# Can You Exercise Everyday? 7 Days a Week?



## ForsakenMe

Word Dispenser said:


> As a side note: That picture shown is incredibly and intensively photoshopped. To the extreme.


Totally. I just used it as an example of what my goal is, that's all. :3


*Side question:* Is it normal that I'm feeling... tired now so early in the night? I woke up at 11 AM and started working out, then just did my usual laptop activities and the like... at 7 PM, I started to feel a little sleepy so I kind of rest my eyes in the living room for a few minutes. Now it's after 9:30 PM and I'm feeling tired. But like, a natural, good type of tired, you know? I am usually not this tired at this time of night...

Is it the exercising that's making me more sleepy? I hope this cures my insomnia. ^^


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## Razare

ForsakenMe said:


> I asked my friend this the other day and she's like, "No, don't do that. Your muscles need to rest."


Humans can exercise 7 days a week in general... it's healthy if you grew up being active or are currently physically fit.

My reference is that we're animals on planet Earth. 10,000 years ago when people had to scrape together an existence in the wild, they exercised 7 days a week.

That said, we're not all physically fit in today's environment. The older you get, the more you have to ease into exercise as well. Plus, if you have any medical conditions, those should be taken into account.

So maybe your friend's advice was good... maybe not, really depends on who you are and how fit you've become. Another good technique I found when I used to exercise was that some days, I could just do lighter exercise and other days do heavier exercise.

When you get really fit, you can go for a 15 minute jog and not be exhausted or worn out, but energized. Basically you've warmed yourself up. That sort of exercise is good on a daily basis I think... and then some days push yourself further so you stay fit.


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## blackpeppergeneral

The usual timing is around four days, seven is not something I have attempted.


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## Hola.Ola.Ting.Ting

Yes I can
And of course you can
And definitely anyone can

But who in his or her sound mind need to tamper with our perfect bodies anyway?

me have lots of deskTOp and LAP top exercises 
:tongue:


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## 7rr7s

Allright I too need some advice from you guys who have been in the game longer than I have. About a year ago I was doing Insanity(high intensity cardio workouts) 6 days a week + sets of different pushup variations(to make sure I didn;t lose muscle mass in my arms, chest and shoulders) and it was pretty fucking brutal. however I didn;t take my diet as seriously -I still ate pizza, pasta, and drank beer. 

But I'm taking my diet more seriosuly(I have cut out all breads and I don't eat sweets or sugary things anyways) but I am wondering if I go back to Insanity workouts and pushup sets 6 days a week -will I loose weight quickly or just maintain?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

Especially @DarkyNWO because that's what my ideal body would look like.


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## DarkyNWO

Hey @_KindOfBlue06_

I did some research on 'Insanity' workout and truthfully, it sounds like a lot of BS and I really hope you did not pay for it. 
What it seems to want to achive is getting someone 'ripped' (facinating term). Right. So getting you defined muscles. Let me give you a small secret on muscles. They build slowly. Real slow. With good to flawless nutrition and hardcore workouts you might gain, say 10-20 pounds of muscle .. per year. 

What this 'insanity' workout is trying to convey is that you'll gain a year worth's of muscle and getting 'ripped' in 2 months. Without even mentioning the fact that you MIGHT want to consider what you eat as well. Get real.


Alright, here is some bodybuilding 101.

Nutrition is about 80-90% (Depending on who you ask) of gaining muscle. I really, really wish that this was not the case, but sadly it's the cold truth. If your muscles can't get the needed protein to rebuild, they won't get bigger, and you can spend as many hours as you want in the gym, but they won't grow shit unless you eat properly.

Since the human body ain't very good at storing protein, you need to consume protein constantly, not just one big dose at dinner or after working out. *Six small, well balanced meals a day is key to building muscles. *I know, that is a lot, but to get a good body, that's what it's going to take. Some people think that on days they don't lift weights they can eat poorly. Wrong! It takes 3-6 days to rebuild muscles after a workout so for the entire duration of your recovery you need strict nutrition. That basicly means eating those six meals a day, seven days a week.

If you want _flawless_ nutrition, this is what to aim for. 

Eat copious amounts of fresh vegetables.
Eat unprocessed or minimally processed foods.
Consume 0.75 - 1.0g protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
Eat 6 evenly spaced, small, well balanced meals with 1/6th of your protein needs per day.
Eat less than 25% of your calories from fat (10% ideal). With good fats from olives, nuts and avocados.
Eat loads of fiber legumes, whole grains and low G.I carbs.
Avoid all simple carbs like sugar, alcohol, or white flour
Eat omega-III daily, flax or salmon are great sources.
Use organic foods when you can, especially with meat and dairy producs.
Low salt consumption, to avoid water retention.
Drink loads of water.

