Mies van der Rohe once said that "less is more." The legendary architect was talking about distilling the essence of form, but his aphorism applies just as well to working out, according to New York City trainer and certified six-pack haver Dan Castillo: "Due to the bombardment on social media of the rock hard bodies of fitness influencers, people believe that in order to achieve a certain look that they should be working out every day for multiple hours. This couldn't be more false," he says.
But let's back up. As a baseline, the CDC recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each week -- they describe this as a brisk walk. If you're willing to crank up the intensity, the time commitment decreases to 75 minutes (think jogging or running) weekly. The CDC also suggests combining your cardiovascular activities with two days of weekly strength training, working all major muscle groups. You're not going to see Arnold Schwarzenegger gains doing this, but this is a great starting point when thinking about overall health and wellness. And it's truly not a lot.
It also shows that the harder you're going, the less time you need to spend doing it. Research published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise cosigns: Study participants who did a single 23-minute HIIT workout once weekly for a year saw similar improvements in body composition as those who did three different moderate-intensity workouts each week.
In real life, GQ's fitness and wellness columnist Joe Holder suggests that guys work out four times per week. "This typically allows someone to get in both a mix of high intensity and low intensity work coupled with a focus on different skills and abilities," he says. "The other three days I would suggest a mix of rest and active recovery, with one more workout if the person feels up to it."
O.K., four days. You can do four days! And as Holder points out, flexibility and mobility work is an important piece to the puzzle. It can help you feel better whether you're lounging or trying to carry groceries upstairs to your apartment. Research shows that adding regular stretching to your routine can help improve circulation, which can ultimately shorten your workout recovery time and reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). And again, not a huge time commitment.
Holder suggests that if you're itching for even more fitness, the other three days you could add in another weight training day, an "aesthetics" focused day like abs or arms, or just go and play while focusing on movement, like hanging out in the park and playing ball.