What advice can you offer fellow lifters? Therefore, in strength training, I would advise dropping the bar. Once again, the impact on your recovery is simply not worth the squeeze for the small increase in weight. But they vary the intensity and their programs are very complicated. I am 19 years old and have just started working out again for the first time since high school (about a year in a half ago). a) accept the fact that you will progress more slowly on your shoulders; eventually this is going to happen with ALL your lifts; more experienced lifters will fight tooth and nail and go through several periodized cycles just to add 10 pounds to the squat in an entire YEAR It doesn’t sound like you are doing that so you could do it multiple days in a row. So am I a beginner or intermedate, is full body workout system suitable for me, because i know how to sore muscle…and 3 times bench press per week is a lot…. This program considers all factors required to ensure you have optimum recovery for your deadlift sessions, and to help you build a structurally balanced … When it eventually stops working (and everything does eventually stop working), then we can talk about what to change. It makes sense to train in the one that allows you to lift the most weight off the floor for one repetition. I rest 3 days, so that I am back to the 1st routine on the 4th day, taking 8 days to get two full cycles in. After heavy or high intensity training, there must be a period of lower intensity work to ensure you recover to a baseline higher than when you started. Considering my age and that my workouts are intense going to total failure for each exercise, my guess is maybe I’m not giving adequate recovery and I’m stopping my calorie surplus too soon (36 hours instead of 48-60 hours). Deadlifts are hard enough to recover from already. Wednesday: Back/biceps Wednesday: Triceps & Rear Delts If you are also able to push past the pain of the hook grip, then feel free to use it from the start. I’m a real tall guy, being 6′ 7″ tall and I weigh 340 pounds now. Jimmie. I’ll save the lecture, and stick to the facts:  there’s a continuum of intensity and most of us are in the middle. The key will be recovery. Sprinting. I also golf 3-4 days a week March through October , walking 18 holes when I play . Back strength plays a central role in sports performance, you simply can’t perform at your max if you’ve got a … It’s more like 50% longer. Day 1; pecs, lats, abs. I’ve read all your advice to other folks and I know about how much time to rest when building muscle, but I wasn’t sure about the burning fat. For that very reason, many professional powerlifters rarely deadlift heavy. As you can see on my routine on Wed and Thurs my question is…is it okay to train triceps on Wed and the next day back to Chest? You are far from a couch potato! When you perform heavy deadlifts, you may need 7-10 days to fully recover depending on what else you are doing and how strong you are in the first place. Should I push pull rests legs rest? This past week, I have been trying: -DAY 1. General guideline:  just starting out – tend towards 2 days; mid-level experience – tend towards 3 days; very advanced lifters – tend towards letting each muscle recover a full week. Again, you seem to have done this so you might know more than me on this! Mostly heavy. In terms of lifting – I definitely recommend all beginners (or people who haven’t lifted in a few years) start with 3-day a week, full-body lifting routines (like the free on you can get on the link at the top of the site or a more advanced/interesting one at http://leanlifters.com/more/fullbodyattack.html ). Workout B (Weight) 1 x 10 warmup set (30-40% of max) 3 x 6 deadlift (70-75% of max) 2 x 5 deadlift (80% of max) 2 x 2-3 deadlift (85-90% of Max) Workout C (Accessory) Since I last wrote you, I am noticing an increase in my push-ups, sit-ups, and 1.5 mile run time. How many rest days is needed between workouts? I am looking to put on muscle weight. On both of these cases, you can be intense and still only need a couple days of recovery. Question #2: Double Overhand or Mixed Grip or Hook Grip? @Matthew – re: pullups and chins ups, I’ve written a few articles on how to increase so just do a site search and you’ll find them. That’s why I had to quit lifting before. So, here is a question. Without proper recovery injury is unavoidable. Anyway…). Stay hydrated and try heat or cold therapy to further soothe muscles. There is little point using this technique with heavy weight during training. you must be very proud of the progress you have made! Day 8; off. Right now, I’m modifying my workouts to keep the stress off my knees by either doing light lowerbody workouts or skipping the lowerbody altogether. My chest days consist of flat bench , incline bench , flys . Now in part 2, he talks specifically how he used corrective exercise to help him with the deadlift. Thanks for the great advice as always. If two days later, you can lift the same weight for the same exercise for the same reps, then you most likely weren’t at maximum lifting