The Truth About Muscle Recovery Time – Short Version

80 Responses to “The Truth About Muscle Recovery Time – Short Version”

1. 
   Cameron
   September 15th, 2009 at 12:48 am

   Darrin,
   You know I’ll have my own opinion, but….
   Olympic/power exercises, such as a snatch, use the whole body. What’s your recommended rest time? I usually end up doing them twice a week. (Provided I’m not doing other ppls workouts…)

2. 
   Nick
   September 15th, 2009 at 6:40 am

   hello,

   i’m doing Two times a week, which includes Compound Movements working most of my body muscles. that means i am working my each muscle group twice in a week. for now it is the best for me as opportunity for time.

   But i must say that it is quite tiring when you make a hard bench press and an upright row and than a squat at one workout’!

3. 
   Rod
   September 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

   I´m doing deadlift, snatch, squat, full squat and other partial movements to develop power 3 times a week in about 50min. After that i go to agility training for 20min. I rest the other day and go for the gym again. That´s o kfor me and made me already a little bit faster for the 30mts dash that i do as a control once to three times a month. My time is 3s68 and i´m 31 years old, 4th month of training.

4. 
   Darrin
   September 15th, 2009 at 2:55 pm

   @Rod – wow, that seems hard to maintain. Have you been doing that routine 3x a week for all 4 months? You are still a beginner at 4 months (funny, I thought from another comment many weeks ago that you had been lifting for years…) so you will recover a little faster. But at 31, I’m impressed if you can deadlift 3x a week. That said, I might tweak you a little and say that I bet if you next week you only deadlifted 1 day, then the following week I bet you’d be able to increase your reps and/or weight much more. Are you willing to try that?

   @Cameron – see Rod’s comment. Apparently he’s able to recover from power-focused moves quickly. Of course, this is all complicated because everyone is different. I’m still relatively new to “power training”, having more experience in bodybuilding and strength training. I’ve definitely seen that power training requires a lot more time in between sets. But between workouts? I would venture to say that it depends on which movement we are talking about. Clean and press, or snatches, for example (where the weight is going from the floor to over your head) use so many muscles that I’d definitely want to take the next day completely off. But does that mean you can’t use your shoulders, biceps, quads, traps, calves, or back in your next workout (since all those muscles are activated)? No, that’s not practical. My traps kill the next day after hang cleans, so I would take several days before working them again but if I was really working on my traps, I could probably do them 2x a week. I think we have several powerlifters who read this – can you guys chime in?

   @Nick – if you are doing full-body routines twice a week, that’s probably ideal (unless you are young and/or new to weight training, in which case you could probably move to 3x a week). Even experienced guys can do a 3x/wk full body routine for a while, just not year round.

5. 
   Nick
   September 15th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

   but then, does not that mean we do not spare enough time for each muscle group when we work them 3 times a week? in that case i will be doing 3 times a week squats or bench presses which may overtrain my body, because full-body workouts are already eventually more tiring than separated ones..

6. 
   Shayne
   September 15th, 2009 at 8:38 pm

   Is my workout ok because I go hard but I do it monday, wednesday, and friday muscle and tuesday thrusday and saturday I want to do cardio but school is just keepin me busy but for now lets focus on the muscle here it is my strenght workout:

   Chest First:
   Warm-up 1 set of 10 with 15 lbs
   Dumbbell bench press with chest flys 10 reps each (90 sec rest, repeat another 2 more times for a total of 3 total sets each.

   Then dumbbell press and Bent-Arm Dumbbell Pullover 3 sets 10 reps ea and 90 sec rest between sets

   Bicep and tricep workout

   Bicep:

   3 sets of 8 bicep dumbbell curls (20 lbs)

   2 sets of dumbbell arm alternate curls, abt 6 reps each arm but later 10 because I just got the 20s a while ago and its hard for me to do 6 so I push myself to do it.

   Isolation curls abt 8 reps each arm (15 lbs)

   Tricep:

   3 sets of Standing Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension

   And after all that I do some alternate arm curls abt 6 curls per arm but with a 25 lb because Idk I just feel like I wanna do it lol

7. 
   Mat
   September 16th, 2009 at 12:02 am

   Due to the change in my schedule, I am going to be needing to spend less time on my workouts (so that I can actually do them instead of either doing a shortened version or not even doing them at all because I have no time).

   I’m considering a 2 day per week total body workout. Now if my workout is pretty much going to consist of the Big 7, is that going to be about 2-3 days rest? And also, Darrin, do you think I would be working my body enough? I’m not a beginner (but I’m also not a professional bodybuilder).

8. 
   Darrin
   September 16th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

   What I tried to lay out is the fact there is no single answer to recovery time. There are many cases of “it depends” and I’ve done the research on the variables that affect it. The rest of the variables are in the longer version [here].

   @Nick – For beginners, I believe there is no better program than the 3x/wk full body. Recovery should be fine. But for more experienced lifters, or older lifters, or in many other individual cases, you might see that little recovery start to stall progress. I still do a 3x/wk full-body routine for about 3 months of the year but not all year long.

   @Shayne – I really advise against any workout that has so much dedicated to arms (unless you are a competition level bodybuilder). Sounds like you would be better off with FullBodyAttack for 3 months. Then think about a more advanced routine.

   @Mat – I think that 2x/wk for a full-body routine is usually fine, though it depends on your goals. It’s most likely plenty of recovery time. Certainly following a good 2x/wk fullbody routine is 10 times better than half-way following a more advanced routine.

9. 
   Rod
   September 16th, 2009 at 11:46 pm

   @ Darrin- yes i practice weight training since i was 11 years old.The old fashion training for mass…youth huh… this routine is what i´ve been doing for 4 months now. Last year i stopped training in october and returned april this year; 7 months doing absolutely nothing, just eating junk food and watching tv. May this year i begun with the old 3 sets of 10 reps, 90sec max of rest and so on. In may is started with strenght and those exercises above with only 60sec rest between sets. Of course there were days that i skiped training, 1 week lighter than normal or totally off due to rainy or cold weather. and agility i started in late july. but the rest periods are kept in 60sec no matter what. Now i´m deadlifting 110kg for 3 sets of 4 reps with 60sec rest, full frontal squat with 60kg for 6 reps and 60sec rest, snatch with 40kg for 8 reps and 3 sets with 60sec rest. upper body i do one arm row with 50kg barbell for the same numbers in sets, reps and rest, pull ups, abs and then agility. That works for me and in about 2 weeks i´ll slow down to rest and then try to hit hard again.

