How Often Should You Strength Train If You Also Play Sport?

If you're already running, cycling, playing rugby or training for another sport, adding strength training can feel like one more thing you've somehow got to squeeze into your week.

So how often do you actually need to strength train?

Our answer is pretty simple:

One session every week is infinitely better than none.

Yes, doing more strength training will get you better results. But there's something much more important first.

Can you actually do it consistently?

Start with what fits your life

It's easy to plan the perfect training week on paper.

Two strength sessions. Three runs. Rugby training. A long ride at the weekend.

Then work gets busy. You're knackered. Something comes up at home. Suddenly that perfect programme isn't looking quite so perfect.

That's why we'd rather you start with a training schedule you can genuinely stick to.

If that's one great strength session every week, brilliant.

Get that session done consistently and you've already got something we can build from.

Is more strength training better?

Short answer: Yes, absolutely.

If you've got the time and can recover from it, adding another strength session gives you more opportunities to get stronger.

But more isn't automatically better if you can't sustain it.

Two sessions every week for months beats three sessions for a couple of weeks followed by nothing because your schedule has fallen apart. Or you've burnt yourself out and gotten injured.

Your strength training also needs to work with your sport, not compete with it.

You're not trying to win at going to the gym.

You're using the gym to help you run faster, ride stronger, perform better on the pitch or simply feel more capable doing the things you enjoy.

Consistency beats the "perfect" programme

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is believing your training only counts if you're doing loads of it.

It does count.

A couple good strength session every week adds up.

Once that becomes part of your routine, you can look at whether adding another session makes sense.

And if you've got a quieter week? Great. Maybe you can do a little more.

If work is chaos? Your training can adapt.

Make strength training fit around you

At ATS Personal Training in Edinburgh, you don't need to figure all of this out yourself.

You have enough decisions to make already.

We take care of the plan and adapt your training around your goals, sport and schedule.

Whether you can train once, twice or more each week, the goal is to find something you can keep showing up for.

Because the programme that gets results isn't the one that looks perfect on paper.

It's the one you can actually do consistently.

If you're trying to balance strength training with sport and a busy life, give ATS a shout.