The fitness world can be a funny place in a number of different ways, not least of all because of the various different trends and fads that rise and fall more or less on a daily basis.

Back in the 80s, it was taken for granted that anyone who wanted to be in shape and to build muscle should do a “body part split” training routine, following a schedule such as “chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday,” and so on.

Today, however, the tide has most definitely turned, and the most common fitness advice you will see being offered is to avoid “bro split” training (as body part split workouts are also not-so-affectionately known) altogether, and to not even consider working out anything like every day.

Instead, would-be fitness enthusiasts are typically advised to do something like a full body training routine focused on heavy compound lifts like the deadlift, squat and bench press, and to train no more than three or four days a week.

But while training hard every day – and especially training the same muscles every day – can certainly lead to central nervous system overload, overtraining, and general-purpose burnout, there are some good arguments to be made for working out every day after all, depending on how you approach it.

Here are some reasons why you might want to reconsider working out every day.

There are great mood and health benefits to being physically active on a daily basis

First things first: being physically active on a daily basis brings all sorts of great benefits for mood and health, just as long as you are working in the right intensity range, and aren’t overtaxing your central nervous system.

Researchers have found that it’s not only endorphins that cause us to feel good when we are working out, but that physically exerting our muscles actually ends up releasing certain molecules that have been called “hope molecules” because of their ability to promote feelings of hope, optimism, and well-being.

Working out on a daily basis can also help to improve circulation, to contribute to good cardiovascular health, and more.

Even if, hypothetically, you could become stronger, more ripped, and more explosive by working out just one day a week, you would still be missing out on all sorts of benefits that come from a more consistently physically active lifestyle overall.

It’s possible to train different body parts, and at different intensities, each day

There’s always going to be a bit of an academic debate over the question of whether working different body parts on different days is a less effective way of building muscle than doing whole body compound-movement-centric workouts.

Ultimately, though, this debate can end up missing the point. Many people over time have made great progress doing split workouts, and many people are more likely to stick with these kinds of workout plans, and to find them more enjoyable, because they don’t exert the same overall stress on the body and central nervous system as those full body workouts do.

In addition to the fact that doing a body part split workout may be more motivating and fun for you, it’s important to keep in mind that it is possible to train different body parts, and at different intensities, each day. 

People warning of overtraining as a result of daily workouts may also be missing the point when you start factoring in the reality that some workouts could be long yoga sessions, others could be bench press workouts, others could be front squat sessions, and so on.

Working out every day may make it easier to form a long-lasting habit

According to various experts on habit formation, and on how to structure your life on the basis of good overall habits, it is often a lot easier to get a new habit to stick – and to keep it going – if you turn that habit into the kind of thing that you do each day.

If you’re trying to get into the habit of being more physically active as a whole, and working out regularly, then training each day may be an effective way of helping to solidify that routine in your subconscious mind.

On the other hand, if you are working out three days a week, the different repetitions of that habit will naturally be broken up routinely, and this can make it harder to enjoy the same sense of momentum, and to feel as though you are entrenching the habit as powerfully as you would be if you were doing it the other way.

Working out every day can add more stability and consistency to your daily routine

There’s a lot to be said for the great benefits of adding a healthy dose of stability and consistency to your daily routine, in order to help you to thrive to the greatest possible extent, to experience the greatest possible degree of well-being, and to help displace negative behavioral patterns that might have influenced you before.

Services like https://www.sunshinebehavioralhealth.com/texas/austin/ that are designed to help people to take a more positive direction in life after a serious setback, often put a major emphasis on the importance of creating good, sustaining, and sustainable habits and daily routines that help to provide structure and consistency.

Working out every day can add more stability and consistency to your daily routine, as it’s a cornerstone habit that can have a central place in your daily schedule.

You could, for example, get out of bed each morning, have a glass of water, and do your workout before starting the day. Or, you could train at a set time every afternoon or evening.

In either case, being disciplined and diligent about doing your workout every day can really go a long way towards adding extra structure to your routine, and helping to keep you driven and focused.

Training every day might really boost your baseline energy levels

Have you ever noticed that when you are more physically active on a given day, you do seem to have more energy overall?

At first glance, this can seem like quite a paradoxical thing. After all, doesn’t working out cause you to expend energy rather than generating it?

In reality, regularly working your muscles and being physically active helps to promote all sorts of different processes that generate extra energy and drive on a regular basis, just as long as you aren’t overdoing it and burning yourself out.

Training every day might really help to boost your baseline energy levels and to give you more of an edge when it comes to things like productivity.

On the other hand, sitting around all day will do the opposite of helping you to be more energetic – if anything, it will tend to make you more exhausted and jaded.

Working out every day may boost your appreciation for physical activity

Physical activity is often a bit of an “acquired taste,” especially if you had gone for most of your life before the current moment without doing much in the way of exercise or engaging in physically active pastimes as a whole.

Working out every day may really help to boost your appreciation for physical activity, by getting you more familiar with the sensations that come from working out, and by helping you to look forward to the feelings of accomplishment and energy that come from each training session.

If, on the other hand, you only do a couple of workouts a week and make them excruciatingly intense, it’s unlikely that you are going to easily fall in love with training or being physically active.