That will scare most people away faster than you can say 'Nutritional Nazi'.
This is hard work, eating like that is ten times harder than working out in the gym. In the start, every time I walked past a candy store I had to hit myself to not go in there and buy the whole place. Sugar cravings are really common in the start, it's like you're a junkie in withdrawal - it sucks! However after you get past the initial stage your body will love you cause you'll be healthier than ever. However what you can do is to have one 'cheat meal' per week to help you with those cravings. But it needs to be scheduled at the same time and day every week, or you'll start cheating with every meal. 

If you just want to casually lift weighs and get into shape, this ain't needed, but it will help. Eating three times a day somewhat healthy will get you in shape, but it will take longer and will be harder to not overeat, and besides your body will have time to go into starvation mode between the meals = Bad!

So instead of only doing pushups and this 'insanity' workout, (Did you see the peoples legs in that youtube video? chicken legs!) try using something like this:

*Monday*
Abs - crunches & bicycles. Sets 3, reps 8-30. Tempo - 1s up, 1s down
Chest - Dumbell press, dumbell flys and pushups. Sets 3, reps 6-12. Tempo - 2s up, 2s down
Triceps - Chair dips & Dumbell french press. Sets 3, reps 6-12. Tempo - 2s up, 2s down

*Wednesday*
Abs - crunches & bicycles. Sets 3, reps 8-30. Tempo - 1s up, 1s down
Lats - Overhand pullups, Dumbell rows, underhand pullups. Sets 3, reps 6-12. Tempo - 2s up, 2s down
Biceps - Dumbbell curls & Hammer Curls. Set 3, reps 6-12. Tempo - 2s up, 2s down.

*Friday*
Abs - crunches & bicycles. Sets 3, reps 8-30. Tempo - 1s up, 1s down
Legs - Stiff legged dead lifts & calf raises. Sets 3, reps 6-12. Tempo 2s up, 2s down.
Shoulders - Alternating dumbbell press, side raise and reverse flys. Sets 3, reps 6-12. Tempo - 2s up, 2s down.

*Everyday*
Cardio - 20-40 minutes. Jog, brisk walk, bike, jump rope etc.

So what does all of this mean? Well it might look somewhat confusing but it really is not.
First, the name of the exercise, you'll have to google these to get the proper from.
Reps is short for repetitions. How many times you will actually do the thing. 
Sets is how many times you will repeat the reps. 3 sets of 6-12 means that you will first do the thing 6-12 times, then you will wait 90 seconds, and do them again 6-12 times, then wait another 90 seconds, then do them again 6-12 times. After that you go to the next exercise. And if it was not clear, I have listed 2-3 different exercises in each category, you'll do all of them before going to the next musclegroup =)

So, there you have a very basic training program and some basic information about nutrition. This is just surface level stuff really and you have to understand that different people are out for different things, therefore there are so many different exercise programs out there. This one is focused around overall strenght and muscle mass. 

Some programs are intended to increase strenght, others to increase your impulse strenght (Punching, kicking, jumping). Others are perhaps balance, endurance, speed, flexibility, lower stress and so on. So there is no 'best workout' cause, hey, everyone want different things.

So with this information in mind, you can ask yourself if that program is right for you, or if mine will help you out more. One guy I know a guy that actually added 'research time' into his workout schedule cause he wanted to find and have the best information aviable! 

I hope this helps you out a bit and might answer some questions that I think you undoubtedly have. Good luck with your training and don't be afraid to ask anything else from me if you are curious. Bodybuilding has given me so much joy in this world that it's only fair that I give back some =)


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## Intellectual

Yeah but jogging or walking is better then gym in my opinion gym ruins your body


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## DarkyNWO

Intellectual said:


> Yeah but jogging or walking is better then gym in my opinion gym ruins your body


So my body is ruined then? Is it beyond repair and looks horrible? What do you base this opinion on?


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## Word Dispenser

Intellectual said:


> Yeah but jogging or walking is better then gym in my opinion gym ruins your body


Actually, jogging can be pretty hard on your knees and shins. 

Regardless, they _are _the most natural exercises, but going to the gym and doing resistance training and cardio are _definitely _proven to be good for your health in addition. They improve your cardiovascular system, recovery rate, and they help strengthen your bones, which is particularly important when you get old. High intensity interval training is also really good, because it actually helps with _dynamic _strength.

This, coupled with nutrition, is bound to bring awesome results health-wise.

That, and being positive.


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## The Purple Theory

It is very possible in my opinion.