10. 
    Mike Stuckey
    September 17th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    A very good article, and a very necessary one too. You clearly know what you are talking about, and you do not presume to know ALL. Personally, I train as follows: Day1, Back & Biceps; Day2, Legs; Day3, Chest, Shoulders & Triceps. However, after exercising my chest, I find that my shoulders have been pumped-up quite dramatically, and that my triceps have also been worked quite well. So, although it would seem practical to work Chest, Shoulder & Triceps together, I am in two minds whether the shoulders & Triceps should be worked on the same day as Chest.
    As for recovery: I aim for quick results, but am aware of the absolutely necessary for recovery time. I am 53yrs of age, and have practiced heavy-weight training since 21yrs of age (on & off). I also did some weight-training at school. Since starting again in July 2009, I have been surprised that I have loads of energy, and can do more sets than years before. I have very intense workouts, and am always pleased with my sesions.
    However, two difficulties:-

    1. It is said that, when working the chest with bench exercises, your shoulders & triceps are also worked quite hard, and so, the shoulders & triceps should be exercised seperately on the same day. And it is said that, as the shoulders & triceps have already been hit by the chest exercises; although the muscles are weaker, and you may not be able to exercise them so hard after the chest, that you can get better results for the shoulders & triceps. I am not conviced as, it is not easy to get a pump on these muscle-groups after the chest, and sometimes the shoulders & triceps, simply don’t want to work after the chest exercises. Yet it might seem silly not to finish working the shoulders & triceps on the chest day.

    2. I am keen on isolation exercises, and like to feel the muscles ache. And so, am not averse to isolating these muscles as much as possible, and training them as hard as possible. Yet, this means training each muscle group once a week, with 2 days rest mixed in.

    I have no trouble with doing the exercises strictly, or with the intensity. I am not so sure about only exercising each muscle group once a week, even if the workouts are at maximum intensity. And, as said before, I am not sure about training shoulders & triceps with chest.
    You have said that men in their 50′s need 50% more recovery time ?), so you might say go with the intense training and train each muscle group once a week. And, you may say that, since I have not been back in the gym for long that I should go for the less intense training schedule.
    It’s all ‘Swings & Roundabout’s). I guess I’ll have to work it out by ‘trial & error’.

    Your articles have made me think more deeply about the two difficulties I face, so thank-you for that.

11. 
    Darrin
    September 18th, 2009 at 9:07 am

    @ Mike – thanks for the compliments. Although a bit off topic, I never think of “training triceps”. I try my best to train movements rather than smaller muscles unless there is a particular shortcoming (like calves for me and many people). So triceps get worked with pushing movements. It also depends on what you consider “shoulders”. Read this.

    As to your isolations and your “is once a week enough” question, here’s my take:
    - if you do intense isolations, do them AFTER your compound movements
    - I don’t see any reason to go to the gym and not work as intensely as possible; only exception is the first month of working out; I’ve never been a fan of “light days” except to the extent that super-light days are really just active recovery
    - if you are focusing on very specific muscle groups, and isolations, and thus you are really destroying each muscle, then once a week is probably plenty; the two all-natural bodybuilders I follow most closely are Skip LaCour and Tom Venuto – both are usually on a once a week per muscle group routine
    - of course, Tom and Skip are far advanced; I’d still suggest that for beginners, a full-body is best and for intermediates to lower-advanced then a semi-split is best; only very advanced should be thinking about strict splits
    - and unless you are truly considering yourself a “bodybuilder” I would not do strict isolation splits for more than a few weeks a year no matter how advanced you are; most of us just want to look really good, feel really good, and be able to do cool things (like play sports, lift furniture, etc.) so compound movements rule

12. 
    Ron L.
    September 18th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    Darrin,
    I am writing in response to Cameron’s question about recovery from a power lifting type training session. While it is true you use several muscle groups for movements such as the snatch, power cleans or deadlifts (not to mention squats) or even shrugs, it basically all boils down to how intense your training is.
    Lets say for example you’re deadlifts are done moderately heavy and you’ve been training for about a year, I’d say wait at least 6 days before doing deads again (especially if lifting heavy enough to limit yourself to no more than 4 – 5 reps; anything below 4 reps I’d say at least 10 days).
    If you do deadlifts heavy enough and strict enough you should feel it in your forearms, biceps, rear delts, traps, lats, lumbar supports, and numerous other assister groups in your upper back (and especially the hamstrings if you are doing Romanian style deadlifts or more in the glutes with a Sumo style lift).
    Of course if you are training this intensly it would be a good idea to back off at least every other week to avoid injury or overtraining.

13. 
    Peter Kirstein
    September 19th, 2009 at 5:46 am

    Hi Darrin,

    I found your article on muscle recovery time extremely interesting. I’m a 56 year old male who’s been working out at a commercial gym for just over a year. I first started working out 16 years ago and this lasted for about 6 months. I restarted work outs sporadically over the years never lasting for more than 6 months or so. This last time has been the longest, as I mentioned above just over a year. I started off doing the super circuit (all machines)twice a week and cardio (either treadmill, swimming, eliptical, steps or stationary cycle)also twice a week on alternate days to the circuit. This I did for 3 months and then went on to doing strength training, mostly machines, three times a week for about a month until I purchased a book entitled “Strength Training Past 50″ by Wayne L Westcott and Thomas R Baechle. After assessing my current strength according to their guidelines I started on the Advanced Training Program doing the full body free weight workout once a week and the machine full body workout also once a week i.e. 2 workouts per week. I noticed significant gains in both strength and muscle size until I hit a plateau. I have now changed to doing just free weights and doing less exercises with greater intensity. Concentrating on the Big 7 and working out twice a week i.e. Mondays and Thursdays giving me 2 days and 3 days rest between workouts. I’ve only been doing this for 2 weeks now so haven’t yet seen how this is working. What do you think and recommend for someone like me who is over 55 years of age?

