I know that rest is almost the most important part of working out, but how important are off days? I have trouble taking days off because I just feel lazy and fat when I do.
I do get about 10 hours of sleep 5 days a week and my lifting rotation consists of four days. Each session consists of about 16-24 sets of 6-8 and rarely goes over an hour and twenty minutes. My usual week as of now looks like this:
1- Chest
2- Back
3- Off
4- Shoulders/Tris
5- Bicep
6- Off
Repeat
Should I leave it as is or can I cut out the off days or at least the days when I feel like I don’t need it off?
[quote]slickid wrote:
I know that rest is almost the most important part of working out, but how important are off days? I have trouble taking days off because I just feel lazy and fat when I do.
I do get about 10 hours of sleep 5 days a week and my lifting rotation consists of four days. Each session consists of about 16-24 sets of 6-8 and rarely goes over an hour and twenty minutes. My usual week as of now looks like this:
1- Chest
2- Back
3- Off
4- Shoulders/Tris
5- Bicep
6- Off
Repeat
Should I leave it as is or can I cut out the off days or at least the days when I feel like I don’t need it off?
Thanks
Love,
Noob[/quote]
seeing as you have bicep day and no lower body work…
I suggest you go back to square one, find a program by Chad Waterbury that you understand and reevaluate your goals.
Your approach and this site don’t necessarily mesh too well.
[quote]slickid wrote:
I know that rest is almost the most important part of working out, but how important are off days? I have trouble taking days off because I just feel lazy and fat when I do.
I do get about 10 hours of sleep 5 days a week and my lifting rotation consists of four days. Each session consists of about 16-24 sets of 6-8 and rarely goes over an hour and twenty minutes. My usual week as of now looks like this:
1- Chest
2- Back
3- Off
4- Shoulders/Tris
5- Bicep
6- Off
Repeat
Should I leave it as is or can I cut out the off days or at least the days when I feel like I don’t need it off?
Thanks
Love,
Noob[/quote]
Rest days are very important for the recovery of your muscles. However, that does not seem to be the only problem with your program. Where is your leg day? And why are you spending a whole day doing biceps?
[quote]jedidiah wrote:
slickid wrote:
I know that rest is almost the most important part of working out, but how important are off days? I have trouble taking days off because I just feel lazy and fat when I do.
I do get about 10 hours of sleep 5 days a week and my lifting rotation consists of four days. Each session consists of about 16-24 sets of 6-8 and rarely goes over an hour and twenty minutes. My usual week as of now looks like this:
1- Chest
2- Back
3- Off
4- Shoulders/Tris
5- Bicep
6- Off
Repeat
Should I leave it as is or can I cut out the off days or at least the days when I feel like I don’t need it off?
Thanks
Love,
Noob
seeing as you have bicep day and no lower body work…
I suggest you go back to square one, find a program by Chad Waterbury that you understand and reevaluate your goals.
Your approach and this site don’t necessarily mesh too well. [/quote]
I don’t do leg work because my legs are as big as I want them to be. I do a Bicep days because my biceps are tiny in comparison to my triceps. Not everyone wants to look like ronnie coleman
You need to be working legs at some point in there. I would suggest going five or six days per week, but I think 1-2 days off would be important. Personally if you can lift every single day for more than a couple of weeks without a rest day, I would question whether or not you are working hard enough in the gym.
[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
You need to be working legs at some point in there. I would suggest going five or six days per week, but I think 1-2 days off would be important. Personally if you can lift every single day for more than a couple of weeks without a rest day, I would question whether or not you are working hard enough in the gym.[/quote]
I feel like I work really hard. I’m both mentally and physically spent at the end of each work out.
Again, I don’t do leg work because my legs are as big as I want them to be. That might sound like a cop-out, but it’s the truth. My Chest is only 45.5 inches but my thighs are 27 inches and I have a big ass too.
Never mind that heavy compound movements, especially those of the legs, stimulate growth hormone release, create a huge caloric deficit, shoot your metabolism through the roof, etc.
No, someone just starting out probably wouldn’t want those things. After all, he doesn’t want to look like Ronnie Coleman.
[quote]slickid wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
You need to be working legs at some point in there. I would suggest going five or six days per week, but I think 1-2 days off would be important. Personally if you can lift every single day for more than a couple of weeks without a rest day, I would question whether or not you are working hard enough in the gym.
I feel like I work really hard. I’m both mentally and physically spent at the end of each work out.
Again, I don’t do leg work because my legs are as big as I want them to be. That might sound like a cop-out, but it’s the truth. My Chest is only 45.5 inches but my thighs are 27 inches and I have a big ass too.
[/quote]
Sounds like you already know what you want to do and how to do it. Let us know how it works out for you.
[quote]arDieselar wrote:
Squatting and deadlifting are big. Deadlifts build bigger arms and a thicker back as well. Both lifts make your entire body better. [/quote]
That’s part of the reason why I decided to give squats the axe. I do deadlifts and I feel that they do enough to maintain my legs as they are.
during a Poliquin seminar he stated over and over again No matter which end of the spectrum you are. You have to train your whole body to maximize results.
He gave the example of cyclists and speed skaters who never worked on their upper body and their legs were not making progress.
He had them work their upper body more often and then their legs shot up. This applies to upper body to
You don’t have to hypertrophy your legs, do some deadlifts and squats. You be amazed how that will transalate to biceps!
I don’t have a camera here at school. I didn’t say they were huge, I said they were 27 inches and I don’t want them to be any bigger. I guess I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit everyone else’s goals.
[quote]slickid wrote:
I don’t have a camera here at school. I didn’t say they were huge, I said they were 27 inches and I don’t want them to be any bigger. I guess I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit everyone else’s goals. [/quote]
In case you didnt realise 27 inches is pretty big legs, unless your very tall and fat.
To address the original thread topic, rest days are important. The heavier you lift the more rest you need. Sleep and diet are crucial of course but the body reaches the point where it needs the rest.
On that idea rest weeks are important too IMO. Every 10-12 weeks I like to take 7-10 days completely off.
Most quality training is slight overreaching anyway
[quote]slickid wrote:
I don’t have a camera here at school. I didn’t say they were huge, I said they were 27 inches and I don’t want them to be any bigger. I guess I’m sorry if that doesn’t fit everyone else’s goals. [/quote]
well retard, then don’t train them with high reps and crap for hypertrophy. Singles and doubles aren’t bad plus they will release huge amounts of test. Oh and yeah off days are important…damn kid.