i currently lift weights twice a week but would ideally like to lift 3 times a week but my muscles are to sore & take abt 3/4 to recovery, my workouts are usually abt 30 mins long & pretty intense. is anyone aware of anything i can take either tablet or food wise that could help with recovery? not steriods tho

What's your routine like? You could have a high protein meal after a workout , perhaps whey protein since it's easier to absorb, not to mention more convenient putting it in a shake. BCAA's (Branch chain amino acids) before and after workout will help with recovery. Food high in carbohydrates after a workout helps you recover your energy. I've tried ribose in the past which helps with recovery after a hard workout when I've been away from exercise for a while.

Some people recommend supplementing l-glutamine, which I don't think is a bad idea but I don't see the necessity in it. There's some literature that supports that glumamic acid from protein being converted to glumamine within the body. The way that I see it, if you're getting getting enough protein you don't need to take glutamine with it. I still take some after a hard run, or sometimes when I need to curb my appitite (it does help in that regard). Keeping hydrated is important as well.

There's nothing wrong with a three-days-a-week plan, if you're increasing the number of days that you lift, you might want to lower the volume (reps and sets), and take it more gradually. Breaking up your routine according to muscle groups will allow you to do more still.

cheers for help chris

work out
superset chins/dumbell chest press
shoulders
abs

workout two
superset skull crushers/dumbell curls
abs

i understand that workout one involves many muscles in one workout but this is because it takes me so long for my muscles to recover if i did say back on monday i wouldnt be able to lift weights again untill thursday.

i also do a couple of 30 min sessions of shadow kickboxing & try to do a couple of sprints a week.

i do eat alot per day including soya protein, cottage cheese, porridge, meat & plenty of fruit.

If you want to do more weight workouts, spilt up your routine more, if you're struggling with recovery.

Plus a good whey shake immediately PWO, and maybe a little pre workout, would probably help, too. (quickest and easiest way of getting a fair amount of protein)

Sounds like ur not eating enough, especially before and after workouts. Whats your diet like??

And its not just protein u need. Carbs and good fats are just as important.

Originally Posted by Douglas Hall

If you want to do more weight workouts, spilt up your routine more, if you're struggling with recovery.

Plus a good whey shake immediately PWO, and maybe a little pre workout, would probably help, too. (quickest and easiest way of getting a fair amount of protein)

when i split my muscle groups up more i just still dont recover in time, think my body just needs more rest than most people.

Originally Posted by Douglas Hall

If you want to do more weight workouts, spilt up your routine more, if you're struggling with recovery.

Plus a good whey shake immediately PWO, and maybe a little pre workout, would probably help, too. (quickest and easiest way of getting a fair amount of protein)

when i drink protein shakes i usually just rush to the toilet & its gone within minutes

Originally Posted by Drago

Originally Posted by Douglas Hall

If you want to do more weight workouts, spilt up your routine more, if you're struggling with recovery.

Plus a good whey shake immediately PWO, and maybe a little pre workout, would probably help, too. (quickest and easiest way of getting a fair amount of protein)

when i drink protein shakes i usually just rush to the toilet & its gone within minutes

Maybe you have lactose issues. A solid meal will work just fine. Try bananas and raw or hard bioled eggs.

What is a typical days diet like??

You could try and do a push pull system, you do all your pushing movements at one workout so that would be chest,shoulders,triceps and legs (squats) on day. Then rest a day and do back , biceps and hamstrings (leg curls etc)
The it's a day off then repeat day one. This gives you time in between body parts.

Currently I do 2 upper body workouts and one lower body workout per week due to limited time.

I start with
Chest
Flyes x 3 sets
Incline dumbell press x 3 sets

Shoulders
Smith machine press x 5 sets

Triceps
Various excercises x 4 sets

Back

Pulldowns x 4 sets
Cable rows x 3 sets

Biceps
Dumbell curls x 4 sets


Day two

Legs

leg extensions x 4 sets
Smith machine squats x 4 sets

leg curls x 4 sets
stiff leg deadlift x 3 sets

All use progressively heavier weights , day one takes approx 45 minute dat two 25-30 minutes.

