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Workouts

The one kind of movement with no place: the week the guideline asks for.

What the guideline asks of an adult

Move more and sit less, through the day.

At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix.

Muscle-strengthening activity of moderate or greater intensity on at least 2 days each week.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018; health.gov), read 2026-11-05. The 75 to 150 vigorous minutes are the guideline's own equivalence. Not personalised advice; your clinician's word comes first.

A week that meets it

Mon

Easy run or ride, 40 min

Tue

Strength, 45 min: push, pull, hinge, squat, carry

Wed

Walk or hike, 60 min

Thu

Strength, 45 min

Fri

Run or ride with a hard middle, 40 min

Sat

The long one: a trail, a peak, a river, 2 to 4 h

Sun

Rest, or a walk

One shape that adds up to the guideline's minutes and two strength days; it is our practice, and we hold no published source for this exact week yet.

The course: how much and how to move

How to choose the intensity

The talk test: at moderate intensity you can talk but not sing; at vigorous intensity you cannot say more than a few words without a breath.
Minutes add up across the day; the guideline counts every bout, and the first minutes you add from nothing are the ones that change the most.
Two strength days a week is the floor, not the ceiling; the course sizes the sets to you.

What the terms mean

Moderate-intensity aerobic: Brisk walking, easy cycling: the talk-but-not-sing pace.
Vigorous-intensity aerobic: Running, hard cycling, a steep hike: a few words at a time.
Muscle-strengthening: Work that loads the major muscle groups: lifting, bodyweight, bands, carrying.

Terms and the talk test as the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition, describe them (health.gov, public domain), read 2026-11-05; not personalised advice.