Here’s How Many Exercises You Should Do Per Workout, According to Experts

So, you’re headed to the gym or about to rev up a home workout. You probably know you should go in with a plan… but if you’ve never programmed your own workouts before, there’s a good chance you’re unsure where to start. The truth is, there are so many factors that go into designing your own workouts, that something as (seemingly) simple as choosing how many exercises to do in a workout is, in reality, pretty complicated.

Is there an ideal number of exercises you should do per workout? Not really. An effective workout can have as few as three moves or upwards of 20. That’s because it's not just about how many exercises you do, or even which ones you do, but it's also about how you do them, says Peloton instructor Jess Sims. (Consider how squats can be everything from a warm-up drill to a strength-building exercise to a cardio move.) This is one reason why it’s so worth it to let an exercise pro do the work for you, whether you’re working with a personal trainer, taking a Peloton class or program on the Peloton App, using Peloton Gym, or following a written workout plan.

Still, if you’re set on getting into the nitty gritty of workout planning—or just want some general guidance on how many moves to include in your next gym session—we’ve got what you need to know, below.

How Many Exercises Should You Do Per Workout?

As a blanket recommendation, four to six exercises is a good number for a single training session, says Kyle Krupa, doctor of physical therapy, certified strength and conditioning specialist, and founder of KRU PT + Performance Lab. “This will allow you to target all the muscle groups you need to hit effectively without overstraining or overwhelming yourself,” he says.

That said, neither Jess nor Krupa recommends programming your workout based on a number of exercises. Instead, “figure out your ‘why’ for your workout and what you're trying to get out of it,” Jess says. “Then focus on programming to get all movement patterns: squat, lunge, hinge, rotate, push, pull, and locomotion.”

It’s not that the number of exercises in your workout doesn’t matter. “Doing too many moves can lead to injury or overstraining muscles, and too little can fail to yield results,” explains Krupa. “But there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on experience level, strength, and type of exercise,” he says. The experts offer more specific recommendations based on those factors, below. Just know that this generally doesn’t include a comprehensive warm up or cooldown, both of which are must-haves in your routine. And remember: “Proper form is crucial, so quality over quantity, always,” Krupa adds.

Number of Exercises By Workout Length

Realistically, you won’t always have the same amount of time every time you workout. “There’s always a reason you might want to do more or less,” Jess says, but these basic guidelines can help give you an idea of how many moves to do based on workout length:

Number of Exercises By Level

Your exercise abilities can also be an important factor when deciding how many moves to do, especially if you’re a beginner; however, in addition to changing the number of exercises you’re doing, you should also tweak the type of moves you’re doing as well as the number of reps so you’re continually challenged. “I recommend starting with compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups and then working towards more advanced exercises that are higher intensity and more complex,” Krupa says. And no matter your level, remember to listen to your body and don’t over-exert yourself, he adds.

Number of Exercises By Type of Workout

The type of workout you’re doing definitely influences how many moves you should include. (Just think about how many poses show up in a yoga flow, or how few are part of running—and both are effective workout modalities.) Here’s some guidance on how many exercises might belong in a workout for different training styles.

Is It Bad to Do Only 3 Exercises In a Workout?

Nope! “It depends on what you want to get out of your workout,” Jess says, “but if you're just looking for a quick sweat, all you need is three movements!” For example, you could put them in an EMOM workout to get “an intense HIIT cardio feeling,” Jess says. Or, try an AMRAP: “You get more muscular endurance since you're moving consistently for a set amount of time,” she says. Last but not least, you could put the three moves in a circuit workout, and repeat those three movements four or five times, Jess says. 

How to Choose the Right Exercises for Each Workout

Ultimately, the way you organize your workout routine will depend highly on your abilities, availability, and goals. Do you want to get stronger? Become a faster runner? Destress? If you just want a woosh of endorphins and to stay healthy, that puts less pressure on crafting the perfect routine with the ideal number of exercises—and is all the more reason it can be better to let someone else program your workouts for you.

How do you choose which moves to do in a workout? It starts with having a larger plan. Here’s how to dive in. 

Fitness Goals

“When starting a new routine, it’s crucial you know what your goals are to understand how to achieve them,” Krupa says. “This can be a wide variety of things from increased endurance, strength, or muscle mass.” But you’ll need to decide what these are beforehand so you can design your own workout plan (or find one to follow) with those results in mind. For example, if you’re training for a marathon, you’ll likely prioritize running workouts and incorporate a couple of days of strength training specifically for runners. If you’re looking to build muscle, you’ll do best to follow a strength training workout plan

Variety

As you craft a workout plan, you’ll want to make sure you’re training all your muscle groups at least once per week. “Doing a variety of exercises that target a range of muscle groups is always important when designing your workout routine,” Krupa says. “It will help you keep your workouts engaging and optimize results.”  

Workout Focus

Next, you’ll need to decide your focus for this specific workout. Are you doing an upper-body strength day, for example, or do you want to get a full-body workout in? That will dictate which exercises you do.

Self-Awareness

One of the best parts of programming your own workouts is that you can change your plans depending on your needs. “It’s most important to listen to your body when programming your own workouts,” Krupa says. Injury can set you back on your goals, and muscle fatigue can delay progress. Listening to your body and taking necessary rest days is important for avoiding this.”

Advancements

Gradually increasing the difficulty of your workout routine (aka progressive overload) is important for continued growth, Krupa says. You can do this by increasing the number of reps or sets you’re doing, the amount of weight you’re lifting, the speed or distance you’re running/cycling, or the complexity of the moves you’re doing, for example.

Final Takeaway 

If the idea of getting into the nitty-gritty of figuring out how many exercises per workout is intimidating, don’t worry. If this all sounds daunting (it is!) don’t hesitate to leave the programming to the pros. And you don’t need to work with a personal trainer one-on-one to do so. Taking Peloton classes, Peloton Programs, or doing Gym workouts like those on the Peloton App ensures you’re getting a well-designed workout with the right number of exercises—so all you need to do is show up and work hard.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.