You love your exercise routine. It’s just perfect in every way. It feels so good, in fact, that you’re tempted to do that same exact workout day after day after day. Why try to fix what isn’t broken, right?
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But is repeating the same workout every day good for you? Well, it depends. Certified personal trainer Alena Beskur, CPT, explains why there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
Is it OK to do the same workout every day?
Fitness experts disagree on whether repetitive daily workouts are healthy and safe. “This is a controversial issue,” says Beskur. “For some people, doing the same workout every day is fine. But it really depends on you, your health and your goals.”
Doing the same cardio workout every day
Beskur says that doing the same type of cardio workout every day is generally OK for healthy people without underlying issues.
“But the intensity of the cardio affects people differently,” she notes. “Vigorous cardio every day can sometimes be too much. If you have heart or joint problems, for example, doing intense daily cardio workouts may not be safe or good for your body.”
Doing the same cardio workout five to seven days a week may be fine if you:
- Don’t have injuries.
- Choose an intensity appropriate to your fitness level.
- Get enough nutrition to fuel your workouts.
Beskur recommends getting some movement every day that’s appropriate to your health and fitness level. But that activity doesn’t have to be intense. Gardening, walking to the store, taking the stairs and many other daily tasks count as movement, too.
Doing the same strength workout every day
Hitting the weights in the exact same way every day isn’t considered ideal for most people, says Beskur.
When you lift heavy weights, your muscles actually tear a little. Taking a day off between workouts gives those taxed muscles time to recover and allows your body to flush out products like lactic acid that build up while lifting.
Resting between strength workouts also prevents oxidative stress (an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals in your body).
But if you want to hit the gym daily, there’s a way to blend strength-building workouts with the rest your muscles need to make repairs. The key is to work different muscle groups on different days.
“For example, it’s fine to do a leg workout on Monday, your arms on Tuesday and your back on Wednesday,” advises Beskur. “A rotation like this works well because even though you’re lifting every day, you’re giving each muscle group time to rest.”
But these guidelines don’t necessarily apply to everyone. A study on strength training frequency found that some people may not need a full rest day placed between workout days to recover.
For some, 24 hours between workouts may be enough — meaning you could potentially do the same weight training on consecutive days. (But Beskur notes that the study participants were fit, young and healthy, so the results don’t apply to everyone.)
What are the benefits of changing your workout routine?
Having a steady workout routine that fits your health and life is great. But changing things up can give you some significant benefits, says Beskur. Adding variation to your workout can:
- Challenge your body: New exercises help your body adapt and improve.
- Prevent boredom: Doing the same activity repeatedly can become a drag and eventually lower your motivation to exercise. Switching things up can keep workouts interesting.
- Work different muscle groups: Why let the same muscles have all of the fun? Different activities — even if it’s just trying a new cardio machine — can target and strengthen different areas of your body.
What are the benefits of taking breaks from your workout?
Even if you’re healthy and fit enough to work out every day, Beskur says there are notable benefits to taking days off. Breaks from exercising:
- Give your muscles time to heal: Muscle fibers tear and break down during heavy exercise. Building recovery time into your workout schedule allows muscles to repair and get stronger.
- Prevent injury from overtraining: Pushing too hard over too many days can lead to injuries that sideline you and keep you from working out. (And who wants that, right?)
- Replenish ATP (adenosine triphosphate): ATP fuels your muscles so they can contract and work hard as you exercise. Rest allows your body to build up your ATP levels.
But recovery days don’t mean sitting on the couch. You can and should be active. Beskur suggests gentle movement like stretching on rest days. (“I recommend stretching multiple times a day, throughout the day, if you can,” she adds.)
Another option? If you typically do intense exercises, try a “de-load week” where you continue to exercise but at a lower intensity. Dialing it down offers your muscles a chance to reset and recover.
And the best part about taking a rest break? Coming back to that regular workout will just reinforce how much you love doing it.
FAQs
According to Stewart, it's OK to do the same workout routine daily if the intensity is not too extreme. Frequency can be a good thing if it's done safely. However, varying your workouts can decrease overuse and optimize physical benefits.
Is it bad to do the same exercise everyday? ›
Beskur says that doing the same type of cardio workout every day is generally OK for healthy people without underlying issues. “But the intensity of the cardio affects people differently,” she notes. “Vigorous cardio every day can sometimes be too much.
