How bad is it to do weight machines 2 days in a row?

TexanInFlorida
TexanInFlorida Posts: 11
edited November 9 in Fitness and Exercise
I know you need to do a day off between resistance training sessions because muscle builds during rest.

But right now I'm doing a total body workout 3x/week on weight machines. I'm using moderate weight/high reps for toning rather than body building as I'm dropping weight.

It is so much easier for me to get lifts in on Saturday/Sunday rather than Saturday/weekday.

Can I get away with doing light, total body workouts on machines two days in a row?

PS I'll accept "no" LOL. I'm looking for advice not just wanting to hear what I want to hear.

Thanks
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Replies

  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    you should not work the same muscle group two days in a row, doesn't matter what machine you are using. Just don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    if you're worried about recovery time, just do upper/lower instead of total body.
  • journalistjen
    journalistjen Posts: 265 Member
    I agree--you're better off doing a split routine if you have to go two days in a row. Otherwise, at least do some kind of variations on the exercise and/or weight and/or intensity.
  • matthewmwhite
    matthewmwhite Posts: 1 Member
    Honestly, unless you're absolutely obliterating the muscle group, the danger isn't that you'll hurt yourself, you're just not going to get as much benefit as if you alternate groups.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    you should not work the same muscle group two days in a row, doesn't matter what machine you are using. Just don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.

    There are many athletes out there that would disagree with that statement.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    you should not work the same muscle group two days in a row, doesn't matter what machine you are using. Just don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.

    There are many athletes out there that would disagree with that statement.

    and they can disagree...whats your point?
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
    My opinion is it's ok if the goal is burning calories - if you keep the weight really light, it's not that different from running or doing the same cardio machine or calisthenics daily. Not as good as separating your days, but better than not going at all.

    But if you must do Sat/Sun, then a split program (or strength training one day, cardio one day) would be better because you can lift heavier, get more benefits, and still have less chance of injury.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    edited December 2014
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    you should not work the same muscle group two days in a row, doesn't matter what machine you are using. Just don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.

    There are many athletes out there that would disagree with that statement.

    and they can disagree...whats your point?


    His point is that you are wrong.

    eta: Athletes practice nearly every day. They use the same muscles day after day.
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.

    Tell that to Olympic Lifters, Norwegian powerlifters, Chinese Weightlifters, and various other athletes.

  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.

    bro, dyel?
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    edited December 2014
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    LolBroScience wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    you should not work the same muscle group two days in a row, doesn't matter what machine you are using. Just don't work the same muscle group two days in a row.

    There are many athletes out there that would disagree with that statement.

    and they can disagree...whats your point?

    My point is gold medals speak more highly than you do. They train intensely at a high frequency, and you think someone training at a lower level wouldn't be able to achieve this?

    There are non-competitive lifters who train at high frequency too, just fyi.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    he did say that he was not tryin to body build...
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    edited December 2014
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    he did say that he was not tryin to body build...

    Not the point. There are also lurkers who will read this thread and take your generalized advice unless people point out context and misinformation.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.

    There are benefits to training the same muscle group two days in a row. There are many programs out there that are built on that and used by advanced level lifters. Be careful bashing others athleticism with an absolute.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    he did say that he was not tryin to body build...

    which just drives home the point further that training the same group 2 days in a row won't be detrimental.

    OP, you'll be fine.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    he did say that he was not tryin to body build...


    Yeah... If he actually were trying to bodybuild, then working the same muscles two days in a row would probably be a bad idea. What he is doing? He'll be fine.

  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    marknulty240 wrote: »
    I know you need to do a day off between resistance training sessions because muscle builds during rest.

    But right now I'm doing a total body workout 3x/week on weight machines. I'm using moderate weight/high reps for toning rather than body building as I'm dropping weight.

    It is so much easier for me to get lifts in on Saturday/Sunday rather than Saturday/weekday.

    Can I get away with doing light, total body workouts on machines two days in a row?

    PS I'll accept "no" LOL. I'm looking for advice not just wanting to hear what I want to hear.