14. 
    Darrin
    September 20th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

    @ Ron – thanks for adding that!

    @ Peter – it all depends on your goals and intensity. Two days a week, full-body, high intensity is definitely enough for muscle growth even at your age. And the 2 or 3 days of recovery is great. The problem is few people really lift at high intensely. We all think we are working hard, but the ultimate intensity is going beyond what you think you can do, yet staying safe. It’s hard to know where that line is but invariably the line is farther out than you think. But if your goal is to just maintain, then 2x/wk full-body is probably enough even with just good intensity (not even max). However, age again rears its head because the older you get the more intensity you need even to maintain your muscle mass. Young kids can essentially just look at pictures of a barbell and start adding muscle (that’s a joke, people). But older guys need to work really hard. The older you are, the more intensity you need AND the more recovery you need.

15. 
    Alex
    September 29th, 2009 at 6:30 am

    I have been doing body building for 2 months now and am noticing huge differences in muscle tone and strength. Apparently rest and nutrition make up for 80% of muscle growth after hitting the gym recommended by my personal trainer.. so diet is as important as rest

    we work a different muscle group 5 days a week doing 4 sets @ 12,10,8,8 …like this….. 12 reps (light Heavy), 10 reps (heavy) 8 (heaviest you can manage) 8 (heavier then you have done before). we never do more then 5 different exercises on the same muscle group in one session as this can be counter productive…. we work our abs everyday as this muscle recovers quickly… i do 200 reps each day on abs. (25,25 -25,25 Break, 25,25,- 25,25)…. we have 2 days complete rest with excessive eating… we look to increase the amount of weight we lift each week even if only by a few pounds… but as i say 2 days off complete rest… this seems to be working well for us.. i recommend to anyone anyone else.. any questions just ask i let you know on our program… in 2 months we have put on 1 stone of muscle mass. im a little bit of body fat too although we will cut that in the later stages maybe towards march.

16. 
    stan schurman
    January 22nd, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    I work out just 2 times per week. Mondays I do upper body using dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows, dips and pulldowns. That’s it. 3-5 sets each. On Fridays I do dumbbell squats, leg presses and curls. I should perhaps do curls on Mondays, but I find my arms are fried after the rows and pulldowns. My workouts are never longer than 45 minutes, but I go to near failure very set. I’m 65 by the way. What I notice most in the gym is a) people spend way too much time on the weights. People that are hard at it when I arrive are still hard at it when I leave and b)people spend far too much time on curls. What is it with curls that people feel they have to do a dozen or more sets. I see people doing standing dumbbell curls, followed by seated concentration curls, followed by standing barbell curls followed by preacher curls. I`ve seen people doing nothing but curls in the time I`ve completed my entire workout. I`ll do maybe 3 sets of either dumbbell or barbell curls followed by a couple of sets of either hammer or reverse curls. Five sets max.

17. 
    Yahya
    January 31st, 2010 at 8:31 am

    Darrin- a quick question please; if I train chest and biceps like I did last night is it ok to to do back and triceps tonight or is it not possible to work the triceps out without also working my biceps to the point that recovery is prevented?

    Thanks in advance, yahya.

18. 
    Darrin
    February 1st, 2010 at 7:12 am

    @yahya – my advice, is twofold:
    a) don’t “train arms”; see this: http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....ple-steps/
    b) if you ignore me anyway, then do biceps on your back days and triceps on your chest days; do arms AFTER all your real lifts are done

19. 
    Yahya
    February 1st, 2010 at 8:34 pm

    thanks Darrin, I’ll try that and see what works and fits best, thanks again!

20. 
    Zack
    May 13th, 2010 at 5:04 pm

    Hey Darrin!

    I’m doing

    Chest/Tri’s(Monday&Thursday)
    Back/Bi’s (Tuesday&Friday)
    Legs/Shoulders(Wednesday&Saturday)

    I’m 20 years old and i’ve been doing this routine for several months. I’m taking NO-shotgun and Synthesize and I feel like I generally get enough recovery in before the next time i work out a given muscle group. I’m just wondering if this is detrimental and if I should instead work out each muscle group only once a week.

    Thanks Darrin!

    -zack

21. 
    Darrin
    May 13th, 2010 at 7:41 pm

    @Zack – no, you don’t need to move to once a week per muscle group. Because you are young, you’ll likely recover quickly. If you were in your 40s, I’d say you should do shoulders on your back/chest days (front and side delts with chest, rear delts and traps with chest). Here’s the magic questions: are you making progress every week? do you look forward to each workout? are you able to be fully intense each workout? If the answer to all these is yes, then you are probably well recovered.

22. 
    Quijas
    May 21st, 2010 at 10:20 am

    Unfortunately I wrote a comment on Jason’s article before I read your more complete coverage. However my comment is basically the same.

    I am 65 years old and have weight trained semi-seriously including a couple of short stops for 50 years, this did not include serious body building or hulk training. I did have the opportunity to meet Arnold in Austria and the California crazies from the early 60′s through the early 70′s. I was particularly impressed by Sergio Olivia (spelling ??)

    Your article is perhaps most of note for emphasizing the intensity factor. But this (in my experience) relates to a very small percentage of people who think they are weight training (including myself).

    So my comments are really addressed to more normal weight training.

    First, maintenance or slow growth training (perhaps typical of Jack Lalanne) 4 or 5 sets of 10 reps, three times a week seems fine.

    Second, for 3 (or fewer) sets of 6 or 8 reps with heavy weights for a growth program twice a week should be ok until you get to the point of being one of the 5 strongest or biggest guys in the gym, then you need to be careful. One or Arnold’s comments was that you could ruin a big arm easier than a beginners arm.

    Third, most young guys change level too quickly, even Sergio told me that except in intense periods, he stayed at the same weight for 20 to 25 workouts – and following this, I have never suffered workout related injuries.

    On my two off days (not including Sunday), I do 250 watt exercycling for 1/2 hour one day and a serious hilly bike ride the other day.

