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IS IT OKAY to lift weights every day? It’s a question gym-goers face when they’re starting their strength training journey, or when they’re seeing results and want to keep pumping iron to keep the gains going. The simple question requires a lot more context than you might expect.
The reason: This is more of a two-part inquiry. Can you lift weights every day—then, should you? In the latest Strong Talk episode, exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson and MH fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. break down why an answer needs to factor in a person’s fitness level and where they’re at psychologically in their training before coming to any conclusion.
Davidson breaks the topic down into several categories. If you’re a beginner doing full body workouts, then you should train two to three times a week. Once you’re training at an intermediate level and doing upper/lower body splits, Davidson suggests four times a week. When you’re moving toward high intermediate to a beginner advanced level, he says you’re getting into a push-pull-legs situation that might spur you to train six days a week.
“Most people are in push-pull-legs for quite a while, probably forever, unless they start competing,” Davidson explains. “Typically, I think of six days a week as the cap.”
Having a rest day is important to avoid overuse injuries, though Samuel says most people aren’t training hard enough where it’s much of a concern. Davidson adds taking a day off has another purpose: the time off can act as a mental booster for people who love to go to the gym. Samuel agrees, citing his own five to six day workout routine. “When Sunday comes around and I take that rest day because I’m not doing anything, it gets me amped,” he says.
If you decide to take a rest day, Samuel reminds people that this doesn’t mean lay around and do nothing. For the general population, he says it’s never bad to get activity seven times a week. So what do you do on that day? Even if it’s not lifting, Samuel says there’s nothing wrong with doing other weighted exercises such as weighted crunches or leg lifts. Davidson prefers using a rest day to do light cardio, such as hiking in the woods.
“Moral of the story is seven days of training is not a bad thing at all,” Samuel says. “You don’t need seven hard days of training. But there is nothing wrong with lifting something heavy and just being active every single day of your life.”
Want more deep-dive fitness wisdom from Samuel, Davidson, and other celebs and experts who’ve been on our Strong Talk podcast? Check out all our episodes here.
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