Everyday training

[backinjured]

Are there any advantages of performing strength exercises everyday? This means not even one rest day. I'm talking particularly about bodyweight exercises. It's certainly nonsense to use heavy weights everyday.

I'm asking this because in various great martial arts schools, they practice some kind of exercises everyday. For example, in Shaolin tradition, the students would practice Ma Bu (Horse Stance) everyday. They run in the hills everyday. In order to succeed in Finger Zen technique you must perform push ups many times everyday! Same thing with a lot of different exercises.

When you get a knee injury for example, the physio therapist tells you to perform a few exercises like two or three times a day, everyday!!

So the exercises I'm talking about are mainly endurance training. Let's say performing push ups two times a day to failure, same thing with crunches, back extensions on floor, horse stance and bodyweight squats.

Are there any advantages of performing strength exercises everyday?
or maybe should I say endurance exercises?

Thanks

[mat]

Yes, it is a good idea. It's very good conditioning, helps to prevent injuries etc. Does a hell of a lot for core strength, balance etc.

I make a point of doing something every day. If I havent got much time, I'll just do a few hindu pushups or a bridge, or maybe just hold a handstand for a couple of minutes.

If you're not in the habit of doing daily conditioning, it will make a big difference to your overall fitness and core stability/strength, go into it gently though - overdoing it at the start is counterproductive as it means you'll be sore and unable to do exercises everyday.

Cheers,
Mat

[dragon]

Are there any advantages of performing strength exercises everyday? This means not even one rest day. I'm talking particularly about bodyweight exercises. It's certainly nonsense to use heavy weights everyday.

Personally,it never made a difference to me.Through trial and error over the years i've been training i found that everyday training didn't improve my performance,conditioning,life style,etc at all.
After having my fair share of injuries over the years i've come to realize that i'd sooner be able to train once per week for the rest of my life than train like a demon for 2 months and have to quit through over training and injury.

This is something you may have to figure out for yourself though.You don't know how much is too much until you've got there.

When you get a knee injury for example, the physio therapist tells you to perform a few exercises like two or three times a day, everyday!!

This is to help you build your knee stability in order for you to perform everyday tasks without pain.
Martial arts training(especially the Shaolin methods) go beyond "normal" activity.I doubt a physiotherapist would advise you to perform such rigourous activities two or three times per day.
Also,in documentries,displays,etc you only see the Shaolin monks who could withstand that kind of training.There are plenty of others who have had to leave the temple/training through injury.

So the exercises I'm talking about are mainly endurance training. Let's say performing push ups two times a day to failure, same thing with crunches, back extensions on floor, horse stance and bodyweight squats.

Performing some kind of activity everyday may be ok but i wouldn't perform exercises to failure everyday.

Dragon.

[DanBor]

I do something everyday on weekdays, on weekends I have "days off". For example: one day I do exercises for upper body (push ups,..) , next day just for legs (lunges, isometrics,...) and this works great for me. Sometimes if I'm fatigued from legs workout I wait to completely recover. But in general like I said I do something everyday on weekdays and I feel good.

[backinjured]

"i wouldn't perform exercises to failure everyday. "

Why not? If I stop before the hard last repetitions, how could I progess? I'll stay at the same level, no?


And those here who think everyday training can be a good, do you also perform a more rigorous strength training like two or three times a week?

Thank you all very much!!

[dragon]

"i wouldn't perform exercises to failure everyday. "

Why not? If I stop before the hard last repetitions, how could I progess? I'll stay at the same level, no?

I said "I" wouldn't perform exercises to failure everyday.This is your choice.As you already have a serious back injury,performing back extensions everyday to complete muscular failure is your own risk.

And those here who think everyday training can be a good, do you also perform a more rigorous strength training like two or three times a week?

Here you should outline to other members exactly what you wish to gain.
Like others have said,they do "some" training everyday(Matt actually said this may just consist of holding a handstand).
You have said you want to increase in strength and mass.
Everyday training will not bring about any major gains in size.

Dragon.

[mat]

As dragon suggests, he wouldn't do any exercise to failure everyday, and neither would I. When you go to failure you start to damage the muscle tissue, and you need rest days to give the muscles time to recover (and grow stronger).

"to failure" is subjective - its different for different muscles on different people. Working my back muscles hurts like hell but I don't feel sore the next day. Working my shoulder muscles, I hardly feel it but I'm sore for a week! This is where you have to just start exercising every day and get a feel for which exercises you like and which ones you find difficult, or you need recovery time for.

