Should I lift weights every day to gain muscle?

I want to increase my biceps, should I lift weights every day? Please advise. (Minh Hung, 23 years old)

Reply:

Weight lifting is a great way to build muscle, develop strength, improve mobility, prevent injury, and boost mental health.

However, if you train at high intensity by lifting heavy weights, it will cause micro-tears in the muscle fibers. Meanwhile, the body needs a recovery period of at least 48 hours to rebuild damaged muscles with new, stronger muscle fibers. Training the same muscle group every day with weights can easily cause overtraining syndrome, muscle injuries, and biceps tendonitis.

Additionally, lifting weights every day causes the productivity of the workout to stagnate. If the exerciser does not adjust the load or range of motion, he or she will quickly feel a gradual decrease in endurance and no sign of muscle gain.

Each person should train each major muscle group 2-3 times per week. Each weight training session should consist of 8-10 exercises, 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps each. There should be at least two days of rest between high-intensity training sessions per week.

A 2019 study in Finland found that beginners can gain muscle in the first week, but this is due to inflammation and muscle damage that occurs when they first start training. Experts say that on average, 3-6 months is the time to increase muscle mass.

In fact, increasing muscle mass in the biceps depends on many factors such as age, hormones, genetics, training volume and frequency, stress levels, and food. Therefore, each person needs to have a suitable exercise and diet regimen.

If you work out every day, you can focus on your upper body one day. Then build up to your legs and lower back the next day. Do it at a low intensity the first few days and gradually increase the number of sets and weight.

Activities to strengthen the biceps include dumbbell rows, barbell curls, band and chair exercises, push-ups, pull-ups, planks, or using a rowing machine.

Master, Doctor, Specialist I Dao Duy An Duy
Orthopedic Trauma Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

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