What Is The Bare Minimum Amount Of Strength Training You Need To Do For It To Be Effective? Here's What Trainers Say

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults do at least two days of muscle-strengthening activity per week for overall health. However, a study in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation found that beginners can make progress with resistance training once a week, though that study examined only a single exercise: the leg press.

Certified personal trainer Natalya Vasquez says that beginners looking to build total-body muscle and strength should start with two or three nonconsecutive strength training sessions per week. "While it may seem the small amount of volume would be insignificant, this study demonstrates that some exercise is better than no exercise," Vasquez says. Sessions can start as short as 15 to 20 minutes and gradually increase to 45 to 60 minutes as endurance builds, according to certified personal trainer Tina Tang.

Beginners can structure workouts as either two to three full-body sessions or a three-day split organized by muscle group. For full-body routines, Vasquez recommends one exercise per muscle group for three to five sets of five to eight reps. For a three-day split, complete three to four exercises per muscle group for two to three sets of five to eight reps. Vasquez prefers the five to eight rep range because it develops functional strength alongside muscle growth.

A 2021 review in Sports Medicine concluded that gains are possible training one to four days per week if you complete at least four sets of six to 15 reps per muscle group weekly. Progressive overload matters most. Tang says gradually increasing weight, sets, or reps over time challenges muscles, stimulates growth, and improves bone density.

For maintaining muscle after years of training, Vasquez notes that one full-body workout per week can preserve gains, but two to three sessions weekly remains the ideal frequency. For runners, Tang recommends at least two strength sessions weekly, with one focusing on bilateral foundational movements and another on unilateral exercises, core stability, and hip strength. A 2024 meta-analysis in Sports Medicine found that two to four strength training sessions weekly helped mid- to long-distance runners prevent injury and run faster.