Exercise question: Recovery time

[bucketybuck]

After doing some reading, I am trying to change my fitness routine from mainly cardio to mainly weights (for weight loss). Specifically I intend to do complexes, mixed with interval cardio training.

My question is regarding recovery time. I am pretty active, though a lot of injuries over the years have meant I have to be careful with what I do.
I did my first set of complexes on monday, and yet today (thursday) I still feel very tight/sore, especially in the thighs/hamstrings and shoulders.

I expect this of course, but I what I am wondering is: At what level of discomfort do I say “This is too sore/tired, I had better take another days rest”, or, “Yeah its sore/tired, but I have to ignore that, and do another set”?

I dont want to overtrain, but neither do I want to go too easy on myself (this isnt meant to be fun ;))

Any thoughts?

[qpw3141]

@bucketybuck

After doing some reading, I am trying to change my fitness routine from mainly cardio to mainly weights (for weight loss). Specifically I intend to do complexes, mixed with interval cardio training.

My question is regarding recovery time. I am pretty active, though a lot of injuries over the years have meant I have to be careful with what I do.
I did my first set of complexes on monday, and yet today (thursday) I still feel very tight/sore, especially in the thighs/hamstrings and shoulders.

I expect this of course, but I what I am wondering is: At what level of discomfort do I say “This is too sore/tired, I had better take another days rest”, or, “Yeah its sore/tired, but I have to ignore that, and do another set”?

IME, unless you start off very slowly you will always be sore for two or three days after a lay off (or when starting from scratch).

Once you are in a rhythm you shouldn’t feel sore at all although you may not be able to perform optimally if you train the same muscle groups on successive days.

I dont want to overtrain, but neither do I want to go too easy on myself (this isnt meant to be fun ;))

But pushing yourself is part of the fun!

[bucketybuck]

@qpw3141

IME, unless you start off very slowly you will always be sore for two or three days after a lay off (or when starting from scratch).

Once you are in a rhythm you shouldn’t feel sore at all although you may not be able to perform optimally if you train the same muscle groups on successive days.

Thanks for the reply. But just to clarify I expect, and have no problem with, being sore as a result of exercise. If done right, I should be doing complexes to the limit of my endurance. (If I am not sore afterwards, then I should have done more)

What I wonder is how to accurately judge whether I need more rest, or can safely go for another evenings work?

For example, I am in work now. I my back and shoulders are a little sore. Should I do a good stretch and go to the gym, or do I stretch, then give it another day to rest, go tomorrow instead?

How to judge?

[qpw3141]

@bucketybuck

@qpw3141

IME, unless you start off very slowly you will always be sore for two or three days after a lay off (or when starting from scratch).

Once you are in a rhythm you shouldn’t feel sore at all although you may not be able to perform optimally if you train the same muscle groups on successive days.

Thanks for the reply. But just to clarify I expect, and have no problem with, being sore as a result of exercise. If done right, I should be doing complexes to the limit of my endurance. (If I am not sore afterwards, then I should have done more)

It may be that others will contradict me but IME, once you in a rhythm with your training you shouldn’t get sore.

If I pushed myself to the limit I would not be sore but I would be considerably weaker for a sort while and slightly weaker until fully recovered.

So if you can do as much as you did on your last outing then you are recovered.

[running_coach]

In general, 48 hours is enough for most people after a hard workout. If you’re sore enough that movement is painful and difficult, you should probably take an extra day. If it’s just mild soreness, you can probably work out.

[DSeid]

My humble opinion is as a general rule, if you are sore and not in pain then it is fine to work out. Also though it is generally advised to not start out full force. Start off with lighter weights than you think you can lift and focus on perfect form. You may still get sore (or not) and will definitely make gains. Then progressively add either more volume or more weight or both and mixing up higher weight/low rep, and lower weight/high rep, and plyometric sets.

[CookingWithGas]

Textbook answer is 48 hours rest for a given muscle group. I will work out if I am still sore after that (hardly ever happens unless I do something radically different), but warm up a little because working out a sore/stiff muscle too abruptly can cause injury.

BTW since we’re talking about soreness, be aware that you can be making gains without experiencing soreness.

[Markxxx]

When you do weights there is three rules.

You should feel like your muscles have been used. This doesn’t mean “sore” but it should feel like you’ve used them.

Second rule is by the time you leave the gym, till the time you get home any residual soreness should be gone. I’d say within 30 minutes to an hour you shoudn’t hurt.

Third rule, this is the most important one, if after an hour you’re still sore, take ONE dose of aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, or Aleve or whatever you use. If this ONE DOSE of those OTC pain meds doesn’t relieve the soreness, you’re doing it wrong.

To many people jump in to fast with weights. Start out slow. If an OTC pain reliever doesn’t stop the soreness you’re lifting incorrectly or trying to go to fast

As for how long to let your muscles rest. It doesn’t matter. The key is NOT to do the same routine over and over.

You can work your upper body one day and lower body the next day. But don’t do that for more than one or two weeks. If you do it for a month, by then your body will adapt and growth stops.