    Thanks

    I would personally do a lower body focus day on Saturday and and upper body focus day on Sunday. I think you would feel better (as a beginner) going that route instead of back to back full body days.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.
    That's hilarious. A lot of olympic lifting (snatch/clean & jerk) coaches have their athletes doing the same movements every day and squatting every day. I work out with one national level lifter who squats 9 times per week, yes, 9 times per week.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    glad i made you laugh..lol..
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.
    That's hilarious. A lot of olympic lifting (snatch/clean & jerk) coaches have their athletes doing the same movements every day and squatting every day. I work out with one national level lifter who squats 9 times per week, yes, 9 times per week.

    glad i made you laugh..lol..
  • LolBroScience
    LolBroScience Posts: 4,537 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    glad i made you laugh..lol..
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.
    That's hilarious. A lot of olympic lifting (snatch/clean & jerk) coaches have their athletes doing the same movements every day and squatting every day. I work out with one national level lifter who squats 9 times per week, yes, 9 times per week.

    glad i made you laugh..lol..

    uhhh... errr......wot?
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    edited December 2014
    marknulty240 wrote: »
    ...
    But right now I'm doing a total body workout 3x/week on weight machines. I'm using moderate weight/high reps for toning rather than body building as I'm dropping weight.

    It is so much easier for me to get lifts in on Saturday/Sunday rather than Saturday/weekday.

    Can I get away with doing light, total body workouts on machines two days in a row?
    ...

    OP,
    Although resting a day between workouts on any given muscle group is optimal/preferred, there's nothing detrimental about what you're doing, especially given your goals.

    Best of luck to you.


    *ETA: I usually do heavy (5 reps, 1-5 sets), full body 2-3 non-consecutive days a week. On those rare occasions I can go more often or have to go back-to-back, I do upper-lower split.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    glad i made you laugh..lol..
    kelly_e_montana wrote: »
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    and if you are any kind of an athlete, you should know not to work the same muscle group back to back.
    That's hilarious. A lot of olympic lifting (snatch/clean & jerk) coaches have their athletes doing the same movements every day and squatting every day. I work out with one national level lifter who squats 9 times per week, yes, 9 times per week.

    glad i made you laugh..lol..

    Trying to play it off like it was a joke? You made a very incorrect statement like it was fact and insulted a guy with many years of lifting experience. If it was meant to be a joke it wasn't funny.
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    edited December 2014
    It probably wont be a problem for what you are describing. There are really no absolutes in fitness.

    Intense high volume training for multiple days in a row might eventually burn you out, stop being effective, make it hard to recover from and/or lead to injury. Its also not necessary for just general health and fitness but that doesnt mean it is bad for everyone or that you could not build up to that level depending on what your goals were.

    I have done some back to back workouts and had great workouts but, in general, I need more time to recover than that so I do an upper/lower program.

  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Also the idea that moderate weight for higher reps is for toning and not body building is also mostly incorrect. The "body building" part of most programs are exactly that, moderate weights in higher reps ranges.

    For most people "toning" means maintaining your current muscle and losing body fat. You can do this this with a variety of rep ranges and your calories/nutrient intake will determine the rest.

    So maybe you could do a heavier workout on Saturday and then a lighter workout the next day as another option. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will start losing the body fat while maintaining/strengthening your muscle.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    so, all jokes and bashing aside, you guys are suggesting that he do a lower/upper body split, is that not making my statement correct by me sayin not to work the same muscle group two days back to back...seriously?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    so, all jokes and bashing aside, you guys are suggesting that he do a lower/upper body split, is that not making my statement correct by me sayin not to work the same muscle group two days back to back...seriously?

    Just because we offered alternate solutions doesn't make you right. He can do the same workout back to back just fine if he wants to. You said it was a horrible idea to do that and even real athletes don't do workout the same muscle group back to back, which was wrong.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    IndianCat3 wrote: »
    so, all jokes and bashing aside, you guys are suggesting that he do a lower/upper body split, is that not making my statement correct by me sayin not to work the same muscle group two days back to back...seriously?

    people are suggesting an upper/lower split to make things easier, help recovery, and maybe get a better workout.

    suggesting that is not the same as saying it's bad to work the same group 2 days in a row, as you did, so high-and-mighty.
  • IndianCat3
    IndianCat3 Posts: 158 Member
    well, that was my opinion which i always gotten from Personal Trainers. Im not gonna apologize for it either. Doing the split lower and upper is the best choice. I never said it was BAD, i said that you shouldn't do it, you can easily injure yourself and muscles need time to grow. that is all.
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