    The deep breathing seems to be good for recovery.

    Obviously electrolytes/ sugars / proteins etc. must be carefully maintained, most mountain climbing accidents occur in the afternoon when the electrolytes are low and bad decisions come easier.

    Unfortunately I am perhaps a victim of my experience, any comments?

23. 
    Darrin
    May 21st, 2010 at 6:11 pm

    @Quijas – well, you have far more experience than I do, so I can’t presume to correct anything in your comment! But I do think that it varies. More advanced lifters are going to find it harder to safely increase poundage frequently. Generally, I advise people to try to beat SOMETHING each workout compared to the previous. Not on every exercise of course. Just one thing so that after each workout you can point to one area you improved. One more rep, 5 more pounds, better form, etc. I recently wrote about the rule of 3% (http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....e-problem/) – but I didn’t really talk about the “when”. It would not surprise me, for serious, long-term lifters, if you would see ~20 workouts before you would be ready to increase by a tiny amount (like 3%). Beginners CAN progress faster, but that doesn’t mean they should. Like you said, too many of us want it all immediately.

    On a related note, I was surprised not many people commented on my article about intensity. I’d love to get your take on that Quijas : http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....r-failure/ .

24. 
    Zack
    May 23rd, 2010 at 2:06 am

    @ Darrin

    Thanks Darrin! I definitely look forward to each workout but sometimes, when I’m doing incline and sometimes decline, I feel like my shoulders are strained. I warm them up before each work out and stretch throughout the workout, but they still feel almost injured. They’re fine the next day: am I maybe just hitting the wrong angle or using bad form?

    Thanks for reading and responding!

    -zack

25. 
    Hi Its Me
    June 6th, 2010 at 10:01 am

    Hi Darrin! I’m 15 years old and I workout 2-3 times a week. I believe my workout’s not “intense” cuz Im not getting results. (I’m just using 5 lb-dumbbells each hand) And since twas not intense I decided to do it daily for 45 mins. each day. I’ve watched several workout videos using just the bodyweight and workouts requiring minimal equipments. And I have put together the workouts that worked best, as many people say, to lose body fat, and gain muscle. Here’s the workout I’m gonna do starting tomorrow:

    WARM-UP CIRCUIT:
    Jog (for 1 min.)
    Squat – 12 reps
    Rest for 30 secs. between circuits and repeat once

    SUPERSET A:
    Tricep Kickbacks – 8 reps each side (no dumbbell plates; only the bar cuz I cant do it with it :))
    Kneeling push-up – 8 reps (the only type of push-up I can do :))
    Rest for 30 secs. between supersets. I do the superset for 3 times.

    SUPERSET B:
    Deep-knee squats – 12 reps
    DB Deltoid Raise – 10 reps (w/o plates if I cant do it for 5 reps with it)
    – 5 reps (w/ 10 pound dumbbells)
    Rest for 30 secs. between supersets. I do the superset for 3 times.

    SUPERSET C:
    Split Squat – 6-8 reps per side
    The Row – 8 reps (using 10 lb dumbbells)
    Rest for 30 secs. between supersets. I do the superset for 3 times.

    SUPERSET D:
    DB Chest Press – 8 reps (10 lb dumbbells)
    1-leg Romanian Deadlifts – 30 secs. per side (w/o dumbbells)
    Rest for 30 secs. between supersets. I do the superset for 3 times.

    Then Ab Planks for 3 times (w/ 30 sec. rest in between) after the last 30 sec. rest of the last superset.

    Then I do stretches for the tight muscle groups.

    Darrin, please tell me if there’s something wrong about my workout and if it’s okay to do it daily. As u can see I only use 10 lb dumbbells.. only because it’s the only weights we have at home. DB plates are a bit pricey and I’m not rich u see… and have no time to go to gym cuz its too far from here and I’m quite busy to go there.

    I really need to lose fat. Look lean and a bit muscular. I want to transform my body… please help me Darrin. Thanks in advance!

26. 
    Darrin
    June 6th, 2010 at 2:33 pm

    @Hi Its Me
    Even though you are using light weights, it sounds like you are still doing rep schemes designed for muscle growth. And it sounds like you haven’t yet gained enough strength to warrant higher weights. So, I don’t want you or me to be misled into thinking you are doing light weight. It doesn’t seem like it is like to you and that’s what matters.

    If you are lifting weight that is heavy enough that you can only get 8 or so reps per set (and that might mean bodyweight), then you are essentially doing a muscle building workout. And as such, I would take a day off in between. You can jog or something on the days off as long as it is “easy”.

    Now, in your last sentence you say you want to burn fat. If that’s more important to you right now than gaining muscle, then I would say your current workout is not ideal. I would probably REDUCE the weight so that you can get 12 to 15 reps per set. Keep the rest periods short.

    And if you are doing high-rep, short rest type of resistance training, then you CAN do it every day, but I wouldn’t. I would do it two days, then 1 day off, then 2 days on, then 1 day off, etc.

    Hope this helps!

27. 
    Darrin
    June 6th, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    Oh, and one more thing – you really do need to gain some strength. Fat loss might help your visual appearance but your strength levels are really low and to be healthy you need to get stronger. an idea protocol would alternate fat-loss type of metabolic training with strength training but I think that might be too complicated for you right now. In a couple months we can talk about how to add strength training.

