Strength Training

Carrie6o6
Carrie6o6 Posts: 1,443 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it ok to strength train everyday? I hear you need a day of rest so you don't harm yourself... But then some say you can work out everyday...

Replies

  • Carrie6o6
    Carrie6o6 Posts: 1,443 Member
    Is it ok to strength train everyday? I hear you need a day of rest so you don't harm yourself... But then some say you can work out everyday...
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
    It's ok to train every day if you're alternating your area's. I.E. 1 day chest, 1 day legs, 1 day core...etc.
    If you're doing it right, you should be too sore to strength train every day. There's a good reason for that, it takes 2 to 4 days for muscles to repair after proper strength training. Most trainers do recommend taking 1 day off a week though, usually because they break up their routines into 3 sets that they do 2 times a week, and that leaves an extra day.
  • Helawat
    Helawat Posts: 605 Member
    You can workout everyday but when you're strength training you need to give your muscles time to recover.

    According to a WebMD article on strength training you should, "rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. Many people choose to work the major muscle groups at a single session two or three times a week. If you'd rather lift weights every day, plan daily sessions for specific muscle groups. For example, on Monday work your arms and shoulders, on Tuesday work your legs, and so on.

    For most people, short sessions just two or three times a week are more practical than extended daily workouts. "You don't have to be in the weight room for 90 minutes a day to see results," Dr. Laskowski says. "You can be there 20 to 30 minutes two to three times a week and see significant improvement."

    Remember: Once you have overloaded the target muscle group you must then allow for proper recovery and over compensation. This means you must rest long enough to allow for recovery of the targeted muscle group, the nervous system, refill glycogen stores (Energy stored within your muscles), and also allow enough time for the muscles to make improvements or increases.

    This process takes time. Generally, it takes between 2-7 days to recover from a strength workout! The harder you work the longer it takes your body to repair. Don't short-circuit your progress by strength training too often!

    * Strength train no more than three times per week!
    * Perform 1-2 sets per exercise!
    * Choose 1-2 exercises for small muscle groups and 2-3 for large muscle groups. (ex. 2-3 exercises for legs, back, chest, and 1-2 for arms, shoulders, etc).
    * Choose no more than 8-10 exercises and work hard on them! . Always keep a record of all workouts! . Take each set to failure or fatigue!
    * Perform each exercise SLOWL V! Force the muscle to do the work -- NOT momentum!
    * As soon as you see a slow down in progress it's time to make a change to your program!

    Another article reinforces the time of the recovery process, "Muscles take between 4-7 days to fully recover from a workout and another 2-3 days for over-compensation to take place. It can also take up to 7-14 days for the neuro - muscular system to fully recover from a high intensity strength training session."


    References:
    http://menshealth.about.com/cs/fitness/a/strength_train.htm
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-training/HQ01627
    http://www.criticalbench.com/strength_training_muscle_recovery.htm
  • Carrie6o6
    Carrie6o6 Posts: 1,443 Member
    Thanks!

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