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Is It Okay To Work Out Every Day?

14th Jun 19

Working out every day seems to be something everyone wishes that they could do. It’s actually a common thought that that’s the healthiest possible way to live your life and get your results. What a lot of people don’t always think about, though, is how that affects your body and your health as a whole. Before you even try to work out every day, you need to know why it might not be the best idea for you in the long and the short term.

There are multiple areas of your health that are affected other than your muscles or your weight. That’s what a lot of people are quick to forget about. It’s completely understandable, but it’s vital information to know if you want to do what’s right for your body.


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Body Needs To Recover

People running on a treadmill

First and foremost, when thinking about working out every day and the impact, it’s going to have on your recovery. After a workout, it’s the recovery time that makes the difference. That’s when you’re giving your body time to make the changes that exercising brings about and repairs whatever you’ve done.

If you’re weight training, it helps to build back the muscle tissue that has been torn to build muscle or improve strength, and even replace the glycogen stores of your muscles. If you’re training for weight loss, it helps to put your body in check and find the fruits of your work. You need it, either way, to recover from your workout. That’s the bottom line.

Progression Stops

Working out every day means that your progression takes a big hit. You’d think that the more work you do, the more you get out, but that isn’t the case. If you’re over-exercising, you really put your progression at risk. You’re not giving yourself time to allow your work to set in. Things in your body just don’t happen that fast, and they need time.

Worse still, you may find yourself hitting a plateau. You won’t be allowing your body to be in its prime at any point, and that can have a huge hit on your performance at the time, as well as after. How are you going to do your best if you’re still tired from yesterday?

Injury Risk

With all of this exercise taking place on a daily basis, there’s another issue that comes about too. Not only does working out every day hurt your recovery and your progress, but it can also seriously hurt your body too. You are extremely likely to suffer an injury like tendonitis or tendinosis, and that’s never good. A repetitive strain injury is bound to happen at some point if you’re exercising too frequently. That’s the nature of what it is.

If you do suffer one of these injuries, in the long run, you may be out of your training for weeks, if not months. That’s going to take a massive toll on your health across the board. Your progress will reduce quite drastically, and it can do serious damage to your motivation as well. It’s not a good move.

Life Balance / Addicted To Fitness

woman working out

One point that you desperately need to keep in mind, too, is your mental well-being. It’s easy to become lost in your training or start to over-exercise out of habit rather than desire. You can even become addicted to fitness if you let yourself get too involved.

Taking time away from your fitness from time to time is not only good for your progression but your attitude as a whole. There’s more to life than exercise, and you need to make sure you know that. Take time out to enjoy the other parts of your life. That’s the only way to be really healthy, not just physically fit.

If you do decide that you are going to work out every day, though, then there are a few things that you need to know about. That’s the only way to reduce the risk. It’s still not advisable, but it’s damage-reducing, at least.

Different Kinds Of Workouts

Make sure that you’re doing different types of workouts on different days to spread out your recovery. If you do chest one day, make sure that you give it at least 48 hours before you do it again. That’s the only way to ensure your recovery is as good as it can be. It’s the same across the board. Plan your workouts around this general rule where you can.

For cardio, don’t do the same thing every day, either. Change from the low intensity and high intensity every once in a while, and give your joints and your muscles a break. The combination of training styles is the only way you can keep healthy.

Ultimately, training every day is not a good idea. Some people feel like they have to, and that’s understandable, but you don’t. It will likely do more bad than good in the long run, and it will take its toll on your progress. Make the most of rest days and what they have to offer you. You can still be active outside of your workouts, so do what you can when you can.


Before beginning any exercise or nutrition program, consult your physician, doctor or other professional. This is especially important for individuals over the age of 35 or persons with pre-existing health problems. Exercise.co.uk assumes no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained using our advice.

If you experience dizziness, nausea, chest pain, or any other abnormal symptoms, stop the workout at once and consult a physician or doctor immediately.

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