Can You Do Back Day After Leg Day? (Solved!)

There are multiple factors which determine how effective your workouts are.

Common ones being:

• Number of sets & reps
• Rest time between sets
• Amount of weight being lifted

One of the less common ones, however, is the order in which you train different muscle groups throughout the week.

So, in this article, we discuss whether you can do back after leg day.

We look at the pros and cons of doing so, as well as looking at other muscle groups that you may want to work out after a challenging leg day.

Ready?

Let’s get to it.

Can You Do Back Day After Leg Day?

You can train back after leg day.

This is a common way of working out for many people as it allows your lower body some time to rest and recover after an intense leg session.

After leg day, your lower body will be fatigued as you would’ve lifted some heavy weights during the workout.

And so the working muscles will appreciate some rest and recovery time before being trained again.

By doing back after leg day, you switch the focus from your drained lower body to your upper body which will be fresh and ready to work hard.

If you then have a rest day after training back, your lower body will have at least 48 hours of rest and recovery time before working again.

This time is essential for muscle repair and growth.

Benefits of Doing Back After Leg Day

It Gives Your Fatigued Lower Body Time To Recover

If you’re doing leg day properly, then chances are you’re lifting some seriously heavy weights. 

This can fatigue your lower body as a result.

When your lower body is fatigued, it’s best to give it time to rest and recover before training it again.

By doing back after leg day, you’re giving the leg muscles the time needed for recovery while still working on your upper body.

Your upper body will be working hard while your lower body recovers so that it’s ready to train hard again in a few days.

It Allows You To Work Big Muscle Groups On Consecutive Days

Training the big 3 (chest, legs and back) takes a toll on your body.

If you train too many large muscle groups closely together, it can end up having a negative impact on your workouts.

But if you get the order right, you can train large muscle groups on consecutive days and get some great benefits.

For example, if you follow a push, legs, pull routine, your training week may look like this:

• Day 1: – Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
• Day 2: – Rest
• Day 3: – Legs
• Day 4: – Pull (Back, Biceps) 
• Day 5: – Rest

This means you can target your whole body (including the big 3) during the week while allowing them enough recovery time before they’re targeted again.

Drawbacks of Doing Back After Leg Day

Fatigue

You’ll likely feel very fatigued after an intense leg session.

You would’ve moved some serious weight, performed some big movements, and pushed your lower body to its limit.

This can result in you feeling too tired and unmotivated to do a back session the next day.

As your back is such a big muscle group, it’ll take a ton of focus and effort to train properly.

If you’re feeling too tired after leg day, then it may be best to have a rest day so that you’re fully prepared for a big back workout. 

Should You Do Back After Leg Day?

Many people do back after leg day as it’s a good way of training.

That isn’t to say it’s always the right thing for you, but it can be a solid way of reaching your fitness goals.

There aren’t too many reasons why you shouldn’t do back after leg day, but it’ll ultimately come down to your personal preferences whether it’s best for you.

(I.e. if you find out that you do feel unmotivated after a heavy leg day, then perhaps you should have a rest day instead.)

Is It Safe To Do Back After Leg Day?

Generally speaking, it’s completely safe to do back after leg day.

As long as you have no injuries and your back has recovered from any previous exercise, there’s low risk in training your back after legs.

Is It Better To Do Legs After Back Day?

You could argue that it’s better to do legs after back day.

This is because your legs are placed under tension during some back exercises like deadlifts and bent-over rows.

If your legs are already fatigued from leg day, the amount of weight you’ll be able to lift during some back exercises could be significantly less which can reduce the effectiveness of your workout.

Conclusion

In summary, you can do back after leg day since your back is upper body and your legs are lower body. This means your back will be fresh after training legs.

That’s all for this article, but what about chest day after shoulder day? Or what about shoulder day after back day?

Hope this helped!

Sources

https://www.puregym.com/blog/post-workout-fatigue-why-it-happens-and-how-to-help/