Working out every day?

Hi everyone,I am 36 and working hard on losing inches,getting muscular and toned.I have an elliptical and a Jillian Michaels ultimate bodyshop(much like the total gym). As of now I am working out every other day,usually for between 45 min to an hour-splitting my time between the two machines and also some situps and ab work.However I have days when I would love to workout even though I just did it the day before.I keep hearing not to work every day,but I am not lifting heavy and the elliptical is little to no impact so my question is should I listen to my body and go ahead and work out when I feel like it? I think that makes sense,but I don't want to hurt myself either.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Allow yourself at least one full rest day. You may also want to consider increasing the intensity of a particular session. I workout 6 days per week, I have 3 intense cardio HIIT days and I have three heavy lift days where I also do cardio, but it is really no more than a good paced walk for 30 minutes.

    Remember, cardio is largely for the heart...you heart needs a rest just like any other muscle in the body...going all out cardio 6-7 days per week would be putting quite a strain on the heart in my estimation.
  • crazygunchick
    crazygunchick Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks! Right now I am not killing the cardio,but I do what feels like a mild jog on the elliptical for around 20-30 min.I would like to increase that to an hour eventually.
  • RacerX7
    RacerX7 Posts: 1 Member
    I work out every day. I rotate muscle groups. I try to prevent injury by making sure I'm warmed up and stretched properly. I'm running a calorie deficit for fat loss/toning. To maintain and grow muscle I take protein supplements.

    Remember, muscle does not grow from the exercise, it grows during recovery, while its repairing its buring up calories as well. You need to give your muscles time to recover. You can work out as much as you want, to the point you still feel comfortable the next day (like you worked out, but not overy painful). But skip of use those muscles in light exercise every other day. If I get to the point I'm really sore I usually take a day and do stretch exercises.

    I always watch what I eat, its not 100% clean but am always in deficit... I don't take protein supplements on "off" days, just vitamins, etc. This works for me.
  • crazygunchick
    crazygunchick Posts: 15 Member
    Awesome thanks!!
  • Allow yourself at least one full rest day. You may also want to consider increasing the intensity of a particular session. I workout 6 days per week, I have 3 intense cardio HIIT days and I have three heavy lift days where I also do cardio, but it is really no more than a good paced walk for 30 minutes.

    Remember, cardio is largely for the heart...you heart needs a rest just like any other muscle in the body...going all out cardio 6-7 days per week would be putting quite a strain on the heart in my estimation.

    Okay, what is HIIT?
  • A personal trainer told that I should be doing cardio at least 45 minutes three times a week, and strength training 2 times a week..leaving two days for rest. The strength training should focus on different muscle groups...like back and shoulder, or abs and legs. I'm not an expert on strength training, I'm just learning. But he mentioned that the biggest benefits of cardio occurs when you hit the 45 minute mark.
  • crazygunchick
    crazygunchick Posts: 15 Member
    High intensity interval training(I had to look it up,lol):happy:
  • kd80538
    kd80538 Posts: 97 Member
    Awesome thanks!!

    HIIT = High Intensity Interval Training...
  • crazygunchick
    crazygunchick Posts: 15 Member
    Is it working for you? I prefer more strength days than two,but thats just me.
  • Juliejustsaying
    Juliejustsaying Posts: 2,332 Member
    I recommend adding weight training, made all the difference in the world to my body. But yes, I do have rest days...I find I need them, and I always see the drop in weight the day after a rest day.
  • crazygunchick
    crazygunchick Posts: 15 Member
    I use my Jillian ultimate body shop for weight training,it uses your own body weight(plus resistance cords) like the total gym.I was using hand weights before I got it,and it has helped me so much