intensity the previous workout. That probably won’t end well. For nearly three solid months, I was adding 5 pounds to my bench every time I lifted, which was 3 times a week. Don’t worry. If you’re going for a traditional deadlift rather than a wider stance, it can be easier to slip a disc when you’re going for a PR. In fact, all of The Big 7 exercises hit multiple muscle groups. Indirect muscle damage and performance fatigue was assessed immediately before and after exercise and at 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h postexercise. and workout 6 days a week. I have been advised to carb load on a Thursday night before bed (porridge or something) – would you recommend? Using straps is recognizing a weak link in your chain, one that you need to strengthen through other grip work. Please help!? LeanLifters Members get the full article. Have you seen him? But when i train chest i will be very sore for 4-5 days. Here, we walk you through how to do a deadlift correctly to maximise your strength and muscle growth. Deadlifting after back injury can be a difficult process but with the right approach – and lot’s of patience – we’ll have you Deadlifting heavy in no time. Hands on evaluation is needed. No, I’m 30. As I wait to leave for their training class, I am trying to become as physically fit as possible. My questions are these. @matthew – can you give a sense of the # of reps you are stuck at? Also moderate impact aerobic exercise or even very light plyometric exercises (jumping jacks, running in place) cause my knees to need long recovery time. But I see that your goal is size and strength – that implies you should be eating like a horse and that will help with recovery too. 175,261 views, The Big 7 – The Seven Most Important Weight Training No downsides. I have a heavy day, max weight of 3 reps of 2 sets and 1 set of two. Here’s an article for you: I would like to build muscle mass and then after being satisfied with my new shape and definition, taper off and maintain a leaner me. I usually say people starting out – regarding of age – should start with full-body workouts – do all muscle groups in each workout and workout 3x per week. During this time, I will be eating right and dieting exactly the way I need to, with plenty of protein such as baked chicken breasts replacing the Oreo cookies. To make this easier to digest and act on, I’m going to score each recommendation in the rest of this article into three buckets: a) tend towards a 2-day muscle recovery period, b) tend towards a 3-day muscle recovery period, c) tend towards a full week to rest your muscles. You have already done the lift, and the hard part of it at that. And it is related to the fiber type issues above. Any advise would be much appreciated…..ps- I’m in no doubt that i am pushing myself and doing intense workouts to my limits, I am seeing good results and the weight increases week on week apart from arnie press??? However, if I don’t work out my legs at all, my knees never bother me. For example, deadlifts use a heck of a lot of your muscle groups! @David – good for you for starting up again! The trap bar is a fantastic tool for successful deadlift training. It’s hard to see a growing muscle under a layer or two of fat. Your email address will not be published. Or a “pulling” day, a “pushing” day, a “squats” day, and a rest day (then repeat). Im seeing slight results, but not what I was expecting. For example, if a volume week called for 5 sets of 5 reps at 100 pounds, the following recovery week would program 5 sets of 5 reps at 80 pounds (100 pounds x 80% = 80 pounds). Related: Deadlift Domination - 5 Tips for 5 Plates. The Correct Deadlift Form. Make your recovery a priority and you’ll be able to train hard and remain injury-free. As of now, I can only do roughly 6-8 repetitions in a set. Actually you could even do a test to see how intense your workouts really are. Kelly Mettling. for 18 yrs old, I would venture a guess that this is fine if a) these are whole body routines and b) you are very intense (working very, very hard for your level). If I push through it at the next workout, they will swell up and really pain me. Roll back and forth over the painful areas, slowly and carefully for ten minutes or until you start to feel an decrease in the discomfort. and workout 6 days a week. I don’t count reps, I use a timer to record time under tension (TUT) with a medium cadence (between Super Slo and typical fast cadence) to minimize use of momentum and reduce reps on my joints. The lowering of the bar, the eccentric part of the lift, adds to this recovery time or even multiplies it. You can refer to my March 27th post and see if you have any advise for me . Those usually consisted of about 6 to 9 different lifts and I always seemed to get stronger by the day. Hi Tom – Carb loading is overrated, especially for strength training. And second question: I haven’t been in a gym for about half a year, before that i was going around a year 3 times a week. 3-5 min rest. -DAY 4. Here are six deadlifting questions I get asked on constant basis. Im 6’1 at 195. Exhaust