Resting can be more beneficial than training

“There are a lot of different schools of thought around optimal rest time between sessions,” explains doctor and personal trainer Dr Aishah Iqbal. “However, it is well-documented that muscle growth happens through resting after training, rather than overtraining.”

Strength training causes tiny tears in our muscle fibres, which, when they rebuild and repair, makes the muscles stronger. But in order for them to do this – you guessed it – you need adequate rest and nutrition, advises Sanchez-Morris.

However, that’s not to say that you need a whole day off. “If the hypothetical question is, can someone work out every day, then I would say yes, in theory,” argues Gallagher. “But if you wanted to work out every day for a long period of time, adequate rest of the major muscle groups being worked and proper fuelling of the body would be essential.

“I do believe a person can train every day provided they are doing so consciously and not training to extreme failure each time they go out. Additionally, experience and knowledge are key factors in being able to train every day safely.”

In other words, adequate rest will look different to different people, so it’s important to recognise your body’s individual signs of stress and overwork.

Not resting enough is just as dangerous to our bodies as overtraining – here’s why