Is it efficient to work out 7 days a week?

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Rinflozeu
Rinflozeu Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have no problem working out every day of the week, but is it the most efficient way to do it? Or does the body needs a day to recover?

Thx.
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Replies

  • KharismaticKayteh
    KharismaticKayteh Posts: 322 Member
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    I don't think there's anything wrong with working out every day, but if you're looking to build muscle, you need to allow yourself time to recover.

    When you work out hard enough, you're literally tearing muscles (which is okay, despite how violent it sounds). Muscles build when protein fills in and scars over those tears. If you keep working out, however, you're continually tearing the muscle and not allowing it to fill in and scar.
  • genefabes
    genefabes Posts: 132
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    I'm guilty of running every single morning which probably isn't the best thing especially since I stand all day at work. It's my zen time in the morning and if I don't run my dog to exhaustion she will be a maniac while I'm at work. I do at least alternate distance and intensity between consecutive days.

    i definitely couldn't and wouldn't strength train seven days a week. are you splitting up your muscle groups? like say biceps and back one day, legs and abs the next, then triceps and shoulders?
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    You build muscle whilst you rest.
    Plus you will end up burning out... trust me..
  • vtmoon
    vtmoon Posts: 3,436 Member
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    Depending on how you are working out. If you are doing exercises that cause a lot of muscle tear (weight lifting and resistance) then recovery is needed. If you are doing exercises that are normal human motions (running, walking and most normal cardio) then you don't really need the rest.
  • ellie319
    ellie319 Posts: 139 Member
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    Cardio or strength training,you require at least two days of rest.If you dont you run the risk of injury,Im not
    Saying be sedentary but dont push your body more than neccessary.
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
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    It could be, granted that you vary the intensity. You can't go hard 7 days straight without burning out. If you do 7 days, make sure you have a few easy days in between the hard days.
  • jrig9463
    jrig9463 Posts: 7
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    yeah are you doing cardio or anaerobic workouts?
    if it's weights :
    back and bi's (and forearms)
    chest and tri's
    then legs (thighs)
    are generally more common groupings
    they work better because the exercises use the same muscle groups
    then two days of rest between each group
    add in shoulders and calves when you have energy after any of the above 3 workouts
    if it's cardio :
    don't know, but I've heard it's good to get your metabolism going as soon as you wake up (e.g. a morning jog and eating breakfast) and I'd say everyday would be best partially because of the post exercise bonus calories burned each time you exercise. i try to cycle 1-3 hours at least 5 times per week, but find my legs and body can be quite fatigued if i don't give them a rest day here or there, but some of those training sessions can be pretty full on.
    let me know if you get a definitive answer ..
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Rest is just as, if not more important than exercise.
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    i think its too much, a day off is needed to rest and you'll just get burnt out.... i do anyways lol
  • jrig9463
    jrig9463 Posts: 7
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    nah not two days. that would mean you could only train two and a bit days a week. it also depends on the intensity of the workout.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Rest is just as, if not more important than exercise.

    ^^^ This

    Your rest day, however, does not mean you need to sit on your butt watching TV. Walk, ride your bike (at a leisurely pace) - low impact, low intensity.

    You also didn't mention what kind of workouts you're doing. If you're alternating days for strength & cardio, for example, you've already built a certain amount of recovery time into your program.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
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    Rest days are IMPERATIVE.
    If you work out 7 days a week you are setting yourself up for failure and injury.
    REST.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I too could workout 7 days a week but there is real importance in working in a rest day a couple times a week... I vary my training so my rest day never falls on the same day.. Now on my rest day, I still incorporate some stretching and maybe a light walk, nothing strenuous, I just prefer to not spend my rest day on the couch... Best of Luck
  • jhungate
    jhungate Posts: 95 Member
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    You should not do the same workout every day, need to mix it up. I run as my primary exercise but i only do it 5-6 days a week, I bike and/or do Zumba on the off days. You need to give you body time to recover.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    Rest is just as, if not more important than exercise.

    yup. think of this as a table and cardio, strength training, diet, and rest are the legs that hold it up.

    i know that in the beginning, you don't want to lose momentum. so consider things like yoga, cycling, walking, or swimming as an active rest day.

    sometimes on my rest days, i'll do my warm up, and then a big stretching session. my warm up is http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/01/09/warm-up/ 2-3 minutes of jump rope, 50 jumping jacks, 20 body weight squats, 5 lunges (each leg), 10 hip extensions, 5 hip rotations each leg, 10 forward leg swings (each leg), 10 side leg swings (each leg)
    10-20 push ups, 10 spiderman steps. then i'll stretch for twenty minutes.
  • docscottj
    docscottj Posts: 8 Member
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    There are a few ways to group muscles when doing resistance training. I like to do chest/back and arms/legs. If you do arms, it's important to go shoulders triceps biceps in that order because they have a hierarchy in working together, so you don't want to tire biceps before working shoulders, as you won't have enough energy to work shoulders.

    Keep up the great work!!
  • bruceinthepit88
    bruceinthepit88 Posts: 136
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    How about to make the rest day active I just skip the resistance training and just do the cardio, say 40 minutes of 300 Calories burnt?
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
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    Right now, I'm exercising every day, sometimes twice per day. For heavy lifting, I'm giving my muscles rest days but I am doing cardio, yoga and started doing some belly dancing. I'm also listening to my body because that is important.
  • a_new_dawn
    a_new_dawn Posts: 517 Member
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    I did the 30 day shred in 30 days straight and a MASSIVE burnout followed. I felt so tired and needed sleep so badly but I just could not physically switch off and fall asleep. When I was lucky enough to drift off, I would wake up, 3-4 times per night feeling all breathless with my heart racing... Almost like a mini panic attack. I heard that this is quite common if your body is seriously overworked. I learnt the hard way that rest is vital, and I always take one rest day per week..whether I want to or not.
  • sandhillsmom
    sandhillsmom Posts: 319 Member
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    I am doing something every day to work out but each day is different. I do 30-40 minutes of cardio, either walking or treadmill time 5 days a week. I do an hour of yoga 2 days a week, and I do an hour of circuit training 3 times a week. No matter how I spread it out I am doing at least one of the activities each day. The only activity I do back to back days is cardio. Circuits get a day or 2 break between sessions as well as a day between yoga. So far it's working for me. :smile:

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