28. 
    Hi Its Me
    June 9th, 2010 at 10:54 am

    Thanks Darrin… Now I know ^_^… and one more question… Is it okay to workout first thing in the morning, with an empty stomach? Im confused. Some people say, you can burn more fat if ur gonna do it while some people say you first need to eat light carbs and protein an hour before workout. Please let me know. Thanks…

29. 
    Darrin
    June 9th, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    Yes it’s ok, but there is conflicting science on it and it seems to come down to the individual. My recommendations is that for beginners, never lift fasted. After you are more experienced, you can experiment and see if it is right for you. Also see
    http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....ding-gain/
    and
    http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....-fat-loss/

30. 
    Hi Its Me
    June 10th, 2010 at 5:37 am

    Okay… thanks again :)

31. 
    Rob Dawg
    January 16th, 2011 at 3:45 pm

    Yeah I had a quick couple questions??? I’ve been working out for like 6 or 7 years off and on but like 5 months ago I really got into it and I do chest and tris one day then back and shoulders the next and biceps the next and my Bi’s and shoulder and back I’m bulking up and lifting heavey but my chest and tri’s i’m just trying to cut up…. but I MAYBE take a 1 or 2 day break… Is that bad??? What would you recommend??? And I’m 20 years old

32. 
    Darrin
    January 16th, 2011 at 8:55 pm

    @Rob Dawg – ready for some tough love? NEVER put “tris” or “biceps” in the name of your workout day. That indicates a misunderstanding of where the best strength and hypertrophy (and fat loss, for that matter) come from. The best lifting exercises are multi-joint compound movements that work multiple muscles at once. Check out http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....exercises/ . Now I know you are young, and I didn’t know all this when I was your age either. So if you are asking what I recommend, I’d say throw away your workout and focus on the Big 7. Quick idea for a workout: a day focused on pulling, a day focused on pushing, a day focused on legs, then a day off. Repeat. Since you are young, you MIGHT have enough energy to do some biceps work after 5 sets of deadlifts, 5 sets of pullups, 5 sets of rows but even if you did, it would be a waste of time. Instead, use that 15 minutes to read a couple more articles on this site each week.

    And getting “cut up” is really about your diet. Weightlifting will help grow muscle, but you need to have low bodyfat to show off the muscle.

33. 
    dana
    August 25th, 2011 at 12:58 am

    if i bench one night and the next night i do push ups am i giving my body enough time to recover?

34. 
    Darrin
    August 25th, 2011 at 6:45 am

    @dana – it depends on your goals. If maximum increase in the size of your pectorals is your goal, then you should change to give your chest more days of recovery. If your goal is local muscular endurance – being able to do more, even when fatigued – then your routine is fine. I often cite the fact that the military does pushups – many, many pushups – every single day with very few injuries and with good results for muscular endurance. If you are looking for maximal strength, then pushups themselves are really hard to maximally load and really aren’t part of a pure strength program (though they still make great warm ups when on a pure strength cycle).

35. 
    Joe
    October 13th, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    I’m 22, and in college, with about 6 years of intense, weekly training. I have always lifted atleast 3 days a week since my freshman year of high school. Lately the last 3 years or so, I have increased the intensity of my workout days and shortened my rest times. I lift specific muscle groups together: Mon-Chest,Back Tues:Legs,Abs Wed:Arms Thurs:Shoulders Friday: off. And then Saturday will be my “Chest,Back” day again. On every given day I hit each muscle with 4 sets of 3 different exercises (12 total sets) of varying reps (10,8,8,6) for each exercise. My last set of 6 reps is always to failure for each exercise. I eat around 3000-3200 calories a day and more than my body weight in protein each day. I also am on several supplements: whey protein, glutamine, arginine, Neurocore, and MuscleMeds Amino Deconate.I am 6’1, 190 lbs. Having said this to you, do you think I am overtraining? People always tell me that I am, but i have seen a 5 pound increase on my bench the last 3 months to 335, and added an 1/8 inch to my arms over the last 6 months to just under 17”.

36. 
    Darrin
    October 14th, 2011 at 10:17 am

    @Joe – the fact that you are making progress is a good indication that you are NOT overtraining. So I could leave my answer there. But in addition, it looks like you are giving each muscle group 5 days rest. That’s another sign that you are not overtraining. I might quibble like I always do about “arms day” usually being a waste, but it’s not like it’s harmful. Just probably not needed. Anyway, I don’t see any indication at all that you are even close to overtraining. Keep it up!

37. 
    Teto
    October 18th, 2011 at 9:38 pm

    Darrin,

    I’m 37 and lift heavy 4sets reps of 10,10,8,6. Yes I’m still sore on the 3rd day, should I hit my chest again on the forth day or is that enough rest?

38. 
    Darrin
    October 18th, 2011 at 9:46 pm

    @Teto – Soreness is not really the best indicator of recovery. The best definition I’ve heard of optimal recovery is “the shortest time before you can actually progress”. Meaning, if you are waiting x days between days emphasizing a muscle group, and you are not able to keep progressing week after week, then you are not waiting long enough. It’s highly individual, and will change when you are a more advanced/experienced lifter. Are you progressing each week under your current cycle?

39. 
    teto
    October 25th, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    Darrin,

    yes I am getting stronger benching 6reps of 275 and adding 5lbs a month, just wanted to fill my week. Tore some cartilage in my knee so legs are out for awhile. Maybe I can hit back twice.

40. 
    ranojoy
    January 18th, 2012 at 6:00 am

    Hi
    need some advice.
    I am close to 50 years of age (height 5 ft 10 inches, weight 75 kgs )and have just about started going to gym for basically ensuring core muscle fitness and reasonable toning up of the body which is so essential at this age to prevent having a fledgling , injury-prone physique.
    I have been handed a chart for a number of exercises for the upper and lower body on alternate days. No rests as such have been prescribed by the trainer but I normally take a day off after two days. the work outs given are–
    for upper body–
    arc trainer/sit ups/dumbbell side-bends /bench press/inclined bench press/lat pulls/body extension/tricep pull downs/DB shrugs/DB overhead push ups/seated DB curls/DB wrist curls/pelvic thrusts

    for lower body—arc trainer/treadmill/ free squats/free lunges/leg press/stiff leg dead lifts/pelvic thrusts/plank

    its been about 12 days now— only a little visible development.Also, I am not sure if I am following a healthy regime.
    Kindly advise whether to change the regime and what to go for
    regards
    Ranojoy

41. 
    Darrin
    January 18th, 2012 at 6:34 am

    @ranojoy – I have to say, that routine sucks. Not because it is dangerous, but just that it was written by someone with no clue. Seated DB curls? Wrist curls? For a total beginner for basic fitness? Seriously, it’s mostly a waste. The lower body day isn’t too bad but you don’t need so many exercises when starting out (skip the leg press). Do you have any known injuries? Did the trainer do a screen that told you/him anything about your movement patterns?

