Time between workouts?

[Guest]

I know that it's recommended to have at least 48 hours of rest between workouts, but would it be a good idea to have 36 hours of rest? ie workout at 10:00 Monday then at 22:00 Tuesday then at 10:00 Thursday then at 22:00 Friday, etc?

[Fjoggs]

Vary the muscles you train, and it's np.

[mik0rs]

Yeah, don't work the same muscles in consecutive sessions and you should be fine.

[Guest]

What if I train the same muscles every time? Even if I do different exercises, if I do the upper body, the same muscles will be somehow involved in each exercise.

[R00k]

No, you break workouts up into muscle groups. The best way is to work your pecs, triceps, lats and anterior deltoids altogether. That includes benchpresses, butterflies, push-ups, hanging deadlifts etc.
The next day you can work biceps, back, posterior delts, etc. by doing curls, rows, and pull-ups.
The third day you can work your legs and abs.

You definitely don't want to work the same muscles repeatedly in quick succession. You need to give your muscles time to rebuild after a workout before you focus on them again.

[Guest]

Thats an interesting program rook, I'll look into it. I wanna work out a lot this summer :icon14:

[tnf]

are you talking time between training the same bodypart directly, or just time between workouts in general?

Depends on different factors -
your individual recovery speed
your diet
the amount of rest you are getting
your training goals (bulk, lean out, etc.)

If you are training for strength and size, and hitting one or two bodyparts per workout (ie. chest/tris), you should be taking at LEAST 72 hours between chest workouts (96 is better, 120 works too - maybe even better than 96).

[Guest]

Interesting, 96 hours is 4 days! So if I use rook's guide, then I should train for 3 days, doing a different muscle group each time and then rest one day and train again? Is his guide good?

[R00k]

The way I like to do it is workout Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and rest for the weekend. That way, by the time you get around to your chest/tris again, they've had plenty of time to rest.

If you're really trying to bulk up and put on some mass, you can do it on a more aggressive schedule than that, but you also have to start looking into supplements and diet changes to help rebuild.

[tnf]

Dorian Yates advised each muscle group no more than 1 time per week (directly) - things will be hit indirectly in other workouts.

I'm currently into a different training style - doing more circuit work to lean out and not needing the same amount of recovery time as I would normally.

Example - very basic and traditional routine

Day 1 - chest/triceps/front delts
day 2 - back/biceps/traps and rear delts
day 3 - off
day 4 - legs -
day 5 - off
day 6 - cycle repeats

Thats a simple 2 on-1-off-1-on-1-off system
There are all sorts of ways to change it up...3 on 1 off, 4 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off 2 on 2 off, etc.

Things to watch for -
overtraining smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps

bi's are hit very hard during a back workout
if you don't do bi's with back, make sure you have enough time between back and bi workouts to avoid overtraining them
same goes with tri's - hit hard with chest and shoulder presses

The best thing you can do is learn how your body is responding and adjust

I can tell within a two weeks if a given program is going to give me results...just takes time and experience.

[Guest]

I drink a shake consisting of 55grams of mostly complex carbs and 35 grams of protein after each workout.

What sort of diet will help my muscles rebuild, a lot of protein?

[Guest]

Btw, I havent trained for about a week and a half, so I restarded last Tuesday, and then trained again on Friday because my muscles (pects especially) hurt a bit. Now its Sunday, technically I should work out, but my pects still hurt a bit and are really hot. Should I rest and start training alternate groups of muscle tomorrow, like tnf and rook suggested? Or is it fine to train while your muscles still hurt?

[tnf]

yes, protein is necessary

very important is to get a good carb drink with some whey protein in right after a workout.

You don't want mostly complex carbs right after a workout, you need some simple sugars that can be absorbed quickly to replenish liver glycogen stores

look for a carb mix that is stacked with a mix of mono- di- tri - etc. saccharides.
Throw 20-30 g of whey protein in there and drink that within 30 minutes after your workout.
Whey protein is best post-workout as it is absorbed a bit more rapidly.

Make sure you get enough protein at night. Most people don't realize they go into starvation mode during the night if tehy are eating dinner at 7 pm, have a small sugary snack at 9 pm, and then don't eat good protein again until 7-9 the next morning.

Set your alarm, get up in the middle of the night, and eat some peanut butter or a protein shake if oyu really want to get big.

Eat every 3 or so hours.

[tnf]

Btw, I havent trained for about a week and a half, so I restarded last Tuesday, and then trained again on Friday because my muscles (pects especially) hurt a bit. Now its Sunday, technically I should work out, but my pects still hurt a bit and are really hot. Should I rest and start training alternate groups of muscle tomorrow, like tnf and rook suggested? Or is it fine to train while your muscles still hurt?

Depends on what you mean by hurt.

Sharp pain, or intense burning still, wait a day or so.

A bit of general soreness, you are probably OK.

But trust me, TAKING ONE MORE DAY OF REST WILL NEVER HURT YOU. IN FACT, IT WILL LIKELY BE BETTER.

[Guest]

yes, protein is necessary

very important is to get a good carb drink with some whey protein in right after a workout.

You don't want mostly complex carbs right after a workout, you need some simple sugars that can be absorbed quickly to replenish liver glycogen stores

look for a carb mix that is stacked with a mix of mono- di- tri - etc. saccharides.
Throw 20-30 g of whey protein in there and drink that within 30 minutes after your workout.
Whey protein is best post-workout as it is absorbed a bit more rapidly.

Thats exactly what I have in my shake, tnf! Plus I usually train around 9-10pm, so that is also my night dosage of protein.

