Anyone who’s gotten into a fitness routine will know the attraction of lifting weights daily. Daily lifting means more gains, right? There may be some benefit to it, but the answer is not as simple as that and it really depends on many factors.
Weight lifting or strength training has many overall health benefits. But even if your main focus is increasing muscle mass, the healthiest fitness routine will not be one dimensional. While the virtues of diversifying your routine are well-known, what happens when you do the opposite? Does sticking to the same weightlifting routine daily do any good for you?
The top benefit, of course, is increased strength. Lifting weights when coupled with the right nutrition helps in building up lean muscle, increasing your physical strength. Repetition can help you have a more focused workout, developing your muscles gradually and making you stronger. This is assuming you lift weights in a safe, healthy manner that does not cause short/long term damage.
The next obvious advantage of daily lifting is stronger bones. Exercising in general, but weight training particularly is known to improve bone density. Stronger bones are especially vital as we get older because bone density decreases with age, but developing strong bones while you’re young acts as a buffer against this threat. Denser, stronger bones help to prevent fractures and excess bone loss.
While cardio, aerobics and similar are better known for pushing your endurance limits, lifting weights every day can also increase your muscle endurance. With multiple reps (repetitions) of any one particular set of lifts, your muscles have increased aerobic activity. This means you not only have stronger muscles but muscles that keep working hard for longer durations.
Many people seeking to cut their fat and lose weight also add weight training as part of their weight management routine. The reason is that lifting weights not only burns calories during the workout but also continues after your session is over. More lean muscle reduces fat, which also helps to increase your metabolic rate. This again helps to reduce your weight. While weightlifting exclusively to reduce weight may not be very effective, adding it to your fitness routine can be beneficial with weight management.
Lifting weights can increase your lean body mass, which increases the number of overall calories you burn during the day. Strength training by lifting weights can also protect your joints from injury.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Most muscle build-up happens not during the workout session itself but during the rest periods after you exercise. If you always do the same routine, daily, on the same muscle group, you are not giving your body time to recover. You may end up seeing less muscle growth or no growth at all. Hence, it is important to split your weight lifting and work out different parts of the body on different days. Truth be told, having a full day of rest or even attempting different types of exercises maybe even better. But if you are intent on lifting daily, you could help yourself out by switching muscle groups every day.
Lifting every day also leaves you sore, not only at the muscles you are exercising but the rest of your body too. Soreness, apart from being uncomfortable, can lead to poor form. Poor form exponentially increases the risk of injury during your workout. If you face a muscle sprain or similar type of injury, you end up falling behind while recovering. Soreness is also a sign from your body to you, to take things easy and get rested.
Lifting weights is challenging in and of itself, but doing it daily can lead to lower and lower improvements. This can be demotivating since you will not be seeing as many returns though you’re at it every day. Without variation, changing your weights and loads and rest cycles, you’re not likely to see as much improvement as you anticipate. In this way, you may be setting yourself up for an uphill battle regarding motivation.
Some advice necessary for lifting heavy weight is- Get as close to the load as possible. Try to keep your elbows and arms close to your body. Keep your back straight during the lift, bending at the knees, keeping the load close and centered in front of you, and looking up and ahead. Get a good handhold and do not twist while lifting.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj – M.B.B.S, M.D.
Now that you’re aware of the effects of lifting weights every day, the decision you need to make is whether this is for you. There are some benefits, lifting weights every day is not all negative as long as you do it the right way. If you have a fitness trainer, things may go easier for you. In general, you’ll want to avoid doing the same routine all the time, variation is the key here. Next, you need to gradually increase your weights and resistance levels. Going too high too fast can be harmful rather than helpful. Also, make sure you are resting in between your routines. Sleep and nutrition are essential for optimum recovery, without these two things, you can work out optimally every day but won’t see any gains.
There may be a few positives to be had with lifting every day, but for most people (especially beginners), the potential for harm is high. If you can ensure your safety and recovery, then attempt it slowly and see how your body is reacting. In most cases, the body gives us signs that things are not okay. Strengthen your nutrition with a protein-rich diet, this speeds up recovery and also encourages better muscular growth. Always learn and perform weight training in the correct way. If done incorrectly, it can harm your muscles and joints severely.
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