How many days a week should you lift?
The Busy-Dad Dilemma
Picture this: you’re a new dad. The baby is up at 2am, work emails keep flowing, and you’re running on your sixth cup of coffee and four hours of sleep. You finally carve out time to train—and the question hits: How many days a week should I lift to actually get results?
The good news? Science shows you don’t need to live in the gym. In fact, two total-body lifting sessions per week give you the bulk of the health, strength, and muscle benefits. That’s the sweet spot for most men who are balancing real life with their training.
Why Two Is the Sweet Spot for Muscle & Strength
More than once makes a big leap. Research consistently shows that two sessions per week lead to significantly greater muscle growth than one (Schoenfeld 2016).
Strength gains accelerate. Studies find training twice weekly produces about 80% of the strength improvements seen with three days/week (McLester 1995).
Diminishing returns kick in after two. Reviews show 3–4 days a week may add some benefit, but the jump is small compared to going from 1 to 2 days (Ralston 2018). That doesn’t mean lifting 3–4 days a week is useless—it’s absolutely effective. It just means the biggest jump in progress happens when you move from one to two days. Adding a third session is still better than two, but the payoff isn’t as dramatic as that initial leap.
Health Benefits Beyond Muscle
Resistance training isn’t just about the mirror or weight on the bar (though both are pretty neat) — it’s about health and longevity. And two days per week is enough to move the needle in major ways:
Lower risk of death. Adults who strength train at least 2x/week have a 23% lower risk of all-cause mortality and 31% lower risk of cancer-related death (Kraschnewski 2016).
Cardiometabolic health. Just 60–120 minutes of resistance training per week (about two sessions) is linked with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Shiroma 2017).
Blood pressure & metabolic health. Even two lifting sessions per week improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood pressure, and boost metabolic health (Cornelissen & Smart 2013).
Some important context though:
Many men who lift weights also tend to take better care of themselves overall—they eat higher-quality diets, stay active outside the gym, and generally live a more health-focused lifestyle. That makes it tricky to tease apart just lifting from the lifestyle around it. But the evidence is clear: resistance training itself is an independent contributor to these health improvements, and it belongs at the center of your weekly routine.
Recovery > More Days
Recovery is the real driver. If you’re not sleeping well (hello, newborn life), hammering the gym 4–5 days a week will likely burn you out. Studies emphasize at least 48 hours between full-body sessions for optimal recovery (Tavares 2023).
Two sessions hit the sweet balance. You can push hard, recover, and still have time for family, work, and the other joys of life without running yourself into the ground.
What Those Sessions Should Look Like?
Each workout should be total-body resistance training with an emphasis on the basics:
Compound movements – prioritize lifts that train multiple muscles at once (squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, carries). Machines are totally fine here too—you don’t have to rely on just barbells or dumbbells. The point is to choose movements that give you the most bang for your buck.
Full range of motion – training through full joint ranges (specifically the end ranges) builds more muscle, improves flexibility, and strengthens tendons (Pinto 2012).
Optimal weekly volume – aim for about 10–15 total sets per muscle group per week for the best blend of hypertrophy and strength gains (Schoenfeld 2017).
Practical breakdown: across two sessions, you might hit each muscle group with 5–7 working sets per day, adding up to the weekly target.
Two 45–60 minute sessions with this structure will build muscle, strength, and health far more effectively than scattered, unfocused workouts.
Stay Active Beyond the Gym
Lifting twice a week is your foundation, but being a capable man means more than just hoisting weights.
Walks, bikes, hikes – daily activity keeps energy up and joints moving.
HIIT or intervals – short bursts of cardio improve VO₂ max, heart health, and conditioning (Weston 2014).
Still, start with the two lifting days. Build that base. Once you’ve nailed the habit, layer in conditioning and active lifestyle choices to round out your fitness.
Bottom Line
If you’re a man trying to be strong and healthy for your family, two lifting sessions a week are the biggest bang for your buck:
1 day/week – better than nothing, but results are limited.
2 days/week – the sweet spot: most of the strength, muscle, and health benefits.
3–4 days/week – solid if you can recover and have the time, but gains taper off.
Be the dad who can carry his kid, haul the stroller, and still have energy left. Settle into two lifting sessions a week, recover well, and build from there.
Ready to Put This Into Action?
Want to see an example of a simple but powerful two-day strength plan you can start immediately?
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References
Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of resistance training frequency on measures of muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2016;46(11):1689–1697. [PubMed PMID: 27102172]
McLester JR, Bishop P, Guilliams ME. Comparison of 1 day and 3 days per week of equal-volume resistance training in experienced subjects. J Strength Cond Res. 1995;9(1):8–12. [PubMed PMID: 2628366]
Ralston GW, Kilgore L, Wyatt FB, Baker JS. The effect of weekly set volume on strength gain: A meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2018;48(3):707–718. [PMC6081873]
Kraschnewski JL, et al. Is strength training associated with mortality benefits? A 15-year cohort study of US older adults. Prev Med. 2016;87:121–127. [PubMed PMID: 27061866]
Shiroma EJ, et al. Strength training and the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Mayo Clin Proc. 2017;92(4):611–621. [PubMed PMID: 28385458]
Cornelissen VA, Smart NA. Exercise training for blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Heart Assoc. 2013;2(1):e004473. [PubMed PMID: 23525435]
Tavares LD, Gualano B, Ugrinowitsch C, Roschel H. Does resistance training on consecutive days impair muscle adaptations? Sports Med. 2023;53(9):1821–1834. [PMC10579494]
Weston M, Wisløff U, Coombes JS. High-intensity interval training in patients with lifestyle-induced cardiometabolic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2014;48(16):1227–1234. [PubMed PMID: 24723008]
Pinto RS, et al. Effect of range of motion on muscle strength and thickness. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(8):2140–2145. [PubMed PMID: 21986600]
Schoenfeld BJ, et al. Resistance training volume enhances muscle hypertrophy but not strength in trained men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(3):479–486. [PubMed PMID: 27644091]
