Training in martial arts is beneficial to its trainees. However, is it safe to train in martial arts every day? Although you might think you’re progressing, you’re really not. Your body needs more time to recover. So, let’s see whether it’s safe to do martial arts daily and how to know if your muscles are overtrained.
Training in martial arts every day isn’t safe because your body needs time to recover from training. Thus if you train every day, you may progress slower than if you were to rest. Precisely, 48 hours should be sufficient time to recover from training, or, training on non-consecutive days.
Yet, there’s more to it. If you know the ins and outs of body recovery, you’ll maximize your results by training different muscle groups. For instance, if I train my legs on Sunday, I’ll do chest and arms the day after. Consequently, I’ll progress faster than ever.
If you want to see results without spending money on martial arts, I wrote a complete guide on training martial arts at home. If you’re interested in doing so, I encourage following the link.
Should you do martial arts daily?
Although you might think that training more often equals more results—it’s not always the case. Instead, maximizing results will depend on whether you’re familiar with the way recovery works.
Training in martial arts is wise if you plan your workouts to work for different muscle groups on consecutive days. As a result, you’ll maximize results because you’ll ensure recovery. For instance, if you work your chest on successive days, it won’t recover since you didn’t give it enough time.
Thus I don’t recommend training in martial arts every day unless you plan your workouts appropriately. Although you might think you’re capable of doing so, it’ll be best if you let a qualified instructor plan it for you. These folks are professionals!
The primary principle you should follow is not to train the same muscle groups on consecutive days. That’s how you’ll ensure your body is well-rested. For instance, if you lift weights, you can’t lift weights using the same muscles day after day.
Nutrition also plays a key part in proper recovery. Now, I’m no dietician. Consequently, I recommend following the link to read how much you should eat per day.
How often should you train in martial arts?
Your primary goal should be to avoid overtraining. Consequently, you’ll ensure progression while not undertraining. If you succeed in doing so, you’ll learn to fight quickly while avoiding issues.
You should train in martial arts 2-3 times a week on non-consecutive days. As a result, you’ll avoid overtraining while ensuring your progression. For instance, if you train once a week, it may not be enough to notice enough progression. Yet, if you work out every day, your body might not recover properly.
Yet, you may notice many martial artists exercise daily. So, that contradicts what I said. Well, that’s not entirely true. Because they have a fixed workout plan to ensure they avoid overtraining, so they’re in the clear. However, if you follow their workout regime, your body might not be prepared for that. Yet.
Thus you won’t progress as much as if you were to work out 2-3 times a week. Yet, the better the shape you’re in, the more volume you can incorporate into your weekly workout plan. Hence the more consistent you stay with training, the faster you’ll progress later.
I wrote an article about how often you should train in martial arts. If you’re interested in knowing more about that topic, I encourage reading it.
If you think you overtrained your body, I encourage watching the following video about identifying such a state.
How long should my martial arts training last?
Your martial arts training length correlates closely to the results you’ll notice. Thus optimizing the length will assist you in learning to fight more efficiently. Well, let’s see how long they should last.
Martial arts training sessions should last for 30-90 minutes depending on the intensity. Below that, you won’t notice many results over time. Over that, you may overtrain yourself. Thus not seeing any results for both extremes—is typical.
I’ve seen the most success when I trained for an hour 3 times a week. Consequently, I let my body rest appropriately while not overtraining myself. Hence I saw the most results that way.
Yet, if you train every day, you might want to work out 30 minutes a day. If it’s more than that, you’ll find yourself overtraining quickly. However, if you exercise for 20 minutes daily, you won’t progress.
The following video is a 30-minute Boxing workout without any equipment. However, I recommend buying the essential gear for your home. That way, you’ll progress faster than ever. Such equipment is this punching bag with these MMA gloves.
How often should I train in self-defense?
Learning self-defense is more intense than martial arts. Because of that, the frequency in which you need to do it lessens. Thus understand that the intensity closely correlates with the time you need to let your body rest.
You should train 2-3 times a week in self-defense because it’s enough to let your body recover. As a result, you won’t over-train, which means you’ll ensure progression. For instance, if I train in self-defense every day, my body won’t have enough time to recover fully and build itself.
However, undertraining is a thing. Hence while resting is crucial you must work out enough times to tear your muscles. That way, you’ll cause hypertrophy. For example, if you work out in self-defense once a month, you won’t progress.
Additionally, you must consume appropriate foods to boost your progression. That way, you’ll fuel your body correctly, which will build your muscles from the ground up. For instance, you must eat enough proteins per day. They’ll construct your muscles when you tear them.
Benefits of training martial arts every day
You must train for enough time to ensure your progression. If you don’t, you won’t tear your muscles and learn new techniques. However, if you work out enough times per week, you’ll learn martial arts quickly and efficiently.
Training martial arts every day is beneficial because it allows you to tear your muscles and learn new techniques quickly. Thus you’ll improve your physical shape and learn to fight. Consequently, staying consistent becomes effortless.
However, I encourage you to buy a fixed workout plan. That way, you can avoid overtraining. Qualified instructors learn to build appropriate workout plans. As a result, you’ll ensure you won’t fatigue yourself. After all, the worst thing you can do is overtrain, as that’ll attract severe consequences.
Although training every day is beneficial, I recommend sticking with 2-3 workouts a week. As a result, you’ll ensure you’re progressing over time. Additionally, you won’t become mentally fatigued by doing the same workout every single day.
Conclusion
Although you may think training more often equals more results—that’s not entirely true. Instead, you may find yourself overtraining. As a result, you won’t progress but you’ll go backward. Trying to avoid such a situation is crucial.
It’ll be best if you avoid training the same muscle groups daily, as that’ll cause you to overtrain, which can lead to numerous harmful results. The last thing I’ll leave you with is to consult a professional if you’re a beginner, regardless of the sport you do.
And if you haven’t already, start training!
You can also sign up for our Email Newsletter to keep up with our blog posts and gain access to free martial arts/self-improvement courses!
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
TMA vs. MMA – Which Is Better?
7 Ways Martial Arts Help With Self-Improvement