Sorry this is long winded but from someone who has been training with weights for more than 25 years I just wanted to show that you can still keep it simple but intense and fit in three good ones a week.

Happy to recommend some books if you want to do it on here or send me a PM.

Originally Posted by Drago

i currently lift weights twice a week but would ideally like to lift 3 times a week but my muscles are to sore & take abt 3/4 to recovery, my workouts are usually abt 30 mins long & pretty intense. is anyone aware of anything i can take either tablet or food wise that could help with recovery? not steriods tho

buy some creatine mate. i use to pump alot of iron and this stuff works wonders. it boosts ur performance as well, u can pick up a months supply from £10 to £20

Hey Drago,

With that level of pain and stress on the muscles I'd have to guess your muscles are experiencing a catabolic reaction (they're feeding off themselves.)

Nutrition is obviously essential and automatically I'd start to intake more foods.

However I'd also review the exercises I was doing.
Supersets although economic and effective are notorious for inducing injuries when done over a period of time longer than 4 weeks.

Bodyweight exercises are excellent for conditioing the body before weight training.

The supersets are contributing to the DOMS you are experiencing (delayed onset muscle soreness)

I'd also take a guess that you're not eating enough carbohydrate to recovery from your sessions. Maybe not enough protein too.

Recovery, like strength, is something that must be built over time. Personally, I can, for example, do 3 sets of 5 70lb push-ups at a BW of 128lbs. The next day I could (though seldom do) 3 sets of 5 10lb one-arm push-ups. I can do this for some time too. How? I gradually built up my recovery capibility. After about a month I will take some time off (a few days doing light stuff) to give my body some rest and allow it to recover.

First though, do what you can handle. You have a few options:

1. Cut back on intensity - Workout strength every other day. Sessions should be light enough that you can come back in two days and workout without overtraining. Over time, increase the intensity and your recovery capibilities will also increase.

2. Rest for necessary time - If you can only workout every three days than so be it. Work on eventually cutting back to every other day. That should be sufficient.

3. A combination of 1&2

Also, you should be training different strength qualities. For example, train max strength (reps equal 5 or less), endurance strength, explosive strength (10 or less, example: clapping push-up variations), speed strength (low weight, high speed; example: dumbell shadowboxing), explosvie endurance (20 or more, example: jumping), reactive strength (speed in changing direction), etc. There are so many different strength qualities. By focusing on different ones and by switching them up you will aid recovery and fight overtraining.

In addition, there are means of active recovery. For example, one of the greatest methods is contrast-showering. Switch the shower from hot to cold and back again several times each for about 10-15 seconds. You will be surprised at how effective this method is. Also I have heard of foam-rollers though I have no experience with them, the showering being sufficient.

Lastly, eat properly. Eating all-natural foods will greatly aid in recovering. Aim to eat smaller more frequent meals. The day's total should be the same but spread into six meals. By eating nutritious food not only will you recover very quickly but your exercise gains will increase much quicker as well.

Originally Posted by paddy448

Originally Posted by Drago

i currently lift weights twice a week but would ideally like to lift 3 times a week but my muscles are to sore & take abt 3/4 to recovery, my workouts are usually abt 30 mins long & pretty intense. is anyone aware of anything i can take either tablet or food wise that could help with recovery? not steriods tho

buy some creatine mate. i use to pump alot of iron and this stuff works wonders. it boosts ur performance as well, u can pick up a months supply from £10 to £20

heard back things abt creatine tho, does it increase heart rate & your sleep?

Originally Posted by wesrman

Originally Posted by Drago

Originally Posted by Douglas Hall

If you want to do more weight workouts, spilt up your routine more, if you're struggling with recovery.

Plus a good whey shake immediately PWO, and maybe a little pre workout, would probably help, too. (quickest and easiest way of getting a fair amount of protein)

when i drink protein shakes i usually just rush to the toilet & its gone within minutes

Maybe you have lactose issues. A solid meal will work just fine. Try bananas and raw or hard bioled eggs.

What is a typical days diet like??

porridge/strawberrys/blueberrys

cottage cheese on wholemeal bread

protein shake

banana

some form of meat with potatoe & veg

protein shake

this would be usually monday-friday & weekend pretty much eat what i want

hows this sound?