Should You Lift Weights Every Day?
Ben Greenfield
Should You Lift Weights Every Day? Â
Should You Lift Weights Every Day? Â Several Get-Fit Guy listeners have written in with questions about how often to lift weights. Is it best to choose a specific body part for each day of the week? Or is it better to simply do a “full body routine” a few times a week? Here are 3 simple rules for lifting weights:Â
- Consider your body type. As an experienced personal trainer, I’ve found skinny people respond best to a full body weight training routine performed 2-4 days per week, whereas more muscular or overweight people respond to full body weight training or a routine that splits up body parts throughout the week, such as chest and back on Monday, shoulders and arms on Tuesday, legs and abs on Wednesday, off day on Thursday, and repeat.
- Consider alternatives. Rather than just choosing full body or body parts workouts, try alternatives, such as a push-pull routine (do pushing exercises one day, then pulling exercises the next day), an upper body-lower body routine (upper body exercises one day, and lower body the next day) or a routine that focuses on specific skills for each day of the week, such as balance, explosiveness, or strength.
- Allow for recovery. No matter what type of routine you choose, remember that if a muscle is effectively stressed during a workout, it will take a minimum of 48-72 hours to recover, which is why you should never do the same weight training routine on consecutive days.
Over at the Get-Fit Guy website, under the Strength Training tips section, you can find sample weight training routines.Â
Weights image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.