lifting daily...should it be done?

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jenncornelsen
jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
hi! so i have heard so much debate on this im struggling to decide what to do. i workout daily but at this point i strength train maybe twice a week. i would like to increase this but having two young children i do not have hours at a time to dedicate to it. would there be any disadvantage to doing 20 minutes each day? i have a bowflex and free weights that i use. i really do enjoy lifting and would like to do a bit each day...but not if it would risk injury.

also as i side topic i have heard u can't build muscle while trying to lose weight. this seems.....odd? anyways input would be much appreciated

Replies

  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
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    You can build strength but not really muscle mass as you are eating at a deficit so aren't fueling your muscles to grow.
    You could lift everyday but you would have to make sure to work different body parts so you didn't lift the same areas again the next day. Muscles strengthen during rest (as they repair).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Not really a good idea...even if you're doing a split, most people only lift 4x weekly. As a novice you'd be better off with a full body routine for which you would do 3x weekly...also as a novice you would benefit most from doing an actual established program...willy nilly making up your own thing is likely to cause all kind of unwanted issues and you're just not going to see the kind of progress you want in a timely fashion.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    i have been lifting for many years i am just now looking at having a set routine. i am looking more because with just 20-30 min available per day im not getting much in.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    i am currently doing a full body routine. or as much as i can with the allotted time
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited March 2015
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    jenncornelsen wrote: »
    i am currently doing a full body routine. or as much as i can with the allotted time

    then you most definitely shouldn't be lifting every day...the benefits of lifting come with rest. If you're working the same muscles day in and day out, you're doing yourself a disservice and basically just spinning your wheels.

    I've been lifting on and off since I was 13 and I'm 40...I still do a full body routine, it's just more advanced than a novice routine. I don't have time for a bro split.
  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    i just felt with 20-30min at a go i wasnt getting much in. maybe theres certain exercises i could do that would give me more bang for my buck so to speak? i do planks and push ups and squats but most others are focusing on just one muscle group
  • rez2012
    rez2012 Posts: 39 Member
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    Yea you can lose weight and build muscle at the same time. I did it. However, when you build lean muscle and burn your fat off, you need to remember that muscle weighs more than fat so you might break even on your weight once you're doing right. Well that's what happened to me. I gained more than what I started. However, there's a lot of factors to it, like body type, metabolism, intensity of workout etc...very complex.
  • deviboy1592
    deviboy1592 Posts: 989 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Everybodies body is different, therefore what works for one person might not work for another. I'm in the same boat as you. I do chest/back/shoulders, legs, then arms, and depending on how my body feels I might start it all over again or do cardio. But i always switch up the exercises. I focus more on compound then isolation and I do 4 sets of 6-10 reps. But that all depends on your goal and what your trying to achieve. I also keep my workouts around 20 min. I'm trying to gain size. Maybe do some reading and see what suits you. I have noticed improvements with my workout routine this way.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    lift daily, or die weak.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Spend all your time lifting, and talk about lifting between sets.
  • rick_po
    rick_po Posts: 449 Member
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    For a beginner, it depends on how heavy you're lifting. You need to lift heavy (near failure at 3-8 reps per set) to make good progress on a beginner strength program. You also need to add weight frequently, at least once a week. For a beginner linear progressive strength program, you'll need about 48 hours of rest between workouts.

    If you're doing higher reps (like 12-20), or if you're not adding weight at least once a week, then you can workout more often. You're not really doing a good strength program, so you don't need as much rest.

    If you don't have time for a full body routine, you can do a 2-way split of some kind (upper/lower, or push/pull) and workout 4 days a week. Your progress will be quite a bit slower, but you'll still make progress.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    I'm interested in thoughts on this... Bret Contreras wrote a blog post on daily training, curious to know what people here think

    http://bretcontreras.com/daily-training/

    Lots of info in the comments, too
  • deviboy1592
    deviboy1592 Posts: 989 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    I'm interested in thoughts on this... Bret Contreras wrote a blog post on daily training, curious to know what people here think

    http://bretcontreras.com/daily-training/

    Lots of info in the comments, too

    You have to find what works for you, I love lifting everyday, my problem before hand was I was incorporating to many isolation exercises and not enough compounds. But you have to figure out what works best for you. My body can recover fast (I believe) and I keep putting my weights up. Unless I feel to tired or sore, I'll always exercise. You have to listen to your body. See what it says to you, take what you can from that article and implement it into your lifestyle. It's all about trial and error till you find what's right.
  • LiftAndBalance
    LiftAndBalance Posts: 960 Member
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    Nia Shanks has two programmes that say the workouts only take approximately 30 minutes each: 3x3x3 and Better Body by Minimalism.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,459 Member
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    deviboy1592 wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    I'm interested in thoughts on this... Bret Contreras wrote a blog post on daily training, curious to know what people here think

    http://bretcontreras.com/daily-training/

    Lots of info in the comments, too

    You have to find what works for you, I love lifting everyday, my problem before hand was I was incorporating to many isolation exercises and not enough compounds. But you have to figure out what works best for you. My body can recover fast (I believe) and I keep putting my weights up. Unless I feel to tired or sore, I'll always exercise. You have to listen to your body. See what it says to you, take what you can from that article and implement it into your lifestyle. It's all about trial and error till you find what's right.

    All good points - thanks :)
  • rez2012
    rez2012 Posts: 39 Member
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    Honestly it's all about the nutrition. I like to think its 80% diet 20% gym. However, don't BS a workout. I want to die when I workout...but you need to kill yourself to be reborn.

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