Should you work out 7 days a week without rest?

No, you shouldn’t. As explained above, exercising too much without rest leads to overtraining syndrome, a condition that affects you physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Is it better to work out 3 days a week or 6 days a week?

It all depends on your goals and how long you’ve been exercising. For people who have been working out for a while – i.e. those at an advanced level, or those who engage in competitions that require immense feats of strength – a 6-day workout routine is better for them than a 3-day plan. However, if you’re new to exercising, using a 3-day routine is much better for you than a 6-day plan. Remember, just because you’re mentally ready, this doesn’t mean that your body can keep up. The saying ‘mind over matter’ doesn’t always work in certain situations. As your body isn’t used to the strain of exercise, it requires more than a mere 24 hours of rest to recover and stop hurting. Follow a 3 days a week routine for at least 2 months and then you may add an extra day to the routine.

How much is overtraining?

Again, this all depends on the person. We all have different levels of endurance and what may constitute my trigger for overtraining could just be another easy day for you. All we can say is, to be on the safe side and avoid any chances of this happening, make sure you: Always rest for a period of 24 to 48 hours a week. If you can even push it to 72 hours, that’s better. The hours don’t need to be consecutive. As long as you hit this goal, you’ll be okay. Mind the intensity of your workout – Intense workouts are great as they burn a lot of calories, which helps with weight loss and/or maintenance. Intense strength training or weightlifting is also better for muscle growth. However, there’s always a limit. Working out for too long or too hard every session can lead to muscle damage. While regular exercise-induced muscle damage is good as it can lead to muscle hypertrophy ( 5 ), too much is bad and could lead to overtraining

Will I lose weight if I work out 6 days a week?

Yes, you can. But remember, you can also lose weight by reducing your calorie intake and only exercising 3 days a week. Before jumping at the idea of exercising 6 days a week, make sure your body is up to it. There’s no reward in pushing too much and far beyond what your body can handle.

How many days to break a habit?

Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take 21 days to break a habit or form a new positive one. It is said that it takes anything from 18 to 254 days to change your behavior – with an average of 66 days for the new behavior to become automatic ( 9 , 18 ).