{"id":48919,"date":"2016-04-11T07:15:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-11T11:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=48919"},"modified":"2022-04-27T07:06:56","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T11:06:56","slug":"strength-training-every-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/strength-training-every-day\/","title":{"rendered":"How Often Should You Do Strength Training?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Should
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When it comes to getting the most out of every workout, there\u2019s nothing quite like strength training<\/a>. Besides burning major calories in the gym, resistance training\u00a0builds muscle, strengthens bones, boosts metabolism and might even fight belly fat better than doing cardio alone<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But should you sprint straight to the squat rack every damn day? Not so fast.<\/p>\n

How Much Is Too Much Strength Training?<\/h3>\n

Strength training and its benefits are all about balancing stress and recovery. Every time you perform a strength exercise, you create microscopic tears in the muscles you\u2019ve worked. So when you take some time off from working that muscle, its fibers are able to repair themselves and come back<\/a> stronger than they were before, explains Tennessee-based personal trainer and strength coach Hannah Davis, C.S.C.S. On the flip side, if you tax the same muscles every day, you aren\u2019t them the time they need to actually become stronger, she says. Instead, you\u2019ll risk overtraining and lackluster results.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 3 Muscles Women Neglect Most<\/a><\/p>\n

So how often should you strength train? It depends on exactly what you\u2019re doing to build strength. Let us break it down for you a bit.<\/p>\n

If You\u2019re Lifting Weights\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As a general rule of thumb, you should shoot for hitting the weight room three days per week, says Gavin McHale, a Winnipeg-based kinesiologist and certified exercise physiologist. And, during each visit, you should hit most (if not all) of your major muscle groups, performing one \u201cbig\u201d lift, like a squat, bench press, along with various \u201csmaller\u201d ones like shoulder presses, leg abductions, lat pull-downs, curls and lunges.<\/p>\n

By performing total-body strength workouts like this, you stress each muscle group enough to build strength<\/a>, but not so much that you have to take multiple days off between each strength workout, he says. Plus, you\u2019ll have time to enjoy other activities (softball, yoga, walking, you name it) on a more recreational basis, he says. Those active recovery or cross-training days will actually help you get more from each pound of iron lifted. Not only will they get the blood flowing, they \u201ccan provide more oxygen and nutrients to those sore, torn muscles and speed up recovery time,\u201d Davis says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 5 Keys to Exercise Recovery<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, if you really wanted to lift weights five-plus days a week, you could do it. You would just have to work different body parts on different days to prevent overtraining. But that\u2019s both complicated and requires spending more time in the gym than most of us have, McHale says.<\/p>\n

The best rule of thumb: Listen to your body, and remember that your lifting schedule can evolve over time. For instance, if you feel very sore<\/a> for more than a couple of days, if you notice your workout performance declining, or overall, you just feel fatigued all of the time, you may need to space your weightlifting sessions out a bit more, Davis says. Or, if you want to stick with a three-per-week schedule, perform a couple fewer exercises per workout. That is, until you start to get stronger and feel like you can take on more work without feeling spent. And trust us, you will<\/em> get stronger.<\/p>\n

\"Burpees
Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If You’re Doing Mostly Bodyweight Exercises\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Bodyweight exercises are ideal for strength training newbies. That\u2019s because, not only do they allow you to focus on the movements without worrying about dumbbells and barbells, they are generally less difficult than their weighted versions. (Less weight = less difficulty.)<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> Hate Crunches?\u00a06 Better Core Exercises for Beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

The fact that they are easier, though, also means that you can perform them more often without risking overtraining, McHale says. In theory, most people, even newbs, can safely perform bodyweight exercises five to seven days per week (hello, Daily Burn 365!).<\/p>\n

How often you choose to get in a bodyweight workout<\/a> should depend on exactly what you\u2019re doing during each no-equipment workout, Davis says. For instance, pull-ups and box jumps are going to tax your body way more than tricep dips will. As will high-intensity circuits. As a general rule, plan to hit your bodyweight workouts anywhere from six to three days per week, remembering that the more intense your workouts, the more recovery you\u2019ll need to work in. Listening to your body is critical in finding that balance, Davis says.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Signs\u00a0It\u2019s Time to Take a Rest Day<\/a><\/p>\n

Also remember that with bodyweight workouts<\/a>, as you get stronger, you\u2019ll likely have to perform more reps to get the same muscle-building effect, McHale says. After all, unless you are using TRX straps<\/a> for your bodyweight work, you can\u2019t really adjust an exercise\u2019s difficulty without performing more reps. When you get to the point that you\u2019re performing more than 20 reps or so per set, consider adding weight. That way, you can perform fewer reps of each exercise, helping to both save you time as well as excess stress on your joints.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If You\u2019re Doing Core Work\u2026 <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Whether it\u2019s with weights or bodyweight moves<\/a>, you generally don\u2019t want to work the exact same muscle two days in a row or you\u2019ll risk overtraining. \u201cThe core is an exception to the rules,\u201d Davis says. \u201cThe core is not easily over trained and can be trained back-to-back, even seven days per week.\u201d<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 3 Quick and Easy Moves to Strength Your Abs<\/a><\/p>\n

That said, for the sake of having a life outside of your core workouts<\/a>, it\u2019s best to simply integrate a few core exercises into each of your workouts, strength training or otherwise, McHale says. Bonus: A lot of great core exercises, like planks<\/a>, can double as back, leg, and even shoulder strengthening moves.<\/p>\n

Not a Daily Burn member? Sign up at\u00a0dailyburn.com<\/a>\u00a0and start your free 30-day trial today.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Want the most bang for your buck at the gym? Here\u2019s the perfect amount of strength training you need, depending on your workout style.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,6,14],"tags":[281,341,343,154,99],"class_list":["post-48919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exercise","category-fitness","category-strength-training","tag-strength-training","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2exercise","tag-weight-training","tag-weightlifting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/57"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48919\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}