[MzPen]

I have read quite a few times how you're supposed to let muscles rest for a day between working them out with weights ... and I do understand the concept. However, I'm wondering would it be stupid to do it every day. At my gym there are instructors who do toning classes with weight every day, sometimes several a day. Is it okay for them because they're already toned and not using big weights for their classes? Just wondering.

Thanks!
Pen

[mals1]

Lifting weights causes tiny tares (sp?) in your muscles (I think). You need to let them rest. What I do is cardio and lower body one day, then cardio and upper body the next. Just keep rotating.

[happy2bme]

Hey Pen,
Mals1 is right. You do get tiny tears in your muscles as part of the process and you need to let them rest. Do it wrong or too much, tear a muscle (been there, done that) and you're sidelined for weeks.

Since you are at a gym, you might want to talk to one of the trainers. Most gyms have people who will show you the equipment and answer questions as part of the benefits of membership.

I recently invested in working with a personal trainer so I could learn proper form and technique. His advice is no more than 3 times a week on the major muscle groups - shoulders, chest, biceps, triceps, abs and legs. The only one you can safely do each day is abs like crunches since you use your abs a lot and those muscles recover faster. And you should do cardio at least 3 times a week for a well balanced program.

Good luck!

[Rupertsmom]

In addition to the injury factor (especially your joints), if you don't give your muscles adequate recovery time, you can actually set yourself back - even to the point of losing muscle mass. Working different muscle groups on different days actually optimizes the development of new muscle. You'll have stronger, more energized workouts, too. Most of the aerobics instructors at my club rotate their workouts, and even at that many (at least the ones I've chatted with) are nursing some injury due to the repetitious nature of their work. These instructors probably can get away with teaching the same classes over and over because they're not testing their limits during each workout. Anyways, I bet if you were to talk to some of your instructors they'd recommend that you mix it up, too.