264. How often you work out more important than how hard
Dr. David Geier is an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist in Charleston, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. He helps athletes and active people feel and perform their best, regardless of age, injuries and medical history. He has been featured in major media publications and shows over 2,500 times throughout his career.
Most of us struggle to find time to exercise. For some people, it’s easier to do short workouts most days of the week, while others prefer longer workouts once or twice a week, such as on the weekends. A new study suggests that at least for muscle building, one way to work out might be better than the other. In the study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports, researchers had one group of participants perform a single set of six resistance exercises, performed each weekday. The other group performed 30 sets during a single weekly session. They observed that participants who performed smaller amounts of weight or resistance training five days a week improved muscle strength and size more than a single longer weekly weight training session.
Through the stories of a dozen athletes whose injuries and recovery advanced the field (including Joan Benoit, Michael Jordan, Brandi Chastain, and Tommy John), Dr. Geier explains how sports medicine makes sports safer for the pros, amateurs, student-athletes, and weekend warriors alike.