    You want to do full-body movements (do a search on this site for The Big 7) but start with light weight – you don’t want to get injured. I could sell you one of my programs on the right of course, but there’s a ton of free info here. Or sign up and get the free “3 months to a new you” ebook – it has a free routine in there.

    Having said that, even though his routine sucks, even on a good routine you probably won’t see much difference in 12 days. You’ll feel great, but visual changes usually take many weeks.

42. 
    ranojoy
    January 18th, 2012 at 6:42 am

    Hi darrin
    thanx for ur prompt tip—just one request–since it s quite apparent that I need to cut down on many of the workouts given, could u help out by weeding out the unnecessery ones from the regime i have detailed.
    I do get ur point surely— will be checking on the Big on the site, but could u help meanwhile for this
    regards
    Ranojoy

43. 
    Darrin
    January 18th, 2012 at 11:08 am

    Just get the free ebook here: http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....t-lifting/ .

44. 
    Drako
    January 25th, 2012 at 11:44 am

    Hello Darrin,

    I am a newbie but I am 29 years old. However I got some muscle groups developed from 10 years of swimming trainings, yet havent been training for 6-7 years. Got thin hands, 31cm 33cm biceps…but stronger lats and chest…

    I dislike gyms and I’m all into bodyweight excercises, but I understand that some of my muscle groups are too weak so I’ll use some weights to assist me in the beginning.

    At the moment I can do 3×10 pushups and 3x6pullups, so im not like a total noob..

    I am thinking about 3split bodyweight:
    1 back, biceps, forearms
    2 rest
    3 chest, shoulders, triceps
    4 rest
    5 legs

    and abs somwehere…

    Now I am a bit in a dilemma how to adapt recovery time for bodyweight excercises, because for ex. I’ll do BACK, biceps, forearms together because the bodyweight excercises bind those muscles together, but…what to do about longer recovery time for the BACK and shorter recovery time for the arms…and the same problem with the CHEST vs shoulders, triceps bodyweight excersises?

    Big tnx!
    D

45. 
    Darrin
    January 25th, 2012 at 1:15 pm

    @Drako – I think you are overthinking. On your proposed routine, you are hitting each muscle group every 6 days. At your age and experience level, you should have no problem recovering.

46. 
    Drako
    January 25th, 2012 at 1:38 pm

    Now that you’ve said 6days it hit me…isn’t that too much rest… I forgot to mention that I want to gain mass with bodyweight excercises…

    Any suggestion for some better/optimal split according to my age/shape(I’m 78kg 185cm) and still not get into overtraining?

    Thanks!
    D

47. 
    Darrin
    January 25th, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    @drako – I almost never run into people who are overtraining. Most people are way undertraining. That said, you can read this:
    http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/overtraining/

    Now for you, I would try what you suggest (normally I’d remove the arms movements, but you seem very self-conscious about your “small” arms and so I’ll not tell you to skip them – just do them at the END of your workouts).

    In terms of your goal: to add mass with bodyweight movements. Very, very hard to do my man. Even with external loads (i.e. weightlifting) it’s hard to gain lean mass. Bodyweight just isn’t enough load to stimulate much growth. Best I can say is work in single-leg, single-arm movements to increase the load. You could probably train full-body 2 or 3 times a week and still have enough recovery but to grow you need to truly push it intensely (not tons of reps, but tons of load) and also eat a lot.

48. 
    steveoreno
    February 5th, 2012 at 9:15 am

    darrin,

    I used to lift weights quite frequently starting from age 13 all the way through high school. Then i took a long hyades for like my first year and a half in the navy in which i focused on stamina and cardiovascular. Now I’m starting to hit it up again. my routine usually goes as follows:

    (I will normally spend anywhere between 1 hr to 1.5 hrs in the gym)
    Tri’s and Pecs
    Bi’s and Back
    Day off
    Tri’s and Pecs
    Bi’s and Back
    Day off

    This gives each muscle group 48 hours, but i kind of do two-a-days, and include calisthenics up to 5 days a week with two days off, and low impact cardio exercises (occasionally high impact as well) anywhere up to six times a I’ve been on this routine for about 4 months now and have seen no injuries. I’ve improved my 1RM from 225 to 260 (so far)

    Ok with all the evidence at your feet i just wanted to verify that this is the smart and healthy way to keep at it, if not please let me know.

    thanks much

49. 
    Darrin
    February 5th, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    @steveoreno – no legs days? also see my comments here (and in many places on the site) about my frowning on workouts that have “bis” and “tris” in them. If you are doing the Big 7, you should have no trouble getting arms proportional to your overall strength. So, I think your routine probably needs a lot of work, but in terms of recovery you are probably fine.

50. 
    Glad
    February 20th, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Hey Darrin,

    Thanks for the very informative article. I am unsure if my routine is able to produce the best results. Please give me your views. Thanks!

    I will work out one day and rest a day before starting on “day 2″. In short, there is a one day rest after every workout.

    In the first exercise, I would target upper chest, trape, pull ups, deltoids, abs, obliques, hamstrings and quarts. I will usually cycle in fat burn mode for 15 mins before swimming 10 laps.

    Rest one day

    In the 2nd exercise, I would work out my lower chest, lower back, back deltoids, triceps, shoulders and calves.

    Rest one day

    On the 3rd day, I would work out my middle chest, back, pull ups, abs, obliques, hamstrings and quarts. After that I will run 2km and swim 10 laps.

    Rest one day

    The cycle repeats.

    Basically, i try to split chest work out to 3 components and target them in 3 separate days. I usually do each workout till failure point before continuing on another workout. Progress has been so far so good, with a 2.5-5 pound increase in weight for every cycle. My workout (including swimming, running or cycling) can take up to 3-5 hours each time.

    Base on this, i have a questions to ask.

    1) Am I resting too long for each muscle group? On average, my upper chest/lower chest or middle chest gets to rest 5 days before next workout.

    I have thought of combining the 3 exercises together, putting them in blocks of 3 days e.g. Exercise 3 days, rest a day and exercise 3 days again instead of exercise one day, rest a day and exercise again.