Personally, I'm on a drive to improve balance, posture, energy levels, core strength and stability. General fitness really. Bodyweight exercises are very good for these things. I just make sure that I do at least one or two full-body exercises every day (eg. hindu pushups and bridge). This only takes about 10 minutes. If I want to work out for an hour or so. I'll do different things, some of them "to failure".

You could try doing eg. hindu squats every day, say do at least 50 every day, and once a week go for as many as you can (150, 300, whatever).

If you're already in good shape and looking to increase strength/size in specific areas then bodyweight exercises are probably not suitable and you should take a more intense, structured approach with rest days in between workouts.

Cheers,
Mat

[DanBor]

If you want to perform rigorous strenght training its enough 2 times a week (in my experience). I SOMETIMES perform such training with push ups: I'm doing "prison push ups" and those are hard, if done correctly you end up with over 300 push ups in less than 1 hour.
But you can't do that every day.
In every day routine I do them less than 100 or just about 100. Just to maintain my strenght level and to FEEL GOOD, not exhausted.

[mat]

Just to maintain my strenght level and to FEEL GOOD, not exhausted.

Couldn't explain it better myself.

I'm an IT consultant. I sit at a desk in an office from 9-5 every working day, every week. Keeping a good level of fitness and good energy levels is not easy when about 70% of my life is spent sitting down at work or lying asleep at night.

For years, I did the usual twice-a-week gym routine with weights etc, but I was just too exhausted and sore all the time. Since doing daily bodyweight exercises, my strength and fitness has gone through the roof. My lower back pains have also disappeared. Now I don't feel sore all the time, and I don't feel exhausted after martial arts training sessions.

Mat

[backinjured]

I can perform some bodyweight exercises such as push ups, crunches, hindu squats as long as I do not feel sore after. Because I can do some push ups one set to failure and won't feel sore after an hour, and for the following hours. Thus I could perform such exercises everyday and maybe two times a day. But let's say back extension if I still feel a bit sore an hour after trianing, then I've done too much repetitions. But if I find the correct number of repetitions that do not make me sore then I can perform that exercise everyday. And with time, I will certainly have the increase this number of reps because I got used to it. But still I must not feel sore after. And because I do not feel sore then there is no problem to perform weighted exercises twice a week.

Is this all correct?


Thanks

[backinjured]

Oh and after having answered this I have another question:

Could this be my endurance training. I want to improve in endurance but I would prefer performing only strength exercises on real training days (twice a week). Or must I do a lot more repetitions to see improvements in endurance? I t would be only insignifiant improvements?

[dragon]

I can perform some bodyweight exercises such as push ups, crunches, hindu squats as long as I do not feel sore after. Because I can do some push ups one set to failure and won't feel sore after an hour, and for the following hours. Thus I could perform such exercises everyday and maybe two times a day. But let's say back extension if I still feel a bit sore an hour after trianing, then I've done too much repetitions. But if I find the correct number of repetitions that do not make me sore then I can perform that exercise everyday. And with time, I will certainly have the increase this number of reps because I got used to it. But still I must not feel sore after. And because I do not feel sore then there is no problem to perform weighted exercises twice a week.

Is this all correct?


Thanks

Personally i don't think it's only about soreness.Like you say above,you can perform a set of push ups to failure and not feel sore.
This still means however,that you will be pushing your muscles to failure everyday(either with specific strength training or with push ups,bodyweight squats,etc).
As you have said,you wish to increase muscle mass.I wouldn't expect this to happen if you never give your muscles time to rest and grow.

I'm not saying everyday training is bad(most athletes probably do train everyday in some way or another),but living by the"more is better" phylosophy when applied to muscle building though will probably lead nowhere.

Dragon.

[backinjured]

yeah ok but I don't want to build any body mass for the lower body or the trunk. I just want them stronger.

I think I need to hear your definition of training to failure. If I'd be only able to do 30 push ups, the last one being extremely difficult. Is doing 27 reps of push ups still training to failure?


By the way would it be possible to do endurance and strength training a single workout? But not using the same muscle group. Because I'd like to do the stiff legged deadlift every training day but I still find my endurance week pretty interesting. Could my workout be like "Deadlifts, bodyweight squats, wrist roller and crunches"?

[dragon]

My own definition of failure is not being able to do another rep with perfect technique.

Do you mean strength endurance or overall endurance(cardio)?

Dragon.

[backinjured]

I mean at do deadlifts twice a week with the other strength exercises. And then the following week which is supposed to be only endurance training, I'd do again deadlifts, though the other exercises would be performed for endurance.