I used to train 6 times a week not including tournaments that I joined every other weekend. 

You know your own body. You'll feel it when you're overworked. There's no harm in resting for a while when you feel exhausted. Start at a slow pace then, add on to it after a week or a few weeks. It's all about conditioning and pacing. Good luck!


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## Staffan

Intellectual said:


> Yeah but jogging or walking is better then gym in my opinion gym ruins your body


I wouldn't say the gym ruins your body but as a jogger I've noticed that most people who go to the gym regularly still seem to be overweight whereas the people I see in the jogging trail don't seem to have that problem.


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## 7rr7s

@DarkyNWO thanks bro, the information helped. I'm going to start running eveyday and doing the 6 meal thing too. I eat pretty healthy allready, and I never had a sweet tooth so really the only thing I will need to work on is cutting out the liqour. 

The reason I was doing insanity and pushups is because I have a disability with my one hand that prevents me from lifting weights, but while researching some stuff I found this site BodyWeightCulture.com - BodyWeight Training Articles which has some decent excercises on it.

Mainly I am trying to loose my gut right now and prevent loss of musclemass. Someone told me you can either build muscle or loose fat, but you can't do both at the same time. What are your thoughts on this?


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## 7rr7s

@DarkyNWO thanks bro, the information helped. I'm going to start running eveyday and doing the 6 meal thing too. I eat pretty healthy allready, and I never had a sweet tooth so really the only thing I will need to work on is cutting out the liqour. 

The reason I was doing insanity and pushups is because I have a disability with my one hand that prevents me from lifting weights, but while researching some stuff I found this site BodyWeightCulture.com - BodyWeight Training Articles which has some decent excercises on it.

Mainly I am trying to loose my gut right now and prevent loss of musclemass. Someone told me you can either build muscle or loose fat, but you can't do both at the same time. What are your thoughts on this?


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## DarkyNWO

@KindOfBlue06

If you can't build muscle and lose fat at the same time, why do you think you're doing cardio?


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## Le Beau Coeur

I think your body needs a rest now and then. It will let you know how it's feeling.


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## Snakecharmer

@DarkyNWO, you forgot squats in that workout! :laughing:

Other than that, I agree with pretty much everything you've said here. 

If you are trying to build endurance, Insanity is a great program. If you want to look like a bodybuilder, then do something like DarkyNWO recommended.

I used to train and diet like a bodybuilder and got pretty lean a few years ago, but yeah...the diet was hard to do all the time...staying that lean is hard...and I do like my chocolate. lol Then I decided to try powerlifting and did that for a few years. I stopped when I injured my SI joint while deadlifting. 

Now I'm back to endurance sports (running a 1/2 marathon in Sept). I also like CrossFit. A lot.

Abs are made in the kitchen! Your diet is going to have the biggest impact on how you look. You can have a nice 6-pack, but if it is buried under a layer of fat you won't see it.


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## DarkyNWO

@Snakecharmer

Heh yeah I did, never been a fan, even if they are damned effective. Trying to compress my knowledge of the subject into a forum post is not easy tbh 

And endurance, sure, that Insanity thing might do for that, I don't doubt it. But truthfully I think an MMA program would be better in that case, gives you way good flexiblity too, and enormus endurance. But meh I suppose, people can debate what is the best until the end of time, and thats not my cup of tea.

Chocolate protein powder ftw  I prefer natural actually, can do more stuff with it regarding tastes, more variety. But dang I am getting desperate for new recepies soon. Protein bars, smoothies and chickenbreast is getting old, fast hehe. 

Anyway sounds like you went a bit high on the weight, I don't know a huge amount of things about powerlifting thou, I don't want to get that big.

And yeah, they really, really are. Maybe we should make a thread on healthy recepies? Or maybe there is an old one...

Also Ping @ForsakenMe How is it going? Been a few days now. Losing any weight? =)


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## ForsakenMe

DarkyNWO said:


> How is it going? Been a few days now. Losing any weight? =)


I lost like four pounds so far. I just started, give me a break! XD


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## alexande

ForsakenMe said:


> I lost like four pounds so far. I just started, give me a break! XD


Four pounds could just be how hydrated or dehydrated you are. My body weight fluctuates 5 pounds no problem depending on how much I drink and what time of the day it is. Don't be surprised if you even gain a bit the first week or so, your body might build muscle to compensate the work outs.


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## CrabbyPaws

Yes you can. People usually build up to it, but of course you can exercise every day. Many things can cause people to pant and sweat profusely (sex) which they very much like to do daily hehe. What you can't do is weight-lift 7 days a week.


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