As Madonna hits 50, there is no denying that she is in great physical condition, thanks to a daily regimen of training. When I was a child, fifty-somethings were often people who wore heavy coats in the summer and didn't bother going outside at all in winter. The likes of Madonna have stuck two fingers up to ageing - but is such an intensive approach suitable for everyone? I don't know the full details of Madonna's current regimen, but it incorporates dance, Pilates and strength training. She's told me that she has drifted from being purely gym-based and now encompasses other areas such as yoga. This cross-training is vital if you want to exercise every day.

Daily training has its advantages...

Your metabolism is made to rise every day, so even if your intensity is low on some days and high on others, you are still regularly raising your calorie-burn rate, which makes you more likely to burn off fat; your nervous system and muscles are more responsive because they have been stimulated only recently; you can work different body parts on alternating days. Bodybuilders use a “split routine” which exercises one set of muscles on one day and a different set on another, thereby resting muscles for 48 hours between sets. Research by Dallas University indicates that within 15 hours muscles can recover sufficiently to allow them to be worked again.

...and disadvantages

High-intensity exercise causes “micro-trauma” of muscles, tiny tears which redevelop as a stronger fibre and can cause discomfort and pain. The impaired movement that can result may cause further injury; excessive trauma to bones through high-impact exercises such as jogging can cause painful stress fractures; if you find exercise to be a chore already, the idea of doing it every day may put you off forever.

But damage can be avoided

Much of this is preventable. Muscle trauma can be avoided by planning your routine across the whole week. Bone fractures are usually a problem only if you do something high-impact such as jogging every day; so take time off and invest in some good footwear. Good nutrition makes your muscles recover more quickly, as does good hydration, so a healthy balanced diet will fuel rapid recovery. To stave off boredom, variety is crucial.

On balance, if you are already exercising four days per week, increasing this to six well-planned sessions will be fine, provided that some, say two, are of low to moderate in intensity.

To find out more about Matt,go to www.mattroberts.co.uk

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