If you want to work the same muscles every day, that’s fine as long as the next week you CHANGE the routine.

You have to remember your body will always take the line of least resistance. That’s why muscles grow

It’s like you lift a wieght one day. You’re body says “Ok that’s odd.” Then you do it again, and your body says “Hmm, why is he doing this?” Then the third time you lift your body says “OK this is ridiculous if he’s gonna keep lifting this weight, let’s make the muscle a bit bigger to so there won’t be so much effort.”

So all routines are fine, but it’s variation of these routines that is the key. What ever you do change it after one or two weeks.

Also remember in addition to muscles when you lift weights it also strengthens your tendons and your bone gets a bit more dense too. This is why stretching before and after for about 5 or ten minutes is a good idea.

[CookingWithGas]

@Markxxx

Second rule is by the time you leave the gym, till the time you get home any residual soreness should be gone. I’d say within 30 minutes to an hour you shoudn’t hurt.

I agree you shouldn’t have soreness immediately after a workout, but non-injury soreness is delayed onset soreness, which typically arrives 12-24 hours after a workout, which can last 12-48 hours (sometimes a little longer). Delayed onset soreness is what the OP is talking about.

Other types of persistent soreness, particularly in joints, can be an indicator of inflammation; damaged cartilage, tendons, or ligaments; or other injury.

If you want to work the same muscles every day, that’s fine as long as the next week you CHANGE the routine.

I disagree with this for weight training. Training the same muscles every day will lead to overtraining. Even bodybuilders who work out every day typically do split sets, e.g., legs and core one day, arms and upper body the next.

[Si_Amigo]

@bucketybuck

After doing some reading, I am trying to change my fitness routine from mainly cardio to mainly weights (for weight loss). Specifically I intend to do complexes, mixed with interval cardio training.

Any thoughts?

Just my experiance, when I started doing weight training with cardio (circuit training) my weight loss slowed down dramatically. Still, my clothing size went down because I was adding lean muscle mass while still losing some fat; but I didn’t lose hardly any weight at all after nine months (maybe 5-7 lbs). If this happens don’t get discouraged.

BTW, next week I start deep water arobics and swimming classes four days a week in an attempt to get back on my weight loss goal while mainting the strength gain.

[CookingWithGas]

@bucketybuck

After doing some reading, I am trying to change my fitness routine from mainly cardio to mainly weights (for weight loss).

For weight loss, I tried mainly cardio, then tried mainly weights, and what finally worked was mainly eating less.

[dzero]

I had the OP’s problem with long recovery times until I started taking OTC supplements that mimic anabolic steroids - things like beta-sitosterol, gamma oryzanol, etc. With those, my recovery time went from a few days to 24 hours and I was able to build muscle when previously that had been difficult to impossible.

Weight training can make you very hungry afterwards - that’s what happened to me anyway. I would stick with aerobic excercise. The trick is to go for at least 45 minutes at your target heart rate. The first 15-20 you are only burning glycogen in your muscles. You dont burn fat until at least 20 minutes of intense aerobic activity.

[DSeid]

@CookingWithGas

… Training the same muscles every day will lead to overtraining. Even bodybuilders who work out every day typically do split sets, e.g., legs and core one day, arms and upper body the next.

We’ve had a past thread on this claim and it seems to be a bit of a myth, a widely held one, but still a myth. After all Olympic weightlifters typically train several sessions a day 5-6 days a week and just those few lifts. Overtraining and overreaching exist but there is no actual reason to believe that you need more than a day rest to recover if you’ve been progressively acclimating to the volume and demands of your daily work outs.

[CookingWithGas]

@DSeid

@CookingWithGas

… Training the same muscles every day will lead to overtraining. Even bodybuilders who work out every day typically do split sets, e.g., legs and core one day, arms and upper body the next.

We’ve had a past thread on this claim and it seems to be a bit of a myth, a widely held one, but still a myth. After all Olympic weightlifters typically train several sessions a day 5-6 days a week and just those few lifts. Overtraining and overreaching exist but there is no actual reason to believe that you need more than a day rest to recover if you’ve been progressively acclimating to the volume and demands of your daily work outs.

I don’t know the science on it but Olympic weightlifters do a different type of training with different goals than bodybuilders. The OP is interested in weightlifting as a means of weight loss, not sure how that comes into play.

[bucketybuck]

Just an update, I decided to go to the gym anyway. After stretching, I did one set of “Cosgrove Complex”. I then did a session on the cross trainer where I would do one minute with resistance set to maximum, then a two minute walk at lowest setting. Repeated 5 times.

I felt fine during it all, and feel fine now (tomorrow may be different though). Its still difficult to judge though.

Cooking with gas, yes I am trying to use weights for fat loss. I am not fat as such, I have a muscular build by nature, but I would like to loose about half a stone, and trim off the love handles. I have always done cardio, both at the gym and as a member of various football teams. At one stage last summer I was doing over an hour in the gym every day, all cardio work, without any noticeable improvement. I intend to change to some weights (complexes/tabatha), and some very intensive interval training.