Why Training 3 Days a Week Is More Than Enough (If You Do It Right)

If you’ve ever thought, “I really need to train 5 or 6 days a week to see results”—you’re not alone. It’s a common belief, especially if you’re following fitness influencers or watching elite athletes.

But here’s the truth:

For most adults juggling careers, kids, and everything in between, 3 training sessions a week is not only realistic—it’s optimal.

Why 3 Days Works So Well

At Gym Cartel and CrossFit Desire, we train people from all walks of life: busy parents, shift workers, business owners, and retirees. And the ones who train consistently three times a week? They often get better results than the ones trying to train every single day.

Here’s why:

1. Consistency Beats Volume

Anyone can have a good week or two of training. But the people who make long-term progress are the ones who stay consistent. If training 3 times a week is something you can stick to for months (or years), that’s way more powerful than a 6-day blitz followed by burnout.

2. Recovery Matters (More Than You Think)

Training breaks your body down. It’s the recovery—sleep, nutrition, hydration, and yes, rest days—that allows your body to adapt and get stronger. Three quality training sessions give you space to recover and grow, without running yourself into the ground.

3. It Fits Into Real Life

Let’s face it—most of us aren’t full-time athletes. You’ve got meetings, school runs, and maybe the occasional sick kid or surprise work trip. If your plan requires you to train 5–6 times a week, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Three is doable. Three is sustainable. Three builds momentum.

4. Less Junk, More Purpose

When you only train three times a week, every session needs to count. And that’s where structured programming comes in. At our gym, every session has a clear purpose—whether it’s building strength, improving your engine, or sharpening movement quality.

No wasted time. No fluff. Just results.

What a Great Week of Training Looks Like

Here’s an example of how we structure a week for someone training three times:

• Day 1: Strength (e.g. squats or presses) + short, intense conditioning

• Day 2: Skill development (e.g. gymnastics, Olympic lifts) + moderate cardio

• Day 3: Full-body strength work + longer metcon or partner workout

Each session covers multiple bases: strength, cardio, skill, and movement quality.

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to train every day. You don’t need to feel wrecked to make progress. And you definitely don’t need to wait for life to “calm down” before you start.

You need smart training, good coaching, and consistency.

If you can show up three times a week and give it a solid effort, we’ll handle the rest.

Ready to see how far you can go?
Book a No Sweat Intro (Albion) or (Northgate) or drop us a message—we’d love to show you how good training can feel.