Weightlifting question.

[Santa_]

Is it bad to work on the same muscles everyday if you're only doing 2 or 3 sets of 10, 20-30 minutes out of the day?

The reason I ask is because I got a new job right next to a gym and I've been going everyday on my lunch break. Just 2 or 3 sets of benching and curling everyday for about 20-30 minutes. Nothing serious.

I don't feel sore at all I'm just wondering if I'll get any benefits from it.

[Rahat]

I wouldnt do the same muscles everyday. Do chest and triceps 1day,back and biceps another day,shoulders n legs another day. Mix it up.

[El-blanco]

With the limited amount of time, I would just focus on one area per day instead of doing the same thing daily. You won't get much benefit from the low intensity and uniformity of your current workout. Question, do you care about legs? If not here's what I suggest.
Day 1- chest and triceps.
- 3 sets of 10-incline bench press
- 3 sets of 10-chest flys or cable crosses
- 3 sets of 10- decline bench press
- 3 sets of 10- triceps pull down.
I omitted flat bench press from here because it's not as effective as incline and decline bench press and there's a pile of literature confirming that.

Day 2 - back and shoulders
- 3 sets of 10 - machine back row or t-bar row
- 3 sets of 10 - wide lat pull down or interior grip pull down
- 3 sets of 10 - dumbbell shoulder press
- 3 sets of 10 - shoulder shrug

Day 3 bicep and abs, or squats. Even if you're not interested in working on your legs, I recommend squatting at least one day a week.

3 sets of 10 - bicep curl
3 sets of 10 hammer curl
3 sets of 20 sits up or 3 sets of 10 squats.

Try this routine and I guarantee you'll feel sore the next day. By doing this routine you will actually work the muscle to completion and begin seeing results. After the three days you can take a break and start the process over again on day 5, or just go hard for the 5 days and take the weekend off.

[Santa_]

With the limited amount of time, I would just focus on one area per day instead of doing the same thing daily. You won't get much benefit from the low intensity and uniformity of your current workout. Question, do you care about legs? If not here's what I suggest.
Day 1- chest and triceps.
- 3 sets of 10-incline bench press
- 3 sets of 10-chest flys or cable crosses
- 3 sets of 10- decline bench press
- 3 sets of 10- triceps pull down.
I omitted flat bench press from here because it's not as effective as incline and decline bench press and there's a pile of literature confirming that.

Day 2 - back and shoulders
- 3 sets of 10 - machine back row or t-bar row
- 3 sets of 10 - wide lat pull down or interior grip pull down
- 3 sets of 10 - dumbbell shoulder press
- 3 sets of 10 - shoulder shrug

Day 3 bicep and abs, or squats. Even if you're not interested in working on your legs, I recommend squatting at least one day a week.

3 sets of 10 - bicep curl
3 sets of 10 hammer curl
3 sets of 20 sits up or 3 sets of 10 squats.

Try this routine and I guarantee you'll feel sore the next day. By doing this routine you will actually work the muscle to completion and begin seeing results. After the three days you can take a break and start the process over again on day 5, or just go hard for the 5 days and take the weekend off.

Wow, thanks for the tips. I don't think I could fit that in my lunch break but it's something I'll try on my off days. I hate going before or after my workdays. My job is physical enough. I'm currently working 4 days on 3 days off.

The only leg workout I do is a half hour on the treadmill on an incline, lol. I haven't done squats since High School.

[Santa_]

I wouldnt do the same muscles everyday. Do chest and triceps 1day,back and biceps another day,shoulders n legs another day. Mix it up.

Yeah I'm already getting bored working the same muscles. I'm going to mix it up and start going on my off days. Maybe 45 minutes to an hour.

[El-blanco]

Wow, thanks for the tips. I don't think I could fit that in my lunch break but it's something I'll try on my off days. I hate going before or after my workdays. My job is physical enough. I'm currently working 4 days on 3 days off.

The only leg workout I do is a half hour on the treadmill on an incline, lol. I haven't done squats since High School.

Lol everyone hates squatting. If your job is physical that is probably too much but I'd recommend doing two of those exercises out the set I listed, at least. So, maybe do incline bench press and tricep pull down on day 1. Incline bench works the whole chest but really targets the upper chest, which is what most guys want. It will create that separation up top that looks great. On back and shoulder day, just do shoulder press and back rows. I think you'll find even doing those exercises more rewarding than your current daily setup. Good luck man.

[RedZmaja]

The only leg workout I do is a half hour on the treadmill on an incline, lol. I haven't done squats since High School.

Try sprinting. It's not time consuming and you'll get ripped as well as build some leg muscles.

[Boxfan83]

Is it bad to work on the same muscles everyday if you're only doing 2 or 3 sets of 10, 20-30 minutes out of the day?

The reason I ask is because I got a new job right next to a gym and I've been going everyday on my lunch break. Just 2 or 3 sets of benching and curling everyday for about 20-30 minutes. Nothing serious.

I don't feel sore at all I'm just wondering if I'll get any benefits from it.

If you are going to work out the same muscles everyday I would suggest doing a full upper body circuit (chest, back, shoulders, biceps, triceps) but never do the same exercises daily. Switch it up, for example if you do incline bench for your chest day 1, do regular (flat) bench the next day, decline the following, and butterflys the day after. Quick and heavy reps (no more than 8) will result in quick gains and vascularity.