recovery

[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