Training Camp with Charles Glass: Is Working Out Six Days a Week Too Much? Plus Staying Motivated

How Much Is Too Much?

When it comes to arranging your workout schedule, do you think it’s OK to train six days a week as long as you are hitting different body parts every time? Dorian once wrote in his column that you are still overtaxing your central nervous system doing that, and you are better off not training more than two days in a row with weights before taking a day off.

I agree with him to a point. Training for six days in a row is too much for just about anybody. But I do work with plenty of athletes who train for four or even five days in a row and thrive on that schedule. Dexter trains five on, two off, and Shawn Rhoden usually goes four on, one off. You really need to look at the person and their schedule. Someone who works full time and maybe has kids to care for too is not going to be able to get to the gym five days in a row. Or if they do, they would most likely overtrain. “Normal” people with day-to-day responsibilities don’t have the luxury of eating exactly on time every day and taking naps if they need them. So for them, Dorian’s method of only training two days in a row before taking an “off” day makes sense. But if you’re a little younger and/or you do have more time to train, eat and sleep, it’s very possible you would do just fine training three, four or even up to five days in a row.

Getting Your Training Mojo Back

How do you know if a client is losing motivation? How do you help them restore it?

Usually a loss in motivation is something you would think only the person would be aware of, but I can see it in a man’s eyes when he’s just not into his training. It will sound strange, but I can even sense when his energy isn’t there anymore. There are also the more obvious signs, like when the client starts canceling sessions. I do feel it’s my job to help them get their motivation back, and I do it mainly by switching up what we do in the workouts. Let’s be real here. Even for men and women who make their living with their physiques, training can get repetitive and boring if you’ve been doing it day after day for 10, 20, or more years. Who wants to do anything that’s boring? So I come up with new ways to do exercises that they’ve never tried before. I find ways to hit parts of muscle groups that they have never felt work so specifically. This is also a great way to help them bring up a lagging body part, but it’s equally effective at maintaining interest and excitement in training. I should also mention that there are times when the underlying reason for loss in motivation is simply that the person is overtrained. In a case like that, the best solution is usually to take a few days off from training to allow for rest and recovery.

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