How Much Exercise Do You Need Per Week?

Adults should aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of the two. On top of that, do muscle-strengthening exercise that works all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week. That's the core advice from both the World Health Organization's 2020 guidelines and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd edition, 2018). If you're 65 or older, add balance training. Everyone should try to sit less.

In practice, 150 minutes is 30 minutes on five days, or about 22 minutes a day. It's a lot more doable than it sounds, and any amount is better than none.

Two kinds of exercise the guidelines ask for

The guidelines split exercise into two main types, and it helps to know what each one means before looking at the numbers.

Aerobic activity is anything that keeps large muscles moving rhythmically for a while and makes your heart and breathing speed up. Walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, and running all count. People often call this cardio. The guidelines measure it in minutes per week.

Muscle-strengthening activity means working your muscles against resistance, such as weights, bands, or your own body weight. It's measured in days per week instead of minutes, because what matters most is that each major muscle group gets a real challenge regularly.

The two types do different jobs, so one doesn't replace the other. A daily runner still benefits from strength work, and a regular lifter still benefits from aerobic activity.

The guidelines by age and life stage

The recommendations shift a little depending on who you are.

Adults 18 to 64:

Aerobic: 150–300 minutes of moderate activity, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix, per week.
Strength: 2 or more days a week, covering all major muscle groups.
Going beyond 300 minutes of moderate activity brings additional benefits.

Adults 65 and older:

Aerobic: the same targets as younger adults, as far as your abilities allow.
Strength: 2 or more days a week.
Varied activity that includes balance and strength training on 3 or more days a week. Balance work, like standing on one leg or walking heel to toe, becomes more important with age.

Pregnancy and postpartum (without complications):

Aerobic: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week.
Strength: gentle strengthening can be included.
Talk to your healthcare provider first.

Children and teens 5 to 17:

Aerobic: an average of 60 minutes a day, mostly aerobic, at moderate to vigorous intensity.
Muscle and bone strengthening on at least 3 days a week. For kids, this often looks like climbing, jumping, and active play.
Vigorous activity on at least 3 days a week.

You can read the full WHO summary in its physical activity fact sheet.

Two details in the newer guidelines are easy to miss:

Short bouts count. Older advice said activity had to last at least 10 minutes to count. Both the 2018 U.S. guidelines and the 2020 WHO guidelines dropped that rule. A brisk 5-minute walk to the bus adds up.
There's no hard upper limit. 150 minutes is the lower end of the target, not a ceiling. The 300-minute end of the range, and beyond, is linked with additional health benefits.

Moderate vs. vigorous: how to tell

Intensity is about how hard the activity is for you, not for someone else. A brisk walk might be moderate for one person and vigorous for another. Here are three practical ways to judge it.

The talk test. During moderate activity, you can talk in full sentences but couldn't sing. During vigorous activity, you can only say a few words before you need to pause for a breath.

The 0–10 effort scale. The U.S. guidelines describe moderate intensity as about a 5 or 6 on a scale where 0 is sitting still and 10 is your maximum effort. Vigorous starts at about 7 or 8.

Heart rate. You can also estimate intensity with heart rate zones. The heart rate zone calculator gives you personal ranges, but the talk test works fine for most people.

Common examples of moderate-intensity activity:

Brisk walking (about 2.5 mph or faster)
Cycling slower than 10 mph on flat ground
Water aerobics
Doubles tennis
Active yard work, like raking or pushing a mower
Social dancing

Common examples of vigorous-intensity activity:

Jogging or running
Cycling 10 mph or faster, or uphill
Swimming laps
Singles tennis
Hiking uphill or with a heavy pack
Jumping rope or high-intensity classes

As a rough rule, one minute of vigorous activity counts about the same as two minutes of moderate activity. That's why the vigorous target (75–150 minutes) is half the moderate one. So 20 minutes of running plus 40 minutes of brisk walking is about equal to 80 minutes of moderate activity.

What counts as muscle strengthening

Muscle-strengthening activity means working your muscles against resistance until the last few reps feel hard. It includes:

Lifting weights or using machines
Bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges
Resistance bands
Heavy gardening, like digging and shoveling
Carrying heavy loads

The guidelines ask that it cover all the major muscle groups: legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms. One or two full-body sessions on separate days meets this. If you want a ready-made routine, see the beginner strength training plan.

Sample weekly schedules

Here are a few ways to hit the guidelines with different amounts of time. Swap days around to suit your week.

About 2.5 hours a week (120 minutes moderate aerobic, plus two 15-minute strength sessions):

Monday: 30-minute brisk walk
Tuesday: 15 minutes of bodyweight strength
Wednesday: 30-minute walk
Thursday: rest
Friday: 30-minute cycle
Saturday: 15 minutes of strength plus a 30-minute walk
Sunday: rest

This one is just under 150 minutes of aerobic activity, because daily walking to work, the store, or the bus usually fills the gap. If it doesn't, add a 10-minute walk after lunch on a few days.

About 3.5 hours a week (150 minutes moderate aerobic, plus two 30-minute strength sessions):

Monday: 30 minutes of strength
Tuesday: 40-minute brisk walk
Wednesday: 30-minute swim
Thursday: 30 minutes of strength
Friday: rest
Saturday: 50-minute hike
Sunday: 30-minute easy cycle

About 2 hours a week, mostly vigorous (75 minutes vigorous aerobic, plus two 20-minute strength sessions):

Monday: 25-minute run
Tuesday: 20 minutes of strength
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: 25-minute run
Friday: 20 minutes of strength
Saturday: 25 minutes of bike intervals
Sunday: rest

About 7 hours a week (300 minutes moderate aerobic or a mix, plus three 45-minute strength sessions):

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 45 minutes of strength plus a 20-minute walk
Tuesday and Thursday: 60 minutes of cycling
Saturday: 90-minute hike
Sunday: 30-minute easy walk

Sitting less matters too

Both sets of guidelines say adults should limit the time they spend sitting and replace some of it with activity of any intensity, even light activity. The WHO also notes that doing more than the recommended amount of moderate-to-vigorous activity can help offset the health risks linked with a lot of sitting.

This is separate from exercise. You can meet the weekly targets and still spend most of your waking hours in a chair, so it's worth paying attention to both. Simple ways to break up sitting:

Stand up and walk for a couple of minutes every 30 to 60 minutes.
Take phone calls on your feet or while walking.
Use stairs when it's practical.
Walk or bike for short trips.

How to start if you're doing very little now

If you're currently inactive, going straight to 150 minutes isn't necessary or wise. The U.S. guidelines say people who do the least activity get the biggest health gains from adding even a small amount.

Start with what you can do now. Even 5 to 10 minutes of walking a day is a solid start.
Add time before intensity. Add 5–10 minutes per session, or one extra session a week, every week or two.
Pick activities you can repeat. Walking, cycling, swimming, and dancing are all easy to stick with.
Add two short strength sessions once walking feels routine. Bodyweight exercises at home are enough to begin.
Track your weekly minutes. A notes app or calendar works. Seeing the total climb is motivating.

Safety notes

Most healthy adults can start moderate activity like walking without seeing a doctor first. Talk to a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine if you have heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, or another chronic condition. Do the same if you're pregnant, recovering from an injury or surgery, or have symptoms you're unsure about.

Stop exercising and get medical help if you have chest pain or pressure, severe shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting, or an irregular heartbeat. For aches and pains, stop if a movement causes sharp or worsening pain, and ease back in more gradually once it settles.

Sources

World Health Organization, guidelines on physical activity (2020)
U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2018)

This guide is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or have pain, talk to a doctor or other qualified professional first. See the health disclaimer.