Can I Do a Full-body Workout Every Day?

A full-body workout means many groups of muscles are working at once.

A full-body workout means many groups of muscles are working at once. This helps to achieve greater workout results from a lesser number of exercises.

Because these are more strenuous exercise than usual, the muscles require 2-3 days to recover from all the strain they endure. Hence, these must not be attempted daily.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends full-body workout two times a week for beginners and about three-four times a week for seasoned trainers.

You can alternate a full-body workout with treadmill, bicycling, and cross training for a good training plan. Alternatively, you can split a full-body workout into upper body training and lower body training on alternate days.

Advantages of full-body workouts:

• Increases overall strength and power
• Increases stamina
• Improves movement patterns, coordination, and balance
• Burns more calories
• Improves metabolism
• More efficient; requires fewer exercises for one muscle group
• Only requires two-three workouts per week, at most

Disadvantages of full-body workouts:

• Can be fatiguing because so many muscle groups are targeted during each workout
• Workouts are harder to recover from, especially as you increase volume and intensity
• Harder to target and grow specific muscles

Advantages of split training:

• Better for increasing muscle size
• Allows you to target specific muscle areas for more physique control
• Better post-workout “pump”
• Less stressful on the musculoskeletal system because only one or two areas are targeted with each workout
• More rest days and recovery for each muscle group between workouts

Disadvantages of split training:

• Usually requires more workouts per week
• Less efficient; requires more exercises to target one muscle group
• Can lead to muscle and strength imbalances if used incorrectly
• Less overall calorie burning
• Less emphasis on movement patterns and quality

The best protocol for building muscle varies. You might find total body workouts to be the most efficient way. Others might see better results with split training. Everybody is different. Sometimes the best program for you might be a combination of both training styles. Motivation wise, it helps keep people interested in what they are doing. So, think about how much time you must workout each week, your fitness goals, and how easily you get bored. Accordingly, pick your fitness plan.