Are no repeat workouts effective? ›
Often Little Muscle Tearing – You're usually going to only get one chance to work a major muscle group. So if you're trying to increase muscle mass by burning a muscle group out, this style of workout might not tackle that goal.
Is it okay to change workout everyday? ›
Prevent overuse injuries by switching up your routine and allowing your body time to recover, heal and strengthen. Don't let a familiar routine become a permanent one. Switch it up every couple months or once you start feeling like you've become comfortable with your current one.
Can I do a mix workout everyday? ›
Most Full body workouts( mixed workouts) are very taxing( tiring) for your body and you need atleast 48 hours to recover. So prefer doing only 3 mixed workouts a week.
Is it okay to workout 7 days a week? ›
Indeed, moving your body every day is beneficial, but going hard in the gym every day is not — period. "Lifting heavy weights and/or going at max intensity seven days a week is not going to be healthy," says Wickham. Training too hard too often can actually interfere with your ability to continue making gains, he says.
Will muscles grow if you workout every day? ›
The short answer is no. While there are many benefits to strength training, including building stronger bones and muscles and maintaining a healthy weight, you shouldn't lift weights every day. “The science for strength training is that two to three days per week is the best dose for most people.
Is 2 sets better than 3? ›
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) will break this down, suggesting the following set ranges: 2-3 will help build muscular endurance (12 to 20+ reps) 3-6 build muscular hypertrophy (6 to 12 reps) 3-5 build muscular power (3 to 5 reps)
Is No rest between sets bad? ›
The benefit of taking adequate rest time between sets is that it enables your muscles to eliminate waste faster, preventing it from building up and slowing you down. It also gives your muscles a chance to boost their energy supply for the next round, which means you can work out for longer before feeling fatigued.
Is 3 sets of 10 enough to build muscle? ›
Are 3 sets of exercises enough for building muscle? Building muscle, or hypertrophy, requires a greater training volume than just three sets. If you have some training experience and you are looking to build muscle, you would do 3 to 6 sets of each exercise and you would aim for two exercises per body part.
The bottom line. A 30-minute cardio workout is a safe activity for most people to do every day. However, people who have chronic health conditions may not be able to do as much cardio exercise. But it's still important to try to be as active as possible.
How many rest days a week? ›
Deciding how many rest days a week you should take depends on your fitness level and exercise intensity. But most people should aim for 1 to 3 rest days per week. You can use your rest days to support recovery by doing light exercise and working on mobility. Your workout schedule may not always go as planned.
How long should a workout be? ›
The ideal workout duration can vary significantly depending on the person, their goals, their preferences, and the exercise type. For weightlifting and bodyweight strength training, 45–60 minutes per session may suffice. Meanwhile, cardiovascular and calisthenic training may be better if performed for 30–60 minutes.
Can I do squats every day? ›
And that's one of the beautiful benefits of mastering the move: You can seamlessly incorporate it into your daily routine. “I tell my clients to do squats regularly wherever and whenever they can,” says Katrina Pilkington NASM-certified personal trainer who specializes in women and youth.
Is working out 2 hours a day too much? ›
Researchers found that the amount of exercise you get has a direct dose relationship to your heart health — the more you get, the healthier your heart will be — and they suggest two full hours a day of moderate exercise should be the new goal.
Is it okay to do pushups every day? ›
Doing 100 push-ups a day can be an impactful element of your overall strength-building and -maintaining routine. And you don't need to be at a gym to do them. “It's a quick and efficient way to strengthen some upper body muscles,” Rad says.
Is it bad to do cardio every day? ›
The bottom line. A 30-minute cardio workout is a safe activity for most people to do every day. However, people who have chronic health conditions may not be able to do as much cardio exercise. But it's still important to try to be as active as possible.
Does your body get used to the same workout? ›
This means if you undertake exercise that's physically challenging, your body will adapt to this stress to ensure the same activity feels slightly easier in the future. This mechanism of adaptation is both a blessing and a curse. The adage "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" can be applied here.
Is it bad to do the same workout two days in a row? ›
Generally speaking, yes, it's fine to work out the same muscles on back-to-back days — as long as you're not going to failure on either of those days, says Lindsay Ogden, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach at Life Time Athletic in Chanhassen, Minnesota.
How many days a week should you workout? ›
Generally, aim to exercise five days per week. Still, the number of days you work out may vary depending on your available time and fitness level. Try doing a mix of cardio and strength training exercises during the week. You can mix up the type of workouts you do across alternating days or on the same days.
