Before we get into the details of this, let me say this.

The best workouts are the ones that you actually do, so before we make any recommendations, I want you to keep in mind that no matter what you decide in terms of your schedule, TMA is built to fit around that.

Please see the article below to understand how the TMA app optimizes your workout into full or split body routines depending on how much time you have.

And even if you planned to do 3x 60 min workouts but life got busy, and now you have only 20 min - you will still make progress if you follow TMA - this is how

👉 How TMA adjusts to you & your schedule (Split vs. Full Body Routines)

To start with, it is important to understand that volume recommendations are highly individual - one person might thrive on, say, 20 sets a week of exercise, while another could be destroyed by this level of activity. One person might need a minimum of 5 sets a week to progress, while another would require at least 10 sets.

An individual’s athletic background, current training history, and genetic predisposition contribute to this.

That said, beginners will generally require lower volume and less stimulation in order to cause a change in their bodies. Beginners should be careful with doing too much, as they have not yet built up the work capacity (how much you can do in a session) and recovery ability (how quickly and effectively you heal between sessions) that more advanced athletes have.

For beginners with an athletic or weightlifting background of any sort, progress will come fast, and there will be an initial period of quick strength and muscle gains (assuming the calisthenics movements require new muscle that has not previously been built) due to the new movements. 

Still, this group should be careful with too much calisthenics volume, as the joints and tendons will need to catch up to the rest of the body.

This is also the reason why we designed fundamentals the way they are.

Our quick recommendations for beginners:

If you can, start with 3-4 full body sessions a week at 60 min, but you will make progress even if you have less time, so fit the workouts into your schedule first and foremost.

Longer Explanation:

In terms of workout length and frequency, first and foremost, the workout schedule must fit the individual’s life.

If you only have 20 mins 4 times a week, then we start there. Forcing 2 hours, 2 times a week plan into this is impossible.

Consistency and adherence to a workout plan are by far the most important.

Assuming no time constraints, a complete beginner could start with a 1 day on/1 day off or 1 day on/2 days off workout schedule. This allows the athlete to get used to the workload gradually. Ideally, over time the 1 day on/2 days off group would move to 1 day on /1 day off or a Mon/Wed/Fri/Mon schedule or similar. 

Once acclimated, there should be no problem with training daily.

In terms of workout length, excluding the extreme options such as <10 mins or over 3 hours, there are no hard rules here. You may have heard of the ‘don’t exercise more than 1-hour’ myth which is based on an exaggeration of the effects of cortisol. Unless you are thrashing your body hard 5 hours a day non-stop for weeks, this won’t affect you.

In the beginning, you will either only be able to exercise for a short time, or you will take longer to do a certain amount of work. As you become more advanced, you will have the stamina and capacity to exercise harder for longer. You will also be able to do more work in less time with less rest. However, the exercises also get more difficult, which then requires more time and rest.

Ultimately, it’s important not to stress the details as a beginner. Find a comfortable starting point in terms of the number of workouts per week and length of workout, stay consistent, and gradually build from there.

Once you are done with the fundamentals, split training makes more sense as you are starting to train more advanced and technical skills, so you will see an uptake of skill work as well as endurance and muscle exercise in your training.

Our smart Ai will split the training according to the time you give it for optimal results and will make sure that you are not using the same muscle groups.

But please note that if you choose a longer workout 60min + you will see a full body split, so simply be aware of that.

Again, TMA is optimized to be flexible around you, your schedule, and your needs, not the other way around, so plan your workouts around your schedule, do your best to stick with it but know that even when you fall off and want to get back to pick it up, TMA will be here with an optimized workout no matter how much time you have in the day.