Cancel the gym – new research shows one workout per week might be all you need

Dragging yourself to the gym every morning might be an excessive habit, according to one new study that suggests less may indeed be more when it comes to strength training.

Words by Mia Erickson at Body and Soul.

(Body and Soul may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and when you make a purchase. Learn more.)

Between your nine-to-five office job, school drop-offs and remembering to pick up the dry cleaning, finding 60 uninterrupted minutes to hit the gym every day is about as achievable as getting through October on one coffee per day.

Of course, the more physical activity you fit in each week, the better, with all kinds of cardio-based movement steering your health in the right direction.

But when it comes to building muscles and strength, the latest research says it’s possible to see promising results with only one session per week.

Details of the study

The study, spanning nearly 7 years in length, analysed health data of roughly 15,000 adult individuals provided by Dutch personal training company Fit20 – an organisation specialising in once weekly 20-minute workouts.

Comparing the data from clients who trained for nearly seven years, researchers noted most people experience gradual strength improvements year after year, despite only training once per week. The most significant improvements were noticed during most people’s first year of training, plateauing slightly in the years following.

Over the 7 years, the chest-press strength of most participants increased by approximately 50 per cent, increasing by 30 per cent in the first year alone. Leg-press strength also increased by nearly 70 per cent over the seven years.

Should you drop your strength training to one session a week?

Scheduling how often you hit the gym, and how you train your body is a deeply unique task for every individual. Depending on what your strength, fitness and aesthetic goals are, some types of movement – and different schedules – will be more suited than others.

If winning the next regional amateur bodybuilding competition is what’s plastered on your vision board, relying on one 20-minute workout probably isn’t going to turn your dream into reality anytime soon.

However, if your reasons for picking up a pair of dumbbells lie in wanting to increase your chances of living a long and healthy life, sticking to a more minimal strength routine designed to maintain and gradually increase your muscle mass is what the latest research says you should strive towards.

Even hitting the gym once a week and gradually building strength and muscle mass can be an instrumental tool for counteracting aging and reducing your mortality risks.

So, instead of comparing your workout schedule to that of an Insta-famous PT (whose job is to practically live on a squat rack), give yourself a well-earned pat on the back for getting yourself to the gym when you can.

This article first appeared in Body and Soul.