recovery

[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

[Chris Nagel]

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.

[Drago]

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.

[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)

[wesrman]

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.

[Drago]

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.

[AdamGB]

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 don't recover in time, think my body just needs more rest than most people.

Recovery rates is something that your body can develop and adapt to... I was out of training properly for months due to a shoulder injury... I could train properly maybe once or twice a week because of the injury.

Once it started to improve it took me a while before I could train as frequently as I used to because my body wasn't used to it. (reversibility 'use it or lose it')

Aside from having a solid diet I also started talking a 6 hour release protien with BCAAs, L-Glutamine and Flax seed after I'd trained (trained in the evenings take it before bed)... I suffer much lighter Delayed Onset Muscles Sorness ('doms') and much less frequently than I used to since becoming injured.

You may be neglecting to warm up and cool down properly too.

Most people warm up properly but few cool down.

If you've been doing a heavy resistance session finish with some light Aerobic exercises that incorporate a lot of mobility in the joints/muscles you've been using... This will help your body to transport some of the waste products that get created during exercise away from your muscles and into your lymph system to be disposed of (make sure you drink a lot before during and after training) and slowly bring your heart rate down so that everything in your system isn't just stopping circulating properly.

A lot has been said about diet, and rightfully so... but there is also something to be said for the habits you have during training. Cooling down is an important part of the lymph systems process in removing waste products... getting a lymph massage would help... they're pretty easy to do, if you have a girlfriend etc who would do them for you that would probably help too.

Like has been said if your work outs are intense then you need to split the days.

At the moment I only do one weights session a week and 2-3 boxing/running, soon I will not have time to box as much, but I will have unlimited access to a weights gym and climbing wall... I will most likely take this time to focus on strength training for a bit (you have to switch your training up... or else you become mentally and physically bored)... If I am hitting weights with any sort of frequency I will have to switch the days up!

MAKE SURE YOU STAY HYDRATED!

I think you have pretty bad 'doms', a quick look on google will probably come up with more than I could tell you.

Although it is not fully supported yet it is believed that the pain in doms may not be caused by muscle damage but by muscle growth. This just means that they are growing/adapting... so you need to look at the big picture of everything you are doing and see how this is affecting your body's growth and development.

[Drago]

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

[wesrman]

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??

[paddy448]

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

[donnydarkoIRL]

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.

[ono]

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.

[Rocky Balboa]

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.

[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?

[paddy448]

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?

not sure about heart rate mate,it never did me any harm tho. i remember training with it and i never use to feel sore the next day like i use to, and it did increase my performance weight lifting wise, i do no a lad who use to have it and it made him a bit edgy tho, u normally have a teaspoonful in a cup of water before and after ur workout. best thing to do is try it, see how u get on with it, and go from there, i swear by it tho