all the above grip options first though. I’m still a young guy, even though I’m 39, and I want to take that into account. As I’ve said in numerous threads (including this one) that for most people it’s a waste of time to focus on arms so much. Hi Darrin, I’m 62 weigh 204 and have a couple state records in the bench at 125 kg. While there are measures we can take to relieve pain associated with the deadlift, such as applying ice for 15–20 minutes every couple hours for the first three days, followed by 15–20 minutes of a moist hot pack beginning on the fourth day, this will do nothing if you do not take time … I should be able to burn fat okay without it, but would it help much to use it while dieting? My training routine looks like this; Day 1 to Rest Between Sets | 143,339 views, Setting the Record Straight on Muscle Recovery Time | 118,507 views, The 19 Weight Training Must-Dos For Beginners – Part 1 of Thank you. *Note that although I did not mention it, I do a variety of abdominal sets in between most of my other sets on ALL 3 DAYS. I will then start to pack on the protein and continue to raise the weights on my lifts every time I can complete the necessary sets and reps. I certainly want to lose the weight before I start lifting for muscle gain, so I can see the results better. I say this with confidence, because I see it in 99% of the people at every, Some notable exceptions:  1) newbies; 2) endurance workouts (like metabolic workouts or. It’s not uncommon for some to take 14 days to recover from a hard workout. Hi Tom – shoulders are often a sticking point for folks. Learning to breathe hard with and against the belt to make the most of it is just as much of a skill as learning to breathe without one. -DAY 6. Or maybe you’ve heard 72 hours. So could you please recomend whether I should keep my current routine or do isolate muscle routines and if so can you tell me some exercises I can do for each muscle as I cant think of any that dont end up using other muscles anyway. Rotating 3-5 different deadlift variants from week to week promotes faster recovery rates. I must admit, my responses to these questions over the years have evolved. people say my regime sucks but ive been making gains so should i stick with it or change it up? (I recommend only 2-way or 3-way splits.). I appreciate the feedback. Along with my physical job of catering aircraft, I felt exhausted much of the time, especially after each workout, as I was also going to failure most of my sets. I’m one of them. If you’re shaped like me, it’s probably sumo. @Cassius – it’s pretty hard to say, based just on what you wrote. Any suggestions? The deadlift places a lot of stress on the central nervous system (CNS) and has a long recovery time. My workouts consists of the ‘big 7’ or variations of them (I now do my dips and chin ups weighted). Do that for your first 90 days at least, and recovery is unlikely to be an issue (especially since, by your own admission, you are not an intense lifter). Heyy darrin,Am 24,started working out 2days back,well my instructor never told me anything about about slipt work out, so i undoubtedly worked every part,legs,arms,back,chest,thats on the first day) and its been 2days now, am in lots of pain, plus my arms cant leave the stiff position. Or basic yoga, stretching, etc. For example, if you are stuck at 8, then there’s a lot we can do to help; if you are stuck at 35, then that’s already great and progressing will require very specialized training. As long as you use different muscles in each workout. Yes, if you need them. Stronglifts is very good for beginners. And training legs,chest,back,biceps twice a week any good?with the same intensity? But for the mid-experienced lifter, 72 to 96 hrs is usually perfect. This morning my legs felt somewhat fatigued, so I'm not sure if I should just expect some accumulated fatigue. Joe moe 23 Nov 2017 Reply. If you are using really light weights, extremely short rests between sets, then essentially you are doing a metabolic workout and you can likely handle more days without recovery days. Maybe even your intensity might not be high, but it really depends on your recovery and deadlift goals. In fact, all of, Forgive my presumption here, but I bet you are not making your workouts as intense as they need to be to see sustained progress. Yes, I can easily lose a pound a day, and sometimes more. if these are not too intense, or if they aren’t full-body, then you are probably over-recovering. I always use a golf ball muscle roller to massage my muscles and take biosteel supplements which really helps my muscles recover. What can i do?? I’m about to start working out next week for the first time in 4 years and you’ve already given me some good advice on this. Darrin, To protect your back? I have worked so hard i have developed some tendonitis…. This is what I plan to do, so please tell me what you think. Here are the factors: Things Related To Your Workouts Themselves, Things You Control, But Outside The Weight Room. I am building myself my own personal gym with a dozen pieces of workout equipment. Every time I have ever lifted in the past, I’ve always did full body workouts 3 times a week. If you can’t change your sleep, then I’d do one of two things: Tucked planche same time intervall, Day 3 The books on training I bought by Joe and Arnold didn’t mention any recovery time, just focus on intensity. I just finished reading your article and I found it very informative. The worst thing any newbie or beginner can do is jump into split routines. Joins feel better, energy level stays higher. 