Training FAQ #12: How important is rest and recuperation?

[Animal Rep]

R&R is about as important as it gets for the serious lifter. Many think that the time you spend hammering your body is the gym is the only thing that matters. Crushing iron breaks down muscle and that's half the battle. But the other half is just as critical, if not more. Unless you give your body adequate rest, your muscles won't have a chance to grow. That's right. Your muscles grow outside the gym. So treat your body with respect. Give it the rest it needs.

For a discussion about rest, check out this thread: http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=4765

For a thread talking about the importance of sleep:
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=523

[Beowulf]

Great post. Rest is really, really important.

[hjayss]

Love this post...solid info here so gonna bump it..

[HOLLYWOOD2]

mos def....always gotta get that rest. i prefer 8-9 hrs a night

[bigpunisher]

it is really important because your muscle is recovering and growing when you are resting. when you are working out you are just tearing the muscle down.

[jiggaman2g]

it is really important because your muscle is recovering and growing when you are resting. when you are working out you are just tearing the muscle down.

If I do a 5 day split is that too much rest for the muscle? Like for instance the routine I do now is work my chest with about 5-6 different exercises on Saturdays only.

[simpleguy]

If I do a 5 day split is that too much rest for the muscle? Like for instance the routine I do now is work my chest with about 5-6 different exercises on Saturdays only.

well, different people, different gentics, and different routines... basiccally the advice is to work big parts only once per week (hell, I read somewhere that 'The House' trains legs once in every ten days) and small parts twice and up to three times per week... these especially include abs, calves and forearms... see what works best for you, feel free to change your routine every once in a while

[MYKL]

Listening to your body, learning to listen/feel, is paramount to proper rest.

Houses legs get thrashed, he needs to let those huge masses of muscle rebuild. That takes time. The day you realize that you can count on your body to recover and feel ready for more is the day you have correctly included rest/recovery into your lifestyle.

[jonnydunz]

I believe that getting the right amount of rest for recuperation is key to growth and getting oneself to getting back in the gym. I like to make sure that I do all that I need to do to get myself back in the gym so that I can go on an all out assault on whatever muscle group that I will be working that day.

[MANABOLIC]

you grow when you rest. nuff said !

[XENA32]

I have been getting my rest and all, but I'm just starting to lift hard again since I'm finally home from school for the summer. It's my first week back in the gym and I'm so sore from lifting the first three days I didn't even try to lift today, didn't think it would be smart. I just did some cardio. What kind of rest do I need to do to get a jump on all this soreness?

[Nihility]

if your bulking, eat a TON, sleep a ton.

take a day off when you need it, even from cardio. today (saturday) is my rest and relax' day, no cardio no lifting... just recouping for the next week (its also my one cheat meal a week day... i love Saturdays...)

since i stopped doing cardio and started resting on saturdays, ive noticed more energy in the gym and ive been a hell of a lot less grumpy :D



i do all major groups (legs, back, etc.) once a week


the only things i work out more than once every 7 days is forearms, abs, and calves

[ICXC]

I have been getting my rest and all, but I'm just starting to lift hard again since I'm finally home from school for the summer. It's my first week back in the gym and I'm so sore from lifting the first three days I didn't even try to lift today, didn't think it would be smart. I just did some cardio. What kind of rest do I need to do to get a jump on all this soreness?

Yo XENA32,

How's your workout going now? I just joined the Forum a couple days ago and noticed that you just got back into the gym last week. Like simpleguy stated, "different people, different genetics, different routines". Soreness is a sign telling you to slow down and not to jump back into training as hard as you once did. I am speaking from experience. My school work in college got so busy that I didn't have a chance to workout on a regular basis and my diet kind of slipped away from me as well. I was in the gym one day doing bent over lat raises, just absolutely punishing myself the first or second week that I was back in the gym and I felt a pinch in my stomach. I was sore for about a week straight and it was hell. So you don't want to over do it. Make sure that you are eating plenty, taking in enough fluids, and getting plenty of rest. I've heard that 8 hrs. is a good amount of sleep to get.

Peace,
ICXC

[thenothingthatis]

xena, i think if you stretch for 10 minutes twice a day that would help your soreness. Also, try rubbing ice on sore muscles. Or switching between hot and cold in the shower. That helps me.

[bloodgroove65]

It's really important to know how to put your workout together, giving the muscles that recover fast enuff work and thebigger ones enough rest. I you work your back , chest, and then your arms another 2 days a week don't wonder why they look like thread hangin from your sleeves

[Bombreezey]

it is very important to get rest in... because you need time for the muscle to rebuild and recover. its good to give a muscle group 36 to 48 hours of recovery time at least before reworking that same muscle group

[Machine]

Rest and recuperation are as important to the body as the processes of sweating and pissing...but we dont endlessly pontificate on those little physiological phenomenon...do we?

Why do you suppose that is?

MACHINE

[Punishir]

I want to know whar is the proper rest int between routines? It will b 13 weeks of trainong as of Jan. 7 2011, and 6 of those wks. was a builkng work out. Now I am going to start a 5/3/1 after this routine. What would be a good break time if it is even needed.

Thanks

[Carrnage]

I want to know whar is the proper rest int between routines? It will b 13 weeks of trainong as of Jan. 7 2011, and 6 of those wks. was a builkng work out. Now I am going to start a 5/3/1 after this routine. What would be a good break time if it is even needed.

Thanks

What ever you feel that is needed! Try 1 week, see how you feel, monitor it from there.

[Carrnage]

R&R is about as important as it gets for the serious lifter. Many think that the time you spend hammering your body is the gym is the only thing that matters. Crushing iron breaks down muscle and that's half the battle. But the other half is just as critical, if not more. Unless you give your body adequate rest, your muscles won't have a chance to grow. That's right. Your muscles grow outside the gym. So treat your body with respect. Give it the rest it needs.

For a discussion about rest, check out this thread: http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=4765

For a thread talking about the importance of sleep:
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?t=523

Very important! People think its your muscles that get taxed, its your nervous system that decides for you to grow or not grow...so in other words....rest, rest and rest some more!