Is it better to alternate exercise?

dollaqie
dollaqie Posts: 74 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there, I am so confused now because I thought my exercise routine was ok but it turned out (well according to a colleque) that I must alternate exercise to e.g start on Monday with cardio and weights - arms, Tuesday cardio and weights - legs, Wednesday all out cardio, Thursday, cardio and buttocs and abs, Friday all out cardio again and Saturday - combine , what do you thing of this????

Replies

  • wlaurel
    wlaurel Posts: 43
    It is good to alternate your workout. Your body gets used to workouts, so they become less effective unless you switch up your schedule. Hope this helps
  • holliph
    holliph Posts: 88 Member
    Yes you want to alternate your exercise schedule and add more reps/weights every couple of days. Your body does recover within a day unless you injured it. You can do cardio everyday with at least 1 day of rest, but strength training you need to change up all the time. Never do the same workout day in day out.
    My program that I do changes it every time so it is every 5 days that I am doing a previous routine. I find that I can lift more reps in a set with the same weight or do fewer reps and the next weight up by the next time that same routine comes back around.

    Though do keep in mind, each body is different...and you do know your body. There are so many different programs out there, you need to find the one that works for you.

    What do you currently do?
    Do you work out at a gym or at home?
    If you are looking for more friends, I am always looking for more as well.

    I hope I was a help and If I can be any more help let me know
    Holli
  • dollaqie
    dollaqie Posts: 74 Member
    I currently do cardio everyday, treadmill for 20 min and rowing for 10 min, I then do a bit of arms and legs, and some abs, and I go to the gym, well I try to go 5 days a week if work permits.
  • Jwbear
    Jwbear Posts: 2 Member
    If your a beginner you'll do just fine changing your routine every few weeks. Daily alternating is really for the advanced. The idea behind it is to keep the body guessing and to maximize rest time because muscle grows during the rest periods between excercises. More muscle equals more calories burned. Some places that I started when I first began weight training was http://www.exrx.net/ and coreperformance.com. I'd start with exrx.net it's a free site, it has excellent "Beginner's Page" with articles on just about every basic question. The best part about that site is that it has very detailed examples and instructions for performing a wide range of excercises. Each excercise is accompanied by a .gif picture that shows a professional trainer performing the excercise with detailed instructions that include safety considerations and most effective technique. It really helped me a lot.
  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
    What are your goals? What do you do now?

    I'm doing stronglifts 5x5, which is a full body weight lifting routine every other day, sometimes an extra rest day. On non-lift days, I may walk or swim (very light cardio).

    But my main goal is to get stronger, while losing weight.

    If you have different goals, then you may need to do something different.

    The core of what your friend was saying is that you should not lift using the same muscle group 2 days in a row because you need rest to recover. You can do a split like your friend said, or you can do a full body routine with rest days in between.
  • redcat17
    redcat17 Posts: 267 Member
    It depends on your goals and how heavy you are lifting. If you are new to lifting I'm going to guess that your "heavy" is not so much, so doing full body workouts is not a bad idea, so long as you don't injure yourself, and take proper recovery time.

    If you are doing long cardio I'd do it on a separate day, but if its short interval or walking I wouldn't worry too much. Also, I'd throw in a bit of yoga one day a week for flexibility, particularly if you have a job or whatever that entails sitting for long hours.
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 784 Member
    bump
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,993 Member
    You can stick with the same routine for about 4-8 weeks depending on your fitness level. I change my routine once a month.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Hi there, I am so confused now because I thought my exercise routine was ok but it turned out (well according to a colleque) that I must alternate exercise to e.g start on Monday with cardio and weights - arms, Tuesday cardio and weights - legs, Wednesday all out cardio, Thursday, cardio and buttocs and abs, Friday all out cardio again and Saturday - combine , what do you thing of this????

    The key is that you do not want to work the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. Muscle is built during periods of rest and is actually broken down during the lifting/resistance phase. Personally, I try to work each group 3 times per week with at least one day in between. That means I have at least one day with either no exercise or a cardio day OR I will split out my core and lower body work outs one day during the week. Some weeks I may only have 2 sessions for a muscle group.

    There are some who suggest even as few as one workout on a muscle group during a week. I don't know all about that. My suggestion is to find somebody who has been where you are at and progressed to the point that you want to be and sort of follow what they did to get there. Best wishes on your journey.
  • dollaqie
    dollaqie Posts: 74 Member
    Thank you soo much, this did helped me alot............:wink:
  • nikkiprickett
    nikkiprickett Posts: 412 Member
    I've heard it's good to alternate...I always recommend new rules of lifting for women because the book has amazing
    information that I would've never known listening to other people assuming.

    The book also says you need a rest in between every workout and at max do 3 a week...unless you're a bodybuilder or something.
  • temp666777
    temp666777 Posts: 169
    Are you trying to lose body fat?

    Or are you trying to make your muscles bigger?

    The two issues are totally, utterly different.
  • dollaqie
    dollaqie Posts: 74 Member
    Lose body fat..............and then tone as well!!!

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