Once of the vague issues around lifting weights is that of recovery time? How much do you need? How can you tell when you are “recovered” enough for another workout?
Last month I got sick and didn’t lift for two weeks. Since starting again, I’ve been less religious about lifting, allowing two or three days to pass between workouts instead of the ususal 48 hours.
But I’ve recently increased the weight of all my lifts and I feel like their progress.
I’m 45. At that age, do longer recovery times work better?
I can’t say anything definitive, but I think for many of us that recovery can slow down a bit as we get older. Things like Surge and BCAA’s seem to help though.
On the recovered enough concept, I know that I may feel like my legs are stiff from a previous workout, but as soon as I put some real effort into a deadlift they are just fine.
I think waiting until there are absolutely no left over effects is too long.
Maybe we can get some coaches or trainers that deal with over 35 lifters, who see these differences on a day to day basis, to chime in?
Recovery time is dependant on so many things. Something minute as a stressful day at work can effect in negatively or positively. It may even change. But in general, the older you get the more recovery time you need. This is not necessarily as bad as it seems because the older you get you don’t lose strength day to day as fast.
I’m 56. I train every 3rd day.(also some cardio on the 2nd day). I am overtrained when my heart rate is elevated in the morning, I am listless during work, and have dark circles under my eyes. Take mega-doses of BCAA’s. Cutting back on carbs & sugar will help. BIGLAR
I’m 53 and come from a running background. For me, recovery and soreness are directly related. I use a product called Accelerade Endurox R4. It’s great for endurance athletes with a 4:1 protein-carb mix, but also works for weight training. It may not be the ideal post-workout drink for serious bodybuilders or strength freaks, but should noticeably reduce soreness for most…$27.99 for about a months supply.
[quote]dancar wrote:
Once of the vague issues around lifting weights is that of recovery time? How much do you need? How can you tell when you are “recovered” enough for another workout?
Last month I got sick and didn’t lift for two weeks. Since starting again, I’ve been less religious about lifting, allowing two or three days to pass between workouts instead of the ususal 48 hours.
But I’ve recently increased the weight of all my lifts and I feel like their progress.
I’m 45. At that age, do longer recovery times work better? [/quote]
I’m experiencing the same phenomenon only rather than increasing the number of days between training sessions, I’ve reduced the volume per session. I work one or two main exercises per session and do them once per week. I work the hell out of them though.
As we get older (I’m 46 this year) recovery capacity does become less and hence more important. There are things one can do to enhance recovery, but they have to be worked in slowly. Conditioning, or general physical preparedness goes a long way to improving recovery. That means skipping rope, sprinting intervals, kettlebell swings. Things that require the muscles to work, but don’t beat them up.
But getting adequate rest/nutrition is the most important and that has to be felt out as to what the appropriate interval between sessions is and what the best foods are.
I’m 57. I lift on M-W-F and run (3 - 5 miles) on T- Th. I seem to be doing OK.
However, I have noticed that my lifts increase faster if I miss a workout or 2. The only time I miss a workout on purpose is if work or family demand my time , or if I am trying to recover from a home project. For instance, last week I got 2 dump truck loads of mulch deleivered to my driveway (10 yards). We are landscaping the hill behind my house. I had to carry all that mulch up the hill, one garbage can full at a time. My traps and hips were very sore. I missed a workout, which gave me 2 extra days to recover. When I got back to the gym, I blew past where I was before! Go figure.
Bottom line is you have to listen to your body. It will let you know.
[quote]vroom wrote:
Things like Surge and BCAA’s seem to help though.
On the recovered enough concept, I know that I may feel like my legs are stiff from a previous workout, but as soon as I put some real effort into a deadlift they are just fine.
I think waiting until there are absolutely no left over effects is too long.
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I’m 46, and this fits my experience, too. Surge, especially taken half before and half after the workout, seems to make the workout go better and to reduce soreness the next day, though I can’t be sure. I haven’t tried BCAA’s yet. Proper nutrition also seems to help a lot, but again, can’t be sure. Minor stiffness or residual DOMS does not mean the workout will be bad.
I used to lift mostly on Mondays and Thursdays, which allowed for full recovery even from squats, which give me the longest-lasting DOMS. But lately I’ve been doing MWF and my progress is at least as good and the DOMS from squats is reduced. Your workout split matters. I usually do total body workouts, but if I hit a PR on squats or deadlift I may decide to leave that out of a training session only two days later, or at least go light on it, and hit other muscles hard.
Anyway, opinions differ on whether to let yourself recover all the way or not. Do a site search for DOMS discussions to see some different thoughts. I’m testing out what works for me, and so far it seems to be: Surge peri-workout, proper eating, lift 3 days per week, and de-emphasize major lifts if I really pounded them 48 hours before.
Bottom line is you have to listen to your body. It will let you know.
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I feel this one is the best generalization! And like so many have said, too many variables to count but…get your 1g protein/per lb of desired weight (using BCAAs, some fast-acters like whey and some slower (over night) like casein), enough carbs for your efforts (be honest with yourself), I like fish oil (approx. 5-6g a day) too, seems to have helped a lot in my later years.
Um, sleep is an under-rated child!! Get your sleep! And, depending on your current goals, I agree with above (sorry I can’t remember your name right now) about doing a heavy/reps split on the same body part within the week.
But beware, that split has the potential to produce some hypertrophy (especially if you really go heavy on that day and you perform strict form reps on that day) and that will inherently mean more soreness. The bonus of that program is the frequency. The more often you can train a body part without injury, the stronger it’ll become.