How Much Exercise Should a Person in Their Twenties Get?

Stretching before and after exercise can help prevent injuries.

Getting plenty of exercise will help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your disease risks, reduce body fat and help you look and feel your best. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports in the year 2010 only about 20 percent of Americans ages 18 and older met guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity. General exercise recommendations are the same for older and younger adults. However, older adults may be unable to exercise at the same intensity or duration as adults in their 20s. Aim to exercise most days each week for best results.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Meeting cardiovascular exercise guidelines can significantly reduce your disease risks. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends all adults, including adults in their 20s, participate in two and a half hours of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly for substantial health benefits or five hours of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week for more extensive health benefits. Examples of aerobic, or cardiovascular, exercises include walking, jogging, biking, swimming and using an elliptical machine.

Resistance Training

Resistance training, like lifting weights, can increase your strength and muscle mass, and help burn excess body fat. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults in their 20s participate in strength-training exercises involving all major muscle groups at least two times each week. Muscle groups to focus on include your legs, back, abdominals, chest, biceps, triceps and shoulders.

Weight Loss

If you’re in your 20s and are overweight or obese, you may be able to lose weight by boosting your physical activity. A 2009 review published in “Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise” suggests exercising more than four hours each week is associated with significant weight loss. To accomplish this goal you could exercise for about an hour five days each week or 45 minutes six days a week.

Increasing Muscle

Twenty-year-olds who desire to increase muscle mass should focus on resistance exercise rather than cardiovascular exercise, although both are important for reducing disease risks. Increase the frequency of your resistance-training regimen to most days of the week, but avoid working the same muscle groups two days in a row to allow adequate time for the muscles to repair and grow. To gain muscle mass, boost your energy intake by 500 to 1,000 calories daily, suggests the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Choose high-calorie, nutrient-dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, avocados, fatty fish or high-calorie, medical nutrition shakes.

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Exercise or Physical Activity
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Summary
• Obesity: Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women
• Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise: American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Appropriate Physical Activity Intervention Strategies for Weight Loss and Prevention of Weight Regain for Adults
• U.S. Anti-Doping Agency: Optical Dietary Intake Guide