Exercise is great - but how often? Researchers have studied which is better: exercising less often for a long time or every day for a short time. Their answer is clear.

You know that exercising several times a week is better than just once. But is exercising a little every day better than exercising a lot, just a few times? Researchers have now found an answer to this question.

Is exercising every day really better?

Yes! Scientists at Australia's Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, in collaboration with Niigata University and Nishi Kyushu University in Japan, have shown in a new study that even a small amount of daily exercise may be the better approach, at least when it comes to exercising muscle strength. Yes, daily exercise sounds exhausting, but the good news is: it doesn't have to be that much!

How did researchers show that daily exercise is better?

In a 4-week training study, 3 groups of participants* regularly performed an eccentric arm resistance exercise for the biceps. Changes in their muscle strength and muscle thickness were measured and compared. Two groups performed 30 repetitions per week, with one group completing 6 repetitions per day 5 days a week (5 times 6 group), while the other packed all 30 together once a week on a single day (once 30 groups). Another group performed 6 repetitions only once a week.

After 4 weeks, the group that did 30 contractions in a single day showed no increase in muscle strength, although muscle thickness (an indicator of muscle size increase) grew by 5.8 percent. The group that performed 6 repetitions once a week showed no significant changes in muscle strength or thickness. The 5 times 6 group, however, saw a significant increase in muscle strength - by more than 10 percent - and, in addition, an increase in muscle thickness similar to the once-30 times group.

Why is daily exercise better?

Apparently, it's not just the number of repetitions that matters but how that number is distributed. Why the body responds better to exercise in smaller doses than to less frequent, larger loads is not yet well understood. It is suspected that it may be related to how often the brain is asked to perform a muscle in a certain way.

However, the researchers emphasized that regeneration periods are also important for training success; in the case of the 5-by-6 group, that was, 2 days off per week. This is because muscle adaptations only occur when you rest.

Conclusion: daily training is the best way to get fit and slim. This is also confirmed by science.

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