercise alone is realistic.

Nutrition does more of the work, and exercise helps you keep it off. Mayo Clinic says diet affects weight loss more than physical activity does, while physical activity has a stronger effect in keeping weight from coming back. The CDC agrees: most weight loss comes from cutting calories, and regular movement is how you maintain it.

The pattern holds in women around and after menopause. A pooled analysis of 11 studies in overweight and obese perimenopausal and postmenopausal women found that diet lowered weight more than exercise alone, and that diet plus exercise beat diet alone by a small margin (about 1.2 percentage points of body weight). It also found more lean mass loss with diet plus exercise than with diet alone, which is one reason the strength training section below matters.

Do You Need More Than 150 Minutes a Week to Lose Weight?

Often, yes. The guidelines say many adults need more than 150 minutes per week to lose weight or keep it off, and that people aiming to lose more than 5 percent of body weight may need more than 300. The American College of Sports Medicine position stand puts it this way: 150 to 250 minutes per week gives only modest weight loss, and more than 250 has been linked to clinically significant weight loss.

More time is not a straight line, though. In the 411-woman trial, the 194-minute group lost only about half of the weight predicted from the calories they burned, which the authors called compensation.

How Often Should You Strength Train to Protect Muscle?

At least 2 days a week. Strength work does not speed up weight loss much: the American College of Sports Medicine position stand says resistance training does not enhance weight loss, though it may increase fat-free mass and fat loss. The guidelines add that muscle-strengthening helps maintain lean body mass during weight loss.

That matters because dieting can take muscle with it. In a six-month trial of 160 older adults with obesity on a weight-management program, lean mass fell about 2 to 3 percent in the groups that added resistance or combined training, compared with about 5 percent in the group that added cardio alone. Those were older adults, not midlife women, and the trial reported exercise-related injuries, including musculoskeletal ones.

Workouts do not need to be long. Mayo Clinic says you may notice stronger muscles with strength training at least 2 times a week for about 20 to 30 minutes each time. For more on getting started, see strength training for women over 40.

If you take a GLP-1 medicine, the American Heart Association statement says there are not yet enough data to say how much exercise is best on one, but it is logical to follow the general recommendations of 150 minutes per week plus strength training on at least 2 days. Ask your prescriber how to fit your routine to your dose and side effects.

Should You Work Out Every Day?

You can move every day. Mayo Clinic advises activity on most days of the week, and for strength work the rule is recovery: rest one full day between training the same muscle group. Walking daily with strength workouts on alternating days fits both rules. The CDC’s list of moderate activity runs from brisk walking to light yard work, so daily movement does not mean daily gym sessions. Our page on walking for weight loss covers the easy days.

Hard sessions on most days are a question for your clinician. The guidelines note that vigorous exercise carries higher risks than moderate exercise, which makes it a good moment to ask a health care professional.

Is HIIT Worth Adding to Lose Weight?

It can save time. A meta-analysis of 13 trials in overweight and obese adults aged 18 to 45, which averaged 10 weeks of training 3 times a week, found that high-intensity interval training and steady moderate cardio reduced fat mass and waist size by similar amounts, with intervals taking about 40 percent less time. Body weight itself did not change much, and the trials do not settle the question for women in their 50s. Treat intervals as an option, not a requirement.

How Should You Start Working Out If You Are Out of the Habit?

Start low and build up. The guidelines tell inactive people to begin with lower intensity exercise and slowly raise how often and how long they do it, with light or moderate sessions of short length spread through the week. They also say some activity is better than none.

Some activity beats none. In a survey of 9,629 US adults aged 20 to 59, people the study classed as “weekend warriors” had lower body fat measures and BMI than inactive people, similar to regular exercisers. That is an association from a single snapshot, so it cannot prove that exercise caused the difference.

When an App Can Help You Stick to a Plan

Planning is where a lot of us stall, so a structured program can help. Shred is one option. Its homepage (read October 19, 2026) says its plans are matched to your schedule, space and goals, “from 3 days a week at home to full barbell splits,” that you pick the equipment you have (dumbbells, barbell, bands or bodyweight only) and the workout rebuilds, and that it has programs for men and women. The limits: the free tier on its pricing page has no personalized programming or AI progression, and its homepage and pricing page describe training plans and progress tracking, not weight loss results. Use an app like this to follow your 2 strength days, not as a promise of results. Our roundup of the best workout apps for women over 40 compares other options.

Talk to Your Clinician Before You Start

The guidelines say adults with chronic conditions or symptoms should be under the care of a health care provider, and that anyone who develops new symptoms while building up exercise should consult one. Chest pain or pressure, dizziness and joint pain are the examples they give. Please ask first if you have heart disease, joint problems or osteoporosis, if you take medication, and before you add vigorous workouts. I’m not a medical professional, and this page cannot tell you which routine is safe for your body.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is working out 3 times a week enough to lose weight?

Three workouts a week can reach the 150 minute guideline if each runs about 50 minutes of moderate cardio, but the weight you lose from exercise alone is small. In the 411-woman trial, the three exercise groups, working out about 72 to 194 minutes a week, lost roughly 1.4 to 2.1 kilograms over six months. The guidelines add strength training on 2 days, and they say combining fewer calories with more exercise tends to work best for weight loss.

How many days a week should I do cardio to lose weight?

Mayo Clinic says to aim for cardio on most days of the week, and the guidelines say to spread it through the week. The CDC’s example is 30 minutes of brisk walking on 5 days, which adds up to 150 minutes. Many adults need more than that to lose weight, according to the guidelines, so treat 150 minutes as the floor, not the finish line.

Should I take rest days between workouts?

For strength training, yes. Mayo Clinic advises resting one full day between training each specific muscle group, and it says to stop an exercise that causes pain. Easy walking on the in-between days is fine.

How long does it take to see results from working out?

No single timeline fits everyone. The studies above measured changes after about 10 weeks to 6 months, and the scale moved only a few pounds from exercise alone. Waist size can change without the scale moving, as the 411-woman trial showed. Expect weeks to months, not days.

Sources

How Often Should You Workout to Lose Weight? What the Research Shows