Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 From: Joe Berne Subject: Re: Recovery Time > From: Paul Prouten > > How, are there any "qualified" Strength and Conditioning coaches or > sports scientists out there who could advise on the indicators if any, > that show when the muscles work on the previous workout have reached or > are near to the end of "super compensation" before the reverse begins. I'm no qualified coach, but there's a pretty simple rule you can use. Everyone needs at least two or three days between workouts - even genetic freaks. Assuming you are working hard enough, see if you are progressing (getting stronger) at every workout (except ones where there is some exogenous factor interfering - like when you are sick). If you aren't, then add rest days until you start gaining again. I recently went from 5 days rest to 7 days, and my gains have been shooting up (I'm adding about 2 reps a workokut, instead of 1, to most of my lifts.) You might end up skipping certain intervals, depending on your schedule (working every 6 days means no day of the week is always free). Good luck. Joe Visit my Home Page: http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/5219/ Visit Big Boys Page: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/4202/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 From: Brad Maust Subject: Re: Recovery Time >Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 >From: Paul Prouten > >How, are there any "qualified" Strength and Conditioning coaches or >sports scientists out there who could advise on the indicators if any, I'm a CSCS in training (I'll test in June). I can help you overcome your "guessing". Tell me as much as you can think of about your training, nutrition, and rest/sleep cycles, patterns, etc. How long you've been trainging, your current progress (if any) and your age would be helpful too. --- Training frequency refers to the number of training sessions completed in a given period of time. It is dependent upon the volume and load of exercises, the type of movement (multiple-joint vs. single-joint) that pre-dominates in the workout, the training level of the athlete (probably the most critical factor in training frequency), the goals of training, and the health status of the athlete. Without proper training frequency, training may be unproductive and possibly dangerous. Training goals influence training frequency. Athletes training for power and strength generally train less frequently and with heavier resistance (1RM-6RM), lower volumes, and longer rest periods between sets of exercise. Athletes seeking muscular endurance or hypertrophy need to train more often, with higher volume, and with lower loads (8RM-12RM). There are certain priciples of training frequency: When weightlifters and powerlifters use maximum and near-maximum resistance in multiple-joint movements done with few repetitions, more recuperation time (compared to all other protocols) is needed prior to another heavy loading session (2,3,6-9) There is also evidence that certain muscle groups recuperate faster than others in the same athlete (9). Early research by Berger (1) found that one workout/week with maximal resistance was sufficient to maintain a high percentage of strength in previously untrained college-age subjects. This may or may not hold true for highly trained strength athletes. 1. Berger, R. (1972, August). Strength improvement. Strength & Health, pp. 44-45, 70-71 2. Fleck, S.J., and W.J. Kraemer. Designing Resistance Training Programs. Champaign, IL; Human Kinetics. 1987 3. Garhammer, J. Sports Illustrated Strength Training. New York: Harper & Row. 1986 6. Lombardi, V. Beginning Weight Training. Dubuque, IA: Brown. 1989 7. Pauletto, B. Rest and Recuperation. NSCA Journal 8(3):52-53. 1986 8. Spassov, A. (1989, June). Bulgarian training methods. Paper presented at the symposium of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Denver, CO. 9. Stone, M., and H. O'Bryant. Weight Training. Minneapolis: Burgess International. 1987 Training Frequency varies according to training status, health status, goals, and types of exercises being performed by the athlete. Hope this helps! Brad Maust --- "I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body." -- Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward -- Brad Maust maui@ipad.estd.wvu.edu ------------------------------ From: "James Krieger" Subject: Re: Recovery Time Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 > From: Paul Prouten > > How, are there any "qualified" Strength and Conditioning coaches or > sports scientists out there who could advise on the indicators if any, > that show when the muscles work on the previous workout have reached or > are near to the end of "super compensation" before the reverse begins. Not much research exists on recovery periods after intense resistance training. Why? Because such research is very difficult to carry out since recovery is affected by so many factors. Recovery periods are going to vary widely from individual to individual, and are going to depend upon many factors, including training volume, training intensity, training experience, extracurricular activities, caloric intake, etc. Here's some info that may help you, taken out of the Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning: "-Traditionally, athletes engage in resistance training on alternating days in the early stages of training to allow for sufficient recovery from training bouts. As an athlete adapts to training and becomes more fit, more frequent sessions may be employed. Pioneering work indicated that training on 3 alternating days/week was superior to other frequencies in previously untrained college-age subjects. -When weightlifters and powerlifters use maximum and near-maximum resistance in multiple-joint movements done with few repetitions, more recuperation time (compared to all other protocols) is needed prior to another heavy loading session (2,3,6-9). -The ability to train more frequently may be enhanced by lighter loading sessions spaced between heavy sessions. -Trained athletes who have engaged in resistance training over a period of time may be able to benefit from more frequent sessions than athletes without long training backgrounds. -There is also evidence that certain muscle groups recuperate faster than others in the same athlete. For example, upper body muscles seem to be able to handle more frequent heavy-loading sessions than lower body muscles. -Athletes seem to recover more slowly from multiple-joint exercises than from single-joint exercises. -During the first 2 weeks of training, eccentric loading causes muscle damage that requires more recuperation time than exercise incorporating only concentric loading. Programs that emphasize eccentric loading require less frequent sessions to avoid injury and overtraining." > As everyone is different with different ratios of slow/fast twitch > muscles etc a more personalised recovery period seems sensible rather > than picking 2,3,5 or 5 days. You're correct in this assertion. Also, as one's training program changes over time, so will recovery periods. > I'm coming to the end of my current cycle and as the weights are becoming > real heavy now I have entended me period between workouts to 5 days. > Again this is guess work, I don't know if I,m leaving it too long, and my > cycle wil be at an end by the time I've found out if I did the right > thing in terms of progress. All I know is that at 4 days my legs in > particular, still feel slightly sore although at 5 days they don't feel > much better. As long as you're making progress on a consistent basis, I wouldn't be too picky about how many rest days you're incorporating. Like I said, it's not an exact science at all, and guesswork is really the only way to go about things. ------------------------------