PUMP, YOU, UP! Muscle rest after a hard workout.

[Autolycus]

Hello everyone. What is the recommended period of time to rest one’s muscles after a hard workout. I’ve seen 48 hours, but I’ve also seen some places recommend no more than twice a week for the same muscle group, which would be longer than 48 hours.

I ask because my friend wants to go weight-lifting tomorrow. We lifted pretty hard yesterday. Tomorrow I probably won’t be sore anymore, but I won’t feel 100% either. If we don’t train tomorrow, the next day we will be able to is Friday at the earliest. Would it be better to train tomorrow and risk over-training, or wait a day and risk wasting a few days?

Oh, for the record, I’m a 28 year old male. So, what’s the dope?

[DSeid]

American College of Sports Medicine recommendations:

Optimal RT frequency (the number of workouts per week) depends upon several factors such as volume, intensity, exercise selection, level of conditioning, recovery ability, and number of muscle groups trained per workout session. …

… It is recommended that novice individuals train the entire body 2-3 d·wk-1 …

… It is recommended that for progression to intermediate training, a frequency of 3-4 d·wk-1 be used (3 d if using a total-body workout, 4 d if using a split routine thereby training each major muscle group twice) …

… Advanced and elite weightlifters and bodybuilders use high-frequency training, for example, four to six sessions per week or more. Double-split routines (two training sessions per day with emphasis on different muscle groups) are common during training (102), which may result in 8-12 training sessions per week. Frequencies as high as 18 sessions per week have been reported in elite Olympic weightlifters (280). The rationale for high-frequency training is that frequent short sessions followed by periods of recovery, nutrition supplementation, and food intake allow for high-intensity training and performance (reduced fatigue). Häkkinen and Kallinen (103) reported greater increases in muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and strength when training volume was divided into two sessions per day as opposed to one. Elite power lifters train 4-6 d·wk-1 (75). It is important to note that not all muscle groups are trained per workout during a high-frequency model of training. Meta-analytical data have shown that training a muscle group two times per week in advanced individuals yielded the highest effect size (225) and two to three times per week yielded similar effect sizes in athletes (206).

Evidence category C. It is recommended that advanced lifters train 4-6 d·wk-1. Elite weightlifters and bodybuilders may benefit from using very high frequency, for example, two workouts in 1 d for 4-5 d·wk-1 …

Interpret as is appropriate.

[isaiahrobinson]

You can certainly work out two days in a row, but try and leave 48 hours between training the same muscle group. So if you did chest, back and shoulders yesterday, do an arms or legs session today, or vice versa. I wouldn’t be too worried about over-training and injuries if you do train the same muscle group two days in a row (as long as you warm up properly) but it’ll probably be less effective at getting results because it doesn’t give the muscle enough time to heal.

The top bodybuilders and powerlifters often work out two or three days times a day, but they focus on very specific muscles in each session so that they’re still leaving a couple of days before working that muscle group again.