Setting the Record Straight on Muscle Recovery Time
By Jason
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How long should you let your muscles rest before working them again? You may have heard that your muscles are ready to be trained again after 48 hours of rest.
I’d like to set the record straight on that number. If you’re one of those genetic supermen with incredible recovery abilities, 48 hours is probably right for you. For the rest of us human beings, a little more recovery time is probably needed.
Very few people out there have the stamina and experience to be able to handle training every body part 3+ times a week with heavy loads. Think about it, that’s exactly how many times you would train each muscle group in a week if you’re only giving them 48 hours of rest on a consistent basis.
So let’s talk about some numbers that are more down to earth for most of us. In actuality, most people will need somewhere between 48-96 hours of rest for each muscle group. This means that you will need 2 days at the very least, while 3-4 days is probably a better fit for most people out there.
For beginners, this recovery time can be especially important. In my early days of weight lifting, I found that muscle soreness would often set in about 24 hours after I finished exercising. This is common for beginners and is referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
This soreness will improve with time, usually over the course of several weeks to a month. If muscle soreness is getting you down, take it easy for a little while and stretch it out. Things will get better with time.
Alternating Your Muscle Groups
When I say that most people should give about 3-4 days of rest for each muscle group, I’m not trying to say that you will only be able to get in one or two workouts per week. You can work out more often and give your muscles the rest you need by alternating the muscles you work on each day.
So, if you do a split routine that works your upper body on Monday and Friday, and your lower body on Wednesday and Monday of the next week, you are not violating this principle. Each muscle group is still getting the amount of rest that it needs.
Of course, it’s still possible to follow this routine and overwork your system. Even if you are working different muscle groups, you may need 48 hours of rest between each workout day, depending on your own personal recovery abilities.
At the very least, if you’re working hard with heavy, compound movements, try not to work out more than 2 days consecutively without a day off. This tip can vary from one person to the next. It’s not a hard rule, but a little extra time is especially important for beginners.
This is because your body has repairs to do regardless of the muscles you are working. Let’s say, for example, that you do heavy squats on Monday, Deadlifts and some back work on Tuesday, and then shoulder presses and bench presses on Wednesday.
Even though each muscle group is getting the rest it needs, your body isn’t. This is because your body is still trying to repair the legs from Monday’s workout when Tuesday and Wednesday roll around.
If your body is using all of its rest, energy, and fuel to repair your muscles after Monday and Tuesday, what good will your workout on Wednesday do? Where will your body get the time and resources to do all of this work at one time?
Rest and Your Routine
Sometimes your body handles its work load the same way you manage your own work. If you’re given more tasks to do in a day than you have time or money to accomplish, not everything gets done. The same goes for your body. If you give it more repairs than it has time or fuel for, some of the repairs (think recovery) don’t get done.
Probably the best advice for most people out there is to work your each of your muscle groups three times every two weeks or maybe even twice each week. Keep in mind that if you’re doing a split routine, the total number of workouts would be 3-4 each week (for example) since you’re not working every muscle group each time. This should allow ample time for rest and recovery.
Of course, these recommendations aren’t set in stone either. For many people, three times in two weeks for each muscle group can work well, but many people also show great results working each muscle group only once a week.
This can be a great tactic for beginners. It helps to ensure that your muscles are getting adequate rest and aren’t being overtrained. I’ve personally had success with this method early on as I divided my muscles into three groups and trained each group once a week.
Of course, working your muscles again as soon as they fully recover is your fastest ticket to building strength, but the reason that training once a week can be beneficial is that it helps to ensure that you are not overtraining.
The biggest mistake you can make would be to work your muscles when they are not fully recovered. Remember, your muscles grow when you recover after your workout, not when you are in the gym. Working your muscles before they are ready interrupts the process of rebuilding and prevents growth.
Waiting an extra day or two to train your muscles won’t hurt as much as training them a day or two too early. When you train your muscles too early, you can interrupt the recovery process. If your muscles don’t recover, they don’t grow.
The best strategy is to train your muscles as soon as they are recovered, but if you are going to make a mistake with the amount of rest you take, don’t let it be the mistake of resting a day too little. Instead, let your mistakes be on the side of giving your body a little more time than it needs.