1.5 mile run/30-45 of cardio on elliptical machine(s) The deadlift is too similar to the first pull on the clean. -DAY 7. If i can’t lift the same weight is that good, or i didn’t have enough rest? – Day 3 consists of a 1.5 mile run, 30 mins of intense elliptical workout, standing military press, squats, isolated shoulder sets, and lastly, isolated leg sets. Day 6; pecs and lats. I’ve lifted in the past but never could stick with it because of a full time job. Regardless, the deadlift is something that most back pain patients could benefit from at some point in their recovery. This is off the topic of recovery since you are nowhere near a point of having trouble recovering. I then start the next week on Monday doing back/bi and do chest/shoulder/tri on Wednesday and alternate those every week, getting 3 workouts of each every two weeks. General guideline:  smaller muscles – tend towards 2 days; larger muscles – tend towards 3+ days; and then there are the back muscles hit by deadlifts – tend towards once a week. 3.Not deadlifting because of fear. Hi Darrin, thank you for the advice. Great article. Currently I Squat one Saturday then Sumo Deadlift the next. Exercises, Setting the Record Straight on Muscle Recovery Time, The 19 Weight Training Must-Dos For Beginners – Part 1 of The Truth About Muscle Recovery Time – Short Version, join LeanLifters and read the full article here, http://leanlifters.com/more/fullbodyattack.html, http://leanlifters.com/the-big-7-the-seven-most-important-weight-training-exercises/, http://leanlifters.com/repetitions-reps-build-muscle/, http://leanlifters.com/should-women-train-like-men-modifying-lifting-routines-for-women/, World’s Best Tasting, Fastest, Healthiest Homemade Protein As I wrap up this shorter version of this article, take a moment to think about what you’ve read. Well, that depends on your workout. General guideline:  extremely intense workouts – tend towards a week recovery for those muscles; if you are just going through the motions with little intensity – tend towards a 2-day recovery (better yet, just make your workouts more intense!). I’ve been working out on average 2 times a week followed by 36 hours of calorie surplus diet with a 3rd cardio workout preceded and followed by (+/- 18 hrs with calorie deficit) – essential I’m doing a recomp as oppposed to doing a building phase for weeks then a cutting phase for weeks. First off, I will lift light weight with lots of reps to burn fat 3 days a week. General guideline:  20 yrs old – tend towards 2 days; 50+ – tend towards a week for a muscle group to fully recover. Sunday:off RECOVERY. Darrin, your artical is great and was very helpful. Darrin, Also, when I do lift weights, I seem to get a lot stronger very quickly. An easy bike ride, for example. #1: Since I will be lifting high reps and low weights to burn fat, would the 3 day a week plan work best or can I do it more often? To read more about muscle recovery time, join LeanLifters and read the full article here. Most older folks seem to respond better to PPRLR because having 2 rest days every 5 days just feels better. No belt. I’m 42, moderately experienced, although circumstances have not allowed much beyond calisthenics for a few years til now (I’m on vacation for a month at a resort with a surprisingly serviceable gym). I started training a month ago through aerobic exercise, calisthenics, weight training, and healthy eating. I have been doing this for about 19 months and have noticed good gains , I am stronger and bigger now than at any time in my life . @ Mike – sorry, gymnastics is not my forte. I have for the first time noticed my muscle mass is gone compared to when I was younger. Pressing overhead is similar, but different, than chest day but I don’t relly see a fundamental problem in your routine (you mention school, so I assume you are pretty young, so recovery times are faster than for older folks). Wed – Legs/abs If you are able to drop the bar where you train, it makes sense to me to do so. At age 47 I believe I need a week to recover from leg press. Tuesday: abs I’m 45 years old and need a bit more time to recover. My knees pop, ache, and get stiff after a strenuous leg workout. My friend Skip LaCour has some programs around that, as well as Vince Delmonte. @Matija – you need more rest. Just an update. One of the dangers of straps is burnout from going heavier than the body can handle, especially if using them for partial deadlift reps. They key is to not give up – for the first few weeks you’ll be sore after every workout (assuming you work pretty hard). @jimmy – for fat loss, the #1 strategy is related to eating. I then designed my own program and went with what my results and body were telling me, and I put a full inch on my arms in 3 months! 