How Many Days a Week Should You Workout In January
How many days a week you should workout in January usually lands at 3 to 5 days, depending on your current fitness, your recovery and how steady you can stay for four straight weeks. A good beginner target is three workouts a week, then a fourth day when you feel ready. Public health guidance for adults supports building toward weekly aerobic activity plus strength work at least two days per week.
If you have a medical condition, recent injury, pregnancy or postpartum concerns, check with a qualified clinician before changing your training.
The short answer for beginners
Start with 3 days per week if you want results you can repeat. Add light movement on other days so your body stays in the habit.
A simple January target that lines up with widely used guidance looks like this
2 days focused on strength
1 day focused on conditioning
2 to 4 easy activity days like walking, mobility or gentle cycling
WHO guidance for adults recommends building to 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity per week or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity, plus muscle strengthening activity at least two days per week. (Remix Fitness)
If your schedule is tight, focus on consistency first. Three workouts you can repeat usually beats five workouts you cannot keep up for the whole month.
If you want a local January plan you can follow day by day, start with the pillar page draft at January fitness challenge for beginners in Horsham and Plymouth Meeting.
The 3 day plan
This is the default plan for getting back into training after time off. It gives you enough work to change your fitness while leaving room for recovery and real life.
Weekly template
Day 1 Strength and Sculpt lane
Day 2 Low impact lane or easy cardio
Day 3 Strength and Sculpt lane
Optional easy movement day like a walk
Class pairing ideas
Pick two strength focused classes from the Strength and Sculpt class lane (Remix Fitness)
Pick one easier day from the Barre Pilates Yoga options (Remix Fitness) or a steady session from the Cycle class lane
Use the third day as conditioning every other week from the Cardio and Conditioning lane (Remix Fitness)
How hard to go on a 3 day plan
Strength days feel like moderate effort most of the time
Conditioning days feel like moderate effort with short harder pushes
You finish class feeling worked, then you feel like you could do a little more
Simple progression across January
Week 1 show up, keep intensity in the easy to medium range
Week 2 add one small challenge like slightly heavier weights or one extra round
Week 3 keep the same plan and raise effort on one section only
Week 4 repeat week 3 and tighten form
If you want a day by day ramp up, use the supporting plan at first week back at the gym in January.
The 4 day plan
Four days per week works when you recover well and you can commit to training most weekdays. It is also a strong choice if you want one extra day for stress relief and steady movement.
Weekly template
Day 1 Strength and Sculpt
Day 2 Conditioning
Day 3 Rest or low impact
Day 4 Strength and Sculpt
Day 5 Low impact or cycle
Weekend easy activity day
One extra day that will not crush recovery
Keep the fourth day low impact or steady cardio. Choose a format where you can control pace. The Barre Pilates Yoga options and the Cycle class lane make that easy because you can scale effort without changing the session length. (Remix Fitness)
How to keep 4 days from turning into “too much”
Keep one day intentionally easy
Keep strength days separated by at least one lighter day
Leave one full rest day each week
If you want to pick times first and plan second, use the class schedule and lock two anchor days before you pick the other two. (Remix Fitness)
The 5 day plan
Five days per week can work in January, but it needs guardrails. Your results depend on how well you manage intensity and how you rotate stress on your joints.
Weekly template
Day 1 Strength and Sculpt
Day 2 Conditioning
Day 3 Low impact
Day 4 Strength and Sculpt
Day 5 Cycle or low impact
Weekend one full rest day
How to avoid overuse
Keep only 2 days as true hard days
Keep 2 days as easier days
Keep 1 day as moderate effort
Rotate class styles so you do not repeat the same high impact pattern five days in a row
A simple rule that helps
If you are adding a fifth day, make it a day you could repeat even with mild soreness. That usually means steady cardio, cycling or a low impact format.
Signs you should add a day
Add a day when your body is already showing it can handle your current plan.
Green lights
Your soreness fades in 24 to 48 hours
Your sleep stays stable
Your energy feels steady during the day
Your performance is improving in small ways, like more control, better range or slightly heavier weights
You feel motivated to move on off days
A good way to add a day
Add one low impact day first. Keep it easy for two weeks. Then decide if you want that day to stay easy or rotate it with conditioning.
Signs you should pull back
Pull back when fatigue starts stacking up and your form slips.
Yellow to red flags
Joint pain that changes how you move
Soreness that stays sharp past 48 hours
You dread workouts because you feel run down
Your sleep starts to slide
Your effort feels high, your performance feels flat
You keep needing to skip warm ups because you feel behind
What pulling back can look like
Keep your weekly days the same and lower effort for one week
Drop one training day for one week and replace it with walking and mobility
Keep strength days and swap conditioning for a low impact day
If you want a simple safety minded refresher, link your plan to a supporting page like beginner injury prevention basics.
How to make the schedule work in January in Horsham and Plymouth Meeting
Your plan only works if it fits your commute, your workday and your childcare needs. A simple approach is to pick your days first, then pick the class lane.
Step 1 pick two anchor days
Choose two days you can repeat every week. Put them on your calendar. Use the class schedule to find times that stay consistent week to week. (Remix Fitness)
Step 2 pick your lanes
Use lane rules so you do not overthink each day
Strength and Sculpt for building strength and muscle endurance (Remix Fitness)
Cardio and Conditioning for heart and lung work (Remix Fitness)
Barre Pilates Yoga for low impact strength, core and mobility (Remix Fitness)
Cycle for controlled intensity without impact
Step 3 use both locations as a backup plan
January is busy. A second location can keep your weekly count intact when your usual time does not work. The site navigation and location pages make it easy to plan around Horsham and Plymouth Meeting.
FAQs
Can you do only cardio classes
You can, and you will improve conditioning. Most people also do better long term with some strength work in the week, because strength supports joints, posture and daily movement. WHO guidance includes both aerobic activity and muscle strengthening activity as part of weekly targets for adults. (Remix Fitness)
A simple cardio forward plan
2 conditioning days
1 cycle day
1 low impact strength day
Do you need strength work
Two strength focused sessions per week is a solid baseline for most adults. It fits general public health guidance that includes muscle strengthening activities at least two days per week. (Remix Fitness)
If you like classes, your strength days can come from a lane like Strength and Sculpt. (Remix Fitness)
How many rest days should you take
Most beginners do well with 2 to 4 non training days each week, depending on how hard the training days are. Rest days can still include easy movement like walking or gentle mobility work. WHO guidance also emphasizes reducing sedentary time and replacing it with physical activity at any intensity when possible. (Remix Fitness)
Last practical rule for January
If you miss a day, keep your weekly count the same by using your backup day. If you miss two days, restart with the 3 day plan for that week and build back up next week.
If you want help picking a weekly schedule that fits both locations, visit us at Remix Fitness and check Horsham directions and reviews or Plymouth Meeting directions and reviews.