OK to do arm exercises every day?

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anbtjp
anbtjp Posts: 51 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I googled this topic and couldn't find a straight answer. I have always heard that you work a muscle group and then let it rest a day before working it again. Does this also apply to the arms?

I am 222 lbs and very weak. I do 20 - 30 mins of cardio 6 times a week. I bought 3lb, 5lb, and 8lb hand weights. I have been doing counter push ups because I can't even do the girly version of push ups on the floor. I want to get stronger!

I did Jillian Michaels armed and dangerous yesterday and doing 20 reps of each exercise was difficult (I used the 5 lb weights) Today I am not sore. Is it ok for me to do them again today, along with my counter push ups I've been trying to do every day?

Thanks in advance for any input!!

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    In general, I'm going to say that using 5 lb. weights two days in a row isn't going to be problematic because they aren't too heavy. At 20 reps that's more of an endurance/cardio type exercise rather than strength training. However, if this is your first foray into exercising (or first in a long time) I would suggest waiting a day in between using them. My concern is that sometimes when we first start out the excitement of getting on a program can make us really gung ho and the first exercise session feels great, second might too, but then by the third day it could be "whoa, my elbows/shoulders/some other part really hurts." So I, personally, would give it a couple of weeks before trying two days in a row.
  • anbtjp
    anbtjp Posts: 51 Member
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    Thank you!

    Do you know what I should be doing instead for my arms? I am wanting to build muscle in my arms so that when I lose the fat there I will have some shape underneath. I have about 80 lbs to lose and want to be building muscle as I lose the fat.
  • alejandro_08
    alejandro_08 Posts: 25 Member
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    It depends. Seems like your doing what's called "break in" training which is basically getting into the groove of things I.e. your workout. What I would suggest is doing this particular workout for about 5 days straight. So Monday thru Friday. The following Monday begin to write down how many reps you did and the time it took you to do it as well as the weight used. Every single workout you should look to increase the amount of weight used, increase the amount of reps done and also decrease the amount of time it takes to do it. Not all three but at least one of them each workout. This is progressive overload at its basic. Always challenge your body to do what it couldn't do last workout. I have a workout diary I write everything from weight used reps time to even how I felt sometimes I'll write "use more weight" or "felt tired need more rest in between sets". Its about progressing every time! I can go on and on lol.
  • anbtjp
    anbtjp Posts: 51 Member
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    Lol! Thank you for the advice! I am definitely going to try that.
  • Teanim3
    Teanim3 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi! I like to give advice where I can if I can help. Training as everyday is perfectly fine. Training any muscle group or full body every day is fine if you are wanting to do either of the following:
    Build strength for a particular reason
    Shape a particular region
    Define a particular muscle / group

    There is nothing wrong with working it daily. I did body weight dip variants and pull up variants 6 days a week for 45mins before doing my actual workout for the day so I could build up the strength needed to complete a ring muscle up. I now also work hamstrings & glutes 4 days a week to lift, shape and grow my butt and grow my hamstrings.
    I hope that helps.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    anbtjp wrote: »
    Thank you!

    Do you know what I should be doing instead for my arms? I am wanting to build muscle in my arms so that when I lose the fat there I will have some shape underneath. I have about 80 lbs to lose and want to be building muscle as I lose the fat.

    At my starting point, I was 202.5 and very out of shape. I started out with a 50/50 mix (3 days of each, alternated) of walking and doing the Nerd Fitness beginner's bodyweight workout. That workout is a circuit and it helped me build some strength while also giving me an extra bit of cardio. I started out with only 2 times through the circuit and I had to do reduced reps for squats and lunges (I think I did 5 or 6 reps for those and I had to hold onto a chair for lunges.) I also did knee pushups and then moved to a counter and then eventually full pushups but as I transitioned between the types I would do as many as I could the harder way and then finish the set with the easier way so I'd get up to however many reps I needed to do.

    After 2-3 months, I moved to this bodyweight workout. If you click on the exercises he has a lot of progressions that you can try. I did dumbbell rows on top of that routine too though because I just really like them. I eventually moved on to lifting regular weights but the bodyweight routines really did help with my arms. I'd avoided tank tops for years until last summer and even though I still didn't have the thinnest arms last summer, they were in good enough shape that I felt comfortable with them in tanks.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    To be honest, if you want to get stronger, you'd probably be better off doing lower reps with higher weights. Doing 20 reps with 5-pound weights is going to get your heart rate up and work your endurance, not make you stronger.
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    This is a tricky scenario.. simply because one's recovery to resistance training may vary from another's. However, I'll try share what info I've gathered:

    When training, if lifting 'heavy' (anything below 8-10 repetitions) means you are generally 'strength training', this form of training needs more recovery time before working the muscle group again.

    When performing a lighter weight, and more repetitions (12 and above) you should be able to recover quicker, and 'damage' the muscle much less than when strength training.

    When training higher repetitions, generally one would feel like they've still worked a muscle, however not so exhausted after a workout. When training heavier, you'll feel more drained of energy.

    Basically, if you're training lighter weight and more reps, your muscle COULD recover quicker. I do not however recommend you work a particular muscle group every day though.
    I would leave a minimum of 48 hours rest period before working a single muscle group, simply to allow it to recover enough to start damaging it again.

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