Can I Work Out Every Single Day?

Someone told me that I shouldn’t do back-to-back days of hard-core training or exercise. Is this true?

While it is okay to work out every day, there are some rules to follow in order to avoid overtraining. Rest and recovery are as important as the exercise itself, so follow these guidelines and you should be in the clear.

Don’t lift weights back-to-back

This is where your friend is right. When you do heavy resistance training your body needs adequate time to recover and regenerate. The day after a weightlifting workout is better followed by cardio, yoga, stretching or some light resistance on a different part of the body.

Sleep, relax, eat right

Some experts say that there’s no such thing as overtraining, just under-resting. Just look at the many thousands of athletes who train for hours every day. They avoid the symptoms of overtraining by adequately nourishing and resting their bodies between bouts of intensity. You may not be an elite athlete, but the same principles apply to everyone.

Take at least one day off per week

If you really make it to the gym six days in a row, good for you! But you should really take one day completely off to recover. And while you may not get rid of all the soreness in just 24 hours, you’ll still be doing yourself a big favor.

Listen to your body!

This is the best and most common advice I give to my own clients. Follow your instinct. Your ability to know what’s going on with your body is better than you think. Lack of calories, vitamins, water, or sleep; too much stress; excess wear and tear on a particular muscle or joint…these are all things that your body will tell you about. If you listen to your body it will steer you in the right direction.

Train hard and take care of yourself. Your body will thank you.