artistgrl's Journal, 23 December 2007

1 day of rest is enough. It is good to rotate which muscles you work, resting them in that way but still maintaining your muscle mass. You don't want to wear out one particuilar mucle group, you might strain something. You don't necessarily have to work out 6 days to get faster results, though. Even heard the phrase, work smarter, not harder? Well forget it. :) Work smarter AND harder! You can work out 5 days a week and get great results, but you need to really challenge yourself. Push your limits. That doesn't mean work out 5 hours a day. You can get awesome results by doing short, intense workouts, in intervals with a more moderate pace. Whatever workout you are doing, you can always knock it up a notch. if you walk, try sprinting for a few yards, then jog a little slower, then walk. Do it several times until you finish your laps. You will burn a lot more calories this way because your heart rate really gets up there and you require more oxygen. If you are lifting weights, try a few reps with heavier weights, and do jumping jacks or run in place between sets. That will really slim you down because you are simutaneously building muscle and burning fat.