Muscles

[ReverseLunge]

Does anyone here do any weight lifting? They say that you should give a days rest in between workouts of each of the muscle groups because muscles only grow when in a state of rest. So does that mean that if I bench press everyday my muscles won't grow as fast or as big as if I were to give it a days rest in between workouts? Or should I give it 2-3 days rest?

[40Saberthieves]

You must wait between days to give your muscles a time to grow and heal. What you can do is this.

Do upper body one day, and lower body the next and alternate

[Soldier]

If you bench every day, you will become very tired; you won't make much progress in weights, or might even start regressing. If you take at least a day in between (say alternate what areas you work, like RogueNine said), you won't be so worn out every time you hit the bench, and you'll feel like you can do more - because you will be able to do more.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

To explain, very simply, this is why...I believe

You do not build muscles when lifting weights. You build muscle afterwards. This is so because when lifting you are ripping the muscle, the rest afterwards is when the muscle is rebuilt, but it is rebuilt larger and stronger. Thus if you continuously lift day after day there is no time for the muscle to get stronger and you will just be tearing the muscle with no time for it to grow, which can lead to the regression Soldier talked about.

[Kismet]

So...I've been doing situps and crunches every day, because I want to tone my stomach...I shouldn't do that? I should do situps and crunches every second day?

[40Saberthieves]

It depends. If you are doing enough that your stomach aches throughout the day(which it should if you are doing enough of them and correctly) then yes, you should alternate days.

[damion18d]

The reason for wanting to wait is exactly as Kshan eluded. To take it just a touch further. You should actually wait even a little longer. 24 hours is a nice measuring stick for most, but recovery varies for everyone. It depends alot on what you are doing. If you are working with lite weight for a lot of reps to get definition and burn fat, 24 hours will probably work well. If you are working to get stronger say using an increasing pyramid technique, you will probably want to have a longer rest time for the targeted muscles. Sleep and diet will also affect this amount of time. When you sleep is the only time you produce growth horomone. It is not the only factor but it is a big one. Diet plays a large roll also. You can work out constantly, but if you're not giving your body the building blocks to grow you're spinning your wheels. I'm a personal trainer in my off time and a Special Forces medic for a living. I do a lot of orthopedic work and am the fitness advisor for my team. If you tell what your goal is and what type of facility you have to work in I'll try my best to come up with an effective plan. I say try because it can be difficult to do without seeing someone.
Ken

[Soldier]

SF?

*bows*

What he mentioned about diet - it's proteins that your body uses to rebuild muscle. You still need all the other stuff for sure, so don't cut out fruits, veggies, carbohydrates, but make sure you get some kind of meat right after a workout. You'll just feel better that much faster. If a meal isn't really feasible within about an hour, try a glass of some kind of protein mix, just to get some in you. It's that first hour or so after the workout that's the most crucial for the rebuilding.

[arcon]

Find your own routine. Most trainers will tell you to work the
upper body one day the lower the next. Abs are something you
can do anytime as long as you dont overdo them. You can just
stretch on days you feel a little weak or tired then pick back up
on either the upper or lower muscles. If you get out of your routine for a few days or weeks ...then start back slow. Try doing
a full body workout(upper and lower). Make it a lite work out.
Stretch the next day and then pick back up with the upper and
lower routine. Dont forget to work in cardio. A couple of times a week at least. Its also a good idea to warm up the muscles and get the blood circulating well before every workout. You can do this on a stationary bike or a treadmill. You should also do a stretch routine after every workout. Some do it before also. Drinking plenty of water and eating heathy are VERY important if you work out hard on a regular basis. You wouldnt want to run a car engine when its
low on oil.
People have their own ideas and methods when working out
Ive had trainers show me the ropes and what ive decribed works
for me. Go for it!

arcon

[40Saberthieves]

Originally posted by arcon
You should also do a stretch routine after every workout.

You should stretch before and after all workouts.

Including fencing.

[Soldier]

Originally posted by arcon
...You can just stretch on days you feel a little weak or tired...

arcon

Just have to be careful with this. Get too much in the habit of taking off days that you feel a little weak or tired, you'll work out for a week, then not touch the iron again until you feel guilty again in say, another year.

[Popper]

musclemass increases at a maximum if you work a muscle group once a week. In which order is up to you. But arms and chest one day, back and shoulders the next and legs the third should be ok. Doing this monday, wednesday and friday would also be good. But more importantly.. dont forget to eat your proteins! and loads of them! without them it doesnt matter how much you weightlifting you do. Traning more than that will only have an opposite effect.

[arcon]

Soldier, you are correct ......but life can get in the way of a lot of
routines. Like vacations, or going somewhere and not having access
to a gym for a period of time. Then you work out and your exausted the next day. I was giving him advice on how to recoup if he gets into
one of these situations and get back to his routine. Didnt mean to imply a dropping of the ball.

cheers! as Craig would say.

arcon

[arcon]

Rougenine, i said"some do it before"
i also said , everyone has there own
opinions and routines. I (personally)
have never needed to stretch( before a workout)
unless ive been out of my routine for
a few days. The precor for ten minutes has worked for me.All trainers will tell you to
warm up first. Yes, fencers stretch before
fencing. The only time ive ever not stretched before fencing
was the one time i worked out first. My point here should be
obvious.
thanks
arcon