    I am 21 this year. I have started this routine recently. Have been working out in the gym for about 2 years or so.

51. 
    Darrin
    February 20th, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    @glad – if you’ve been lifting regularly and intensely for 2 yrs already, I’d probably recommend a split routine, but just a simple split. Like upper/lower. But it depends on your goals. And depends on whether you’ve really been a regular lifter and how intense you’ve been lifting. If you share your goals, and how “real” your past 2 yrs have been I can give you better advice.

52. 
    Glad
    February 21st, 2012 at 12:40 pm

    Thanks Darrin for your reply.

    I have focused the bulk of my trainings in the past on arms, abs and back. The routine I mentioned is actually the one I adopted recently (around 2 months or so). My main concern is actually my chest. I am unsure about how long I should rest for my chest.

    I have decided to split chest workout into 3 separate days because it is very intense to target the entire chest in a day. Currently i am doing bench press of around 75 pounds for each side for regular and inclined bench press. For dips, I have an added weight of 10kg. This is my progress in 2 months. I started out at around 35 pounds each side for bench press.

    I have seen some progress for my chest over the weeks but it hasn’t been very fruitful for my upper chest. THe middle chest is doing fine.

    If I were to adopt the simple split routine, isn’t it very difficult to build the muscle groups as many exercises includes multiple muscle groups?

    Lower body and abs aside, my goal is to achieve a more massive chest that is proportionate and well-rounded.

    Once again, thanks for your advice!

53. 
    Darrin
    February 21st, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    @Glad – so, as for goals, it sounds like your goals are related to chest size, right? (Not to get off topic, but clarity of goals is paramount to making progress.) If that’s the case, then presumably the following are NOT your top goal: fat loss, absolute strength, competing in a marathon, etc.

    So if we focus purely on hypertrophy (muscle size increase) then we are talking essentially bodybuilder style workouts. There is substantial evidence that you would want to target that muscle group only once or twice a week, but really, really blast it. Remember, it’s cliche but true: muscle isn’t built in the gym, it’s built during the recovery period outside the gym. Most people would respond well in the 8-10 rep range (at least for chest), 3 or 4 working sets (not counting warm ups) per exercise, 2 or 3 exercises per bodypart, going to form failure, and 60 seconds of rest between sets (which likely means you’ll have to lower the weight slightly for each set). There are a million routines you could use but my Hypertrofreak routine is in this mode (though not just focused on chest). But seriously, many will work, not just mine.

54. 
    Glad
    February 29th, 2012 at 10:59 am

    @Darrin – Thanks for answering most of my questions, it has been very helpful.

    I would like to ask how often can I do mild to mid-intensive cardio a week? The goal here is to burn fats.

    Also, what should the rest time for each sets be? I believe it does differ for different muscle groups. In particular, I would like to enquire on chest, back and legs. I usually take 1.5min to 2min break in between sets, is it acceptable or highly personal?

    Lastly, is a day’s rest for my leg good enough? Or do leg muscles require longer rest?

    Thanks for your help!

55. 
    Darrin
    March 1st, 2012 at 12:28 am

    @Glad – depending on your definition of “mild” and “mid-intensive”, you can do that cardio every single day. It’s once you get intense that you have to be careful. For example, today I did true Tabata sprints and with that intensity I would not suggest more than twice a week for most mortals (myself included).

    Your rest time is fine if you are doing pretty heavy lifts, where you can only get 4 to 6 reps. If you are doing sets of 10 or so, then a slight shorter (60 second) rest between sets has been show to release more muscle-building hormones. But don’t overthink this.

    For legs, you are young so you might recovery quicker than guys in their 40s but for people in the middle age group I think intense leg days once or maybe twice a week is ideal. I’m NOT counting light/moderate running or other cardio training. But sprinting would count as a leg workout so I tend to sprint on the same days as squats (sprint after squats, though your sprint times will be pretty slow). One day of rest between intense lifting of any specific muscle group is not ideal except for beginners or in rare cases when experienced lifters do a short 3 or 4 week insane session followed by a full week of recovery. So in your case, ignore the previous sentence!

56. 
    0311
    March 5th, 2012 at 4:06 am

    Got a few questions. 1. I put myself in the hospital for a week with some pretty bad Rhabdo about a year back and wasnt allowed to go to the gym for quite awhile. Am I more susceptible to getting it now that ive had it? Is there anything i should watch out for at the gym or with talking supplements? Also, would the type of workout im doing make a big difference?Power vs Endurance. 2. With my new job i can only make it to the gym on Tuesday’s,Friday’s & Saturday’s. I know most people do the chest/tri’s, back/bi’s thing. Id like to do Tuesday-Chest&Bi’s. Friday-Back&Tri’s. Saturday-Legs&shoulders. Traps,Calfs,abs on all. Im 28, in decent shape and I eat my vegetables. I dont have a spotter and its hard to break myself off. I like the idea of hitting my arms 1.5 times a week. The reason being that their slightly disproportionate when compared to the size of my chest. Any input? Thank you.

57. 
    0311
    March 5th, 2012 at 4:12 am

    *TAKING supplements. NOT talking. I already know there’s something wrong if my supplements are talking.

58. 
    Darrin
    March 5th, 2012 at 5:41 pm

    @0311 – sorry, not sure I’m qualified to comment on this one. If you have a question about recovery time, happy to help. Otherwise, perhaps a post to the forum would get a response from someone familiar with your particular situation.

59. 
    Glad
    March 6th, 2012 at 7:10 am

    @Darrin – Alright, I shall heed your advice. Thanks for your help once again!

60. 
    Mark B.
    March 6th, 2012 at 9:30 am

    Great article…
    Could you please let me know what your opinion is of my workout? I’m 44 btw.
    My workout sounds complex, but it really isn’t. I got the idea from an old Weider booklet I got from GNC a long time ago (25+ years). I work my abs, calves, and forearms every other day (alternating days). Arms- bi’s then day off and then tri’s then day off. Chest one day, back the next, and then shoulders the following (giving each 2 full days off rest in between). Legs will have 3 days of rest. So, as you can see I workout 7 days a week, but my routines are always changing since I don’t work the same bodyparts on the same days all the time. I hope that wasn’t too confusing…what do u think? Thanks for your time.