Should I also remember to consume 30grams of protein before going to sleep on non-workout days, right?

[Guest]

Btw, I havent trained for about a week and a half, so I restarded last Tuesday, and then trained again on Friday because my muscles (pects especially) hurt a bit. Now its Sunday, technically I should work out, but my pects still hurt a bit and are really hot. Should I rest and start training alternate groups of muscle tomorrow, like tnf and rook suggested? Or is it fine to train while your muscles still hurt?

Depends on what you mean by hurt.

Sharp pain, or intense burning still, wait a day or so.

A bit of general soreness, you are probably OK.

But trust me, TAKING ONE MORE DAY OF REST WILL NEVER HURT YOU. IN FACT, IT WILL LIKELY BE BETTER.

Well, its not exacly pain, but I can definately "feel" my muscles, so I guess its soreness. I'll rest then

[R00k]

yes, protein is necessary

very important is to get a good carb drink with some whey protein in right after a workout.

You don't want mostly complex carbs right after a workout, you need some simple sugars that can be absorbed quickly to replenish liver glycogen stores

look for a carb mix that is stacked with a mix of mono- di- tri - etc. saccharides.
Throw 20-30 g of whey protein in there and drink that within 30 minutes after your workout.
Whey protein is best post-workout as it is absorbed a bit more rapidly.

Make sure you get enough protein at night. Most people don't realize they go into starvation mode during the night if tehy are eating dinner at 7 pm, have a small sugary snack at 9 pm, and then don't eat good protein again until 7-9 the next morning.

Set your alarm, get up in the middle of the night, and eat some peanut butter or a protein shake if oyu really want to get big.

Eat every 3 or so hours.

Wow, I never knew it helped to eat in the middle of the night.

What would you recommend as a good carb/protein mix, as far as brand/drink names?

[tnf]

Wow, I never knew it helped to eat in the middle of the night.

What would you recommend as a good carb/protein mix, as far as brand/drink names?

Big-time help, but not widely publicized. And, not something that, if you don't do it, will keep you from making any goals. Rather, just another tool to help bulk up.

As for what to eat or drink -
First off - there are some companies making protein mixes that are trying to address this nighttime issue - with 'time-release' mixes of protein that supposedly help maintain a positive nitrogen balance throughout the night.

Positive nitrogen balance is critical to keep your system in an anabolic state. The only way to have this is to keep your protein intake maintained. At night, people are often doing a 12 hour fast without realizing it. Your body is healing itself at night, so it is critical that it has what it needs.

Now, if you are going to try this - it is very important that you aren't getting up and spending 15 minutes eating. You will mess up your sleep cycle and might have a tough time going back to restful sleep. I'm talking about spending no more time than you would taking a piss to get the food down.

So, what to eat:
I haven't even looked at brand names - I'll be honest - I am out of the loop when it comes to supplements from a health food store right now.
A simple plan (not the most effective probably) - make a peanut butter sandwich (whole wheat bread only, with all natural peanut butter) before bed. Have it ready to eat - down it in a couple minutes, wash it down with a glass of skim milk, and back to bed.
That is not very scientific (i.e. probably not the ideal mix of proteins/carbs/etc...) but better than nothing.

You might even want to pop a few BCAA's (branched chain amino acids) in the middle of the night.

I'm sure if you go to GNC or whatever they can tell you what protein shake to drink at night. It gets a bit pricey, htough, to have a different protein shake for all these various situations - hence the cheaper peanut butter sandwich idea.

If you are cutting carbs, just eat a spoonful or two of peanut butter (again, all natural is key) and a glass of skim milk. That would be better if you want to stay leaner.

But remember, a *serious* bulking phase is going to put some extra bodyfat on you. It doesn't have to be a sloppy amount, but it will be there.

[R00k]

Thanks man, I'll look into those. Might stop by a GNC today to see what they have to say about it, although I'm sure they will try to sell me everything in the store.

You said something about having all these different shakes for different situations... The only time I've really bothered to load up on carbs/proteins is right after I workout. Are there other important times to load, aside from right before hand?

You also said that may not be the ideal mix of carbs and proteins. I haven't gotten very scientific with it before; I generally just eat a ton of sugars after a workout, and maybe something with protein if I have it handy. What's the ideal mix to use after a workout, to make sure it will all be used efficiently?

Thanks for the tips. :icon14:

[Guest]

I've found some info about training delts, does this seem good? http://www.hoopsvibe.com/delts-training ... e-357.html

From what I see, the first one is for rear delts and traps and the latter ones are for front delts, right?

[tnf]

Yes. Those are pretty basic delt exercises...bent laterals, side laterals, and shoulder presses (aka military presses if you are using a barbell).

For bulk and strength, focus on the presses - those will also hit your tris a bit. If you want a variation on the press, turn it into an Arnold press - look it up online to find pics of how it works. It incorporates a twisting motion to hit front and side delts.

I'll also incorporate a lot of rotator cuff work into a shoulder workout...

Keep your rotators healthy.

[Auburndale]

what are some stretches/warmups I can do before a workout? also tnf, are you ripped?

[tnf]

Neck surgery a few years back and some nagging kidney issues pretty much ended my hard training, but I am currently in the process doing a cutting cycle again having put on some size again (gained almost 25 lbs back) over the winter.

So, I am sort of now, and should be very by the end of June.

[4days]

i need to start taking these threads in and doing something about it (underweight) - moved two pallettes of bricks and did a few mixes of cement today and i'm fucking knackered.

[Scarface]

my program seems to work well for me:

-Chest
-Shoulders
-Biceps
off
-Triceps
-Back
-Legs
off
-repeat