how much does workout spread matter?

Question

I am currently on the following schedule, or rather, this is what I aim for:

(I used to do deal lifts, but its winter, so I cant unless I join a gym, which I might do.)

3 days a week:

2 minute dynamic planks
5-10 dips
15 squats + 25lb weight
5 pull-ups
5 chin-ups

3 circuits total. On the second circuit, I do 15 push-ups in place of the dips.

Due to finals, I haven't been working out very much. I only worked out once this past week.

Because of my schedule I was wondering what the effect would be if i did the same exercises on a different schedule.

What would happen if I did one circuit every day?

I might do like alternating shifts of one circuit/two circuits and take a rest day.

I am looking for general info on how much workout spread matters for the following:

fat loss
muscle gain
strength gain 

Answer 1

I'd advise against doing it every day. Instead, every-other day would provide your muscles with enough restitution to actually progress. Keep in mind that the "every-other day" part is more of a rule-of-thumb, but restitution is crucial to gaining strength.

If your numbers are a goal, and not something you can already do, then it looks alright. The problem arises when you're able to do more than 10-15 on every exercise. Then you need to find progress in terms of adding more weight to each exercise, rather than simply doing even more reps. Again, a gym comes to mind.

For extra fat loss, I'd suggest a 30-60 minute walk every day. Preferably in the morning, before breakfast if possible, but any time is better than not at all. Simply walking helps with posture (chest up, chin up, back straight), and kick-starts your metabolism, among many other benefits.

Answer 2

If you want to exercise everyday, concentrate on training different muscle groups. Focus on your planks, squats and lunges on one day and your upper body work (push ups, chin ups, dips) on the other day. Your muscles need a minimum of 48 hours to recover and grow depending on the amount of volume you are performing Luke.

Circuits are great for fat loss. Minimize the breaks and keep yourself moving. The more work you can cram into a short period of time (Eg. 20-30 mins) the better your overall results will be in terms of muscle gain and fat loss.

I hope that helps,

Mike