1.5 mile run/pull-ups/chin-ups/upper back/lower back/biceps/abs Pro bodybuilders (especially the few that are all-natural) end up often resting each muscle 6 or 7 days before working it again. I was mainly curious about lifting more than 3 times a week, since that’s all I’ve ever did was 3 a week. (Duh, of course I’d agree with him. I am 25 years old and have been weight training on and off for the past ten years. The Art and Science of Building Lean Muscle Mass and An Awesome Physique for Men Over 40. The marketing pitch is that it’s for muscle building, not really fat loss. #2: Since I will be primarily working out to burn fat (low weight, high reps), how important is nitric oxide intake here? Great results got big and ripped people think im on steroids (not) now i have started pull push with legs rest. What % is that? I’ve never used it, and so far all but one scientific study says it’s crap. You will find that the point at which you have to switch gets heavier and heavier as your grip improves. For example, here’s a non-detailed description of my routine: – Day 1 consists of a 1.5 mile run, 30 mins of intense elliptical workout, wide chin-ups, close chin-ups, pull-ups, isolated bicep sets, isolated lower back sets, isolated upper back sets and lastly, a pull-up/chin-up assistance machine with sets until failure (I can’t do anymore). I say this with confidence, because I see it in 99% of the people at every commercial gym I visit. That’s why 3-way split routines, with lots of isolation movements, are ok for bodybuilders. A lot are junk but some are really sound. And for getting back in the gym, I’d treat you as a beginner if you were in my group. For example, walking – absent some odd issue, you could walk 20 minutes every day no problem. That’s seriously amazing if you can do that safely. 1 minute in total. But that’s not an absolute rule. Some people are built to deadlift. You may have heard about Type I, Type IIa, and Type  IIb muscle fibers. I’ll give you some scientific and empirical evidence as anchor points so that you can evaluate muscle recovery time for yourself. Q&A: Cortisol, Hydration, Anti-Nutrients, and Deadlift Recovery. Foam Rolling - Invest in a foam roller to get the soreness out of your hips, hamstrings and glutes. Note that I only get 4hrs sleep on a Wednesday and Thursday night due to work and school run then straight in the gym. We’ve looked at how to lift the bar, how to lower the bar, for how many reps, how to grip the bar, and which additional aids to use. 2017 Jul 12. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002140. 1.5 mile run/30-45 of cardio on elliptical machine(s) I’d like to think that I train pretty intensely, I try to go beyond failure if you no what I mean. Dropping the bar allows you to reset yourself into a consistent lifting position each time. all can be done daily. Forgive my presumption here, but I bet you are not making your workouts as intense as they need to be to see sustained progress. 5 x 12 deadlift (50% of max) 1 x 15 deadlift (60 % of max) 3 x 10 Romanian deadlift (40% of max) – Ensure you have good form and drop the weight if needed. Think we got lost Iin translation…….I’m British :). What are you doing right? Tuesday: Back & Biceps There are tons of factors that influence how long you should rest your muscles between workouts. Powerlifting heavy weights. You might even be able to convince yourself that you’re ready to get back into the gym for another deadlift session. You really need a, If your routine calls for you to isolate particular muscles, then you can lift more frequently. Since it worked for me in the past, I will do as you advised and go with the 3 time a week full body workout. I have lost as much as 65 pounds in 45 days and I kept it off as long as I was working out. Darrin , I am a 64 year old man who has always been very active . The one that didn’t say it was crap wasn’t a clear study anyway. I appreciate your time and you have a great one, You are essentially doing an upper-lower-upper split, with a 5 day cycle. A second point relates to recovery. How do you feel about this? The distinction is less about how much time each muscle needs to recover – it’s more about whether those recovery days should be “days off” or not. But don’t bench press 3x/wk. I wanted to know if you could give me a link to the information or give me the info in a quick answer. A 2-way split is usually upper body/lower body. Personally, I’d reverse the rep sequence though and do my heaviest set first (after warm-up sets of course). I am having difficulty increasing the number of push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups that I am able to do. Generally, these muscles require more time to recover between workouts (and between sets, but that’s a different topic). Sir what do you think of pyramid vs drop sets. Deadlift for reps can must also be hit with consideration. b) add more lifting volume.