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Topics: Rest & Recovery |
November 24th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
One thing I learned from being an avid reader of Stuart McRobert is overtraining will ruin any chances of gains, period. Sleep should never be negelected.
It is common knowledge that we should get 8 hours sleep, minimum. One thing that helps me get adequate rest is when I think in terms of how much sleep I’m going to get I take into account that it will typically take me an hour to fall asleep, and that I need 8 hours afterward.
So if I need to wake up a 6 AM, rather than getting to bed at 10 PM, I’ll get to bed at 9, that way I can ensure I get adequate sleep. That is just an example, I personally get around 9-10 hours sleep on average.
Also, between training, you need a minimum of one day off before hitting the gym again. For most genetically average people, twice a week is plenty, and I agree that 3 times every two weeks works well.
It is definitely better to have more time off than to hack away at your muscles and hinder gains. Most conventional programs require 4-5 days a week, and in my experience those kind of programs do more harm than good unless you are genetically gifted.
So in short, getting plenty of sleep and rest between workouts is a must. Just curious Jason, what do you think about supplementing with glutamine and casein shakes before sleep?
November 25th, 2007 at 4:30 am
The problem with training 2x/week or 3x/15days, is that you risk losing the exercise habit.
More than 4x/weeks is unnecessary/unrealistic for most people. I always liked the 3x/week approach. Mo/we/fr, rest days inbetween, weekends off.
November 25th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Sean,
You’ve left a lot of great information here for other readers, and you’re right, sleep is very important. As far as supplementing before sleep, I’ll leave that up to the scientists. Problem is, they can’t agree what’s best half of the time either, so anything I could tell you is only speculation. Eating right will do 90-95% of what you need.
Mehdi,
Right, 3 workouts in 2 weeks is not enough, you’ll lose the exercise habit. If you train your upper body one day and lower the next, you’d need 6 workouts in 2 weeks (3 a week) to get 3 workouts for each muscle group. Thanks for clarifying.
I’m also doing a 3 times a week workout now and have been on it a long time. I alternate muscle groups and each muscle gets 3 workouts in 2 weeks (out of the total 6 workouts in 2 weeks).
November 27th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
I personally have found that 3x a week works for me. I just finised up Starting Strength and am now doing the Texas Method. Rippetoe’s programs has really worked well for me.
At the same time though I believe in respecting your “body intelligence.” There are occasions where I feel that I need to give myself a break and skip a workout once in a while if I feel the need. Recovery is the utmost important, cause what it all boils down to is whether or not you’re going to be able to put up that extra 5 lbs or squeeze out that extra rep or two during the next workout.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:41 am
I started working out 4 to 5 times a week to lose fat before tuning my body. Do you think this is bad for my body?
And I never have enough time to sleep more than 6 hours a day. What do you suggest?
November 28th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I know that getting the full 8 hours is tough, and I understand that when life gets busy 8 hours isn’t always easy to get. But regardless of your situation, you body still needs it. Do your best to get your sleep.
Doing cardio 4-5 times a week is fine. Just make sure to lift weights as well so that you’re not losing any muscle while you lose fat. Losing muscle will slow your metabolism and make it harder to keep fat off. The recommendations for muscle recovery in this article are to give your muscles a break after heavy lifting (which is important for women too).
November 28th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
I think it’s best to just listen to your body. If your feeling good and making progress than you are doing something right. If you’re just forcing yourself to workout when you think you may need some rest than you’re obviously doing something wrong.
It’s all about finding what works for you through trial and error. As far as sleeping goes it is very important. Read up on some of Dr. William C. Dement’s stuff, he dedicated his whole life’s research to sleep and ultimately found your sleep patterns reflect your entire state of health.
I suggest if possible you try to go to bed earlier.
November 28th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I don’t know.
I train 5 times a week, revolving around the snatch, CNJ, squatting, snatch grip deadlifts and the assistance lifts for weightlifting like high pulls.
I seem to recover fine. is this article more towards bodybuilders?
November 29th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Kirk- No, if anything this is not for the big advanced bodybuilder. This is aimed at genetically average people who have stresses in life such as work and family, school, etc. These people need time to recover. Many advanced bodybuilders do train 5 days per week hammering away at smaller muscle groups.
A heavy shock 5 days a week is overtraining for the vast majority, but if you’re making gains then by all means don’t let me stop you. Best of luck with the training