Is it OK to do cardio 7 days a week?

malejo01
malejo01 Posts: 6
edited September 28 in Fitness and Exercise
Or does your body need to rest one or two days?

Replies

  • jmafte
    jmafte Posts: 46
    There's nothing that says you can't do cardio everyday. The only reason that I've ever seen, is if you are feeling it the next day or two, you need a rest. Most people don't need a break from it though if they're not doing more than they can handle.
  • road2peachtree
    road2peachtree Posts: 294 Member
    the body needs to rest. Sometimes I do cardio 6 days and then maybe do something light like cleaning or walk the dog or go for a relaxed stroll on my off day but it's harsh on the body to push it 7 days a week...IMO anyway.
  • taldie01
    taldie01 Posts: 378
    my body needs a rest
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Your body needs to rest. Taking a day or two off gives your body a chance to repair/heal from working out. I used to push myself 7 days a week and found that I eventually wore my body out. You won't gain the weight back (or hinder weight loss) by giving your body a break. It'll thank you for it (and be ready to work harder the next time you work out!).
  • A_New_Horizon
    A_New_Horizon Posts: 1,555 Member
    I usually workout 6 days a week and rest 1 day. I find that my body needs time to regroup before we go back at it again. I do know people who workout 7 days a week. I think it is all up to the individual.
  • Angela4Health
    Angela4Health Posts: 1,319 Member
    Listen to your body. If you need to rest, just rest but if not, you should be fine. As a rule I like to make sure I take a rest day at least once every 2 weeks. That's usually all I need. Some people need rest more than that, and there's nothing wrong with that either.
  • kylakesgal
    kylakesgal Posts: 952 Member
    I see no reason why you can't do cardio everyday. I know I do....it's great to get your heart rate up daily. Now strength training on the other hand, I wouldn't do everyday because your muscles need time to repair themselves. Best of luck to you:)
  • jmafte
    jmafte Posts: 46
    Resting from working out ie, lifting weights, is different than resting from cardio.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Personally, if you're not training for an event, I wouldn't recommend cardio every day to a client. And usually, I always recommend at least one day a week of rest or very light activity.

    Now, if you MUST do all cardio, then I would answer it this way. It depends on how heavy your cardio work is. If you're doing 2 days a week of hard cardio (somewhere in the 80 to 85% max HR range for over 30 minutes) and 5 days a week of light to moderate cardio then I'd probably say you could do this, but that depends on the type of cardio as well. Things with relatively high impact and jarring effect can cumulatively make your life hell a few months or years down the road with cartilage and ligament damage and stress fractures. But if the cardio is more of a flowing motion, like swimming or even the bike, then I'd say there's less chance of that.

    But again, I'd say that 7 days of cardio isn't a great plan for general health and fitness, you need anaerobic work and muscle building activity or you're going to risk degrading muscle mass over time.
  • PeachyKeene
    PeachyKeene Posts: 1,645 Member
    If you feel like you want to do 7 days, then go for it. I do
  • ccbloom1
    ccbloom1 Posts: 82 Member
    Go for it! I did TurboFire for 80 days in a row, no rest days, and I only took a rest day because I had a few too many beers on Memorial Day and was in no shape for my workout when all the guests left from our party. Woops!

    I started right back up again, and I won't rest unless something like that comes up again or unless my body is just saying "take it easy"; however, on days like that, I just did a shorter, less intense workout.
  • aimdawson
    aimdawson Posts: 31
    your mind needs a rest too.
  • DonPendergraft
    DonPendergraft Posts: 520 Member
    Here's my definitive answer: it depends. Heh. But really, if you are jogging around the block every day, then sure, do it 7 days a week. But if you are putting in 75 miles a week, you need some rest. Unless you are Kenyan. I think they run every day and they seem to do just fine. But for us mortals, we need rest. Listen to your body. If you aren't tired and you aren't injured and aren't getting sick, then you may be OK. If you are tired, etc, it's your bodies way of saying it needs a break. If you skimp on rest days, then don't skimp on your sleep at least. Good luck.

    ETA: I generally run 5 days a week.
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