Alternating muscle groups

Question

This question has been asked here, but I have yet to see any explanation offered (even "we don't know why, but it's been tried and it doesn't work").

Will working out every day on different muscle groups cause more harm than good? If so, why?

(I avoid using the word "overtraining", because it seems different people take that to mean different things)

I am not asking this as it pertains to my specific workout, because I might change my workout based on the answer presented.

So far, I've found very few, contradicting answers with no explanations at all.

My goal, if you must know, is to exhaust myself so I can sleep better. I see exercise as a possible magic cure for my lack of energy. But getting stronger would also be nice.

Answer 1

Most of the folks who exercise different body parts on different days are body builders, which is more about body modification than achievement of strength or fitness. When you hear people talking about doing "chest" on Tuesday and "arms" on Thursdays, this is what's going on.

If you're interested in exhausting yourself, I know of nothing better than running hill intervals on repeat.

If you want to get stronger and have an effective strength training workout, that will certainly challenge you physically, I'd recommend looking into some effective strength training programs.