61. 
    Darrin
    March 6th, 2012 at 9:46 pm

    @MarkB. Unless you are about to compete in a bodybuilding contest, there’s really no need to list “arms” in your workout. That elevates them to an artificially high importance. I’m pretty consistent throughout this site that if your workout days have arms in the title, there’s probably something wrong. All you need are the big 7 and variations on them. Read this http://worldfitnessnetwork.com.....exercises/ (as well as just about any article here).

62. 
    Darrin
    March 6th, 2012 at 9:47 pm

    For anyone else who wants feedback on their particular routine – unless it is a specific question about recovery times – please just use the forum so that this article stays focused on recovery. Thanks!

63. 
    Rockie
    March 7th, 2012 at 2:40 am

    @darrin,
    Hey,i put a lot of workout on my biceps and triceps basically hands and it got swollen for few days..well but the problem is that i have not been able to lift the same weights now even after the rest for few days.My right hands been a problem you see,,i mean its not getting enough strength for the reps..it gets exhausted soon..i feel powerlessness in my elbow..what should i do?

64. 
    Darrin
    March 7th, 2012 at 7:01 am

    @Rockie – yes, here’s the solution: don’t do “arms”. And seriously, if any future person posts here about their “arms” routine, I’m not answering. I’ve said at least 6 times on this page (and probably a hundred times across the site) that I advise against isolating your arms and if people aren’t going to follow my advice on that, they aren’t going to follow my advice on recovery issues.

65. 
    tom
    March 8th, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    I am 65 yrs old and have been doing pullups chinups for a long time and do sets of at least 25, 4 days a week for a total of between 600 and 800 a week, usually 2 hundred per workout, Thinking of starting to add weighs. as I did as a kid yrs ago, Good idea or not. Thanks Tom

66. 
    Darrin
    March 9th, 2012 at 9:37 am

    @Tom – 600+ pullups/chinups a week at age 65?!! I’m impressed. Clearly you’ve shown that once you get accustomed to a certain movement, you don’t need as much recovery. My guess though is that by doing chins every two days, you are simply maintaining rather than progressing. Once you start trying to really progress – say, by moving to 1000 a week or moving to adding weight – you will need more recovery time.

    Honestly, you are already in a category here beyond me and beyond anyone I know. I know some people doing that many pushups a week, but pushups are easier than pullups in terms of bodyweight rep counts. So I’m in uncharted waters here in offering advice…

    My inclination is that you should either do one of the following approaches:
    a) add small weight, like 10 pounds every 2 weeks, and stick to the lower limit of your weekly rep ranges (so, 600 only); then after you are doing them with 30 pounds, stop increasing the weight and try to get back to 800 a week
    OR
    b) add 20 pounds right away, and really blast it by doing 300 a day and only doing them every three days

    I really don’t know which would be better but I’m leaning towards plan (a). Anyone else have advice in how recovery might work at this level?

67. 
    tom
    March 9th, 2012 at 5:33 pm

    Darrin, Thanks for the advice on my chinup and pullup routines,I usualy do 100 each for each workout or i’ll do all of one and change to the other next day. I plan on retireing from the Post office next month,mI’ve been walking 8miles a day for 40+ yrs. I’ll have more time to be devoted to a different workout.. I’ve used weights a while ago,got to 80lbs for just a few reps. I’ve done 25 reps with 30 lbs, but at the tme I was a regular body builder and chinups were just an ocadional thing for back workouts. Since I stopped weight training because of time limitations I kind of got hung up on chins and pulls and can do 50 either way for sets, I have done 8 sets of 40. It only takes me about 20minutes to do my 200 but it is an intense 20minutes. Again thanks for the time. Tom

68. 
    bao
    March 22nd, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    hey darrin, is it good to jog every day and every other day, do resistance to work on the muscles? and by jogging i mean use the elliptical machines.
    i drink whey protein to help recover my muscles after, but i heard that doing cardio everyday may burn my muscles as well…
    is this true and do you have any advise on what im doing

69. 
    bao
    March 22nd, 2012 at 7:04 pm

    continue from previous comment, i use the elliptical machine roughly 45min- an hour every day

70. 
    Darrin
    March 22nd, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    @bao – what are your goals? If your goal is to get huge, then that’s too much cardio because your muscles likely can’t recover. but if you are just looking to be in good shape, relatively muscular, relatively lean, and relatively fit, no problem (though I personally almost never see anyone using an elliptical effectively – 45 minutes on that is probably more like 20 minutes of real running/jogging).

71. 
    Bao
    March 22nd, 2012 at 8:46 pm

    Ty for that darrin, my goal is to get a six pack, but so far only showing a 2 pack because of my belly fat, id wIsh to lose the fat but not to burn muscle at the same time, any suggestions?

72. 
    Darrin
    March 23rd, 2012 at 10:12 am

    @Bao – there are many articles on the site dealing with your question, so please read those. Then, since this article is about recovery, please post your remaining questions on fat loss/6-pack either under a relevant article or actually just in the Forum (http://worldfitnessnetwork.com/forum/ ). Thnx!

73. 
    Mike
    April 19th, 2012 at 3:08 pm

    I have seen many articles about muscle recovery time but I have never seen a reference to a scientific study that supports any of the recommendations. If seems to all be based on “expert opinion”. Can anyone point to or cite a scientific study of the issue?

74. 
    Darrin
    April 29th, 2012 at 8:10 am

    @Mike – yes there are plenty of real nitty gritty science articles on recovery time. in preparing this article I relied heavily on years of articles from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research but they require an expensive annual subscription. You should be able to find a ton on pubmed too (I just did a search). But be prepared for many hours of reading and parsing out the results. It’s really tricky when looking at the science because it’s such a controlled environment. For example, they’d take 24 untrained individuals (people who have never lifted) and then when you look at the protocol, all they had them do were single-arm bicep curls for 4 weeks and took muscle biopsies before/after each workout. That’s not really useful science is it? Then there are age and gender issues. One of the reasons I put this article together is to help people understand that it’s never a single factor.

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