working out q&A

[salt dawg 86]

1.)do you have to wait a day after you work out? and if your not sore can you go ahead and workout the next day . 2.) do you have to wait a certain time after you work out to eat. for instance high protein stuff.

[greenrebel]

If it's an intensive workout then I usually wait two days before working out the large muscles.

ie. workout chest and triceps on monday, I wait until thursday to work chest again, I may try to workout triceps on wednesday, but usually not.

It is best to eat right after your workout, get some simple carbs in you to up your insulin levels and eat a bunch of protein. Normally your body can only absorb 40 grams of protein every 2 hours but right after workout is another story, I usually do about 80 grams. The longer you wait after workout to eat is bad for gains. The longer you wait is the longer your muscles are starved and the free radicals made during your workout actually start eating your muscle.

[MoonDog]

As a general rule any muscle group needs 48 hours to rebuild after a workout. Right now I am going to the gym 6 days a week, working upper body on Mon, Wed, & Fri, and working lower body Tue, Thu, & Sat, while doing cardio six days to burn excess fat I have aquired over the years. This gives me the needed rest so my muscles have time to repair.

[ruffdaddy]

Yeah the average time it takes a muscle to recover after an average workout is 48 hours. But you should know when you're ready again. Dont workout a muscle in les than a 48 hour gap, but you'll know if it neeeds longer by the soreness. the abs can be worked much more frequently however.

[OMEGA DOOM]

aahhh fuck it don't be a bitch hit those weight's hard as hell everyday til you can't move anymore!!! something bound to happen!!! :p and use the same steroids Grayhorse is useing!!! :eek:

[White_lightning]

this is what i do..
mon = shoulders/tris
tues= back bi's
wed - legs
sat - chest /bis.....


works for me:)

[White_lightning]

by the way.. it normaly takes 4-5 DAYS for a muscle to hit 95-100% recovery.. if your muscle is back to 100% in a day or 2.. either you are on some SERIOUS juice or you arent lifting worth a damn.

[90redlx]

by the way.. it normaly takes 4-5 DAYS for a muscle to hit 95-100% recovery.. if your muscle is back to 100% in a day or 2.. either you are on some SERIOUS juice or you arent lifting worth a damn.

I agree! I don't know where all of you got this 48hr thing, that's bullshit. If you are lifting with a goal of making any gains at all, your muscles should be the most sore on the third day. But there are exceptions like biceps, calves, and Ab's. These are able to be worked usually every other day, because of their fast recovery time.

[White_lightning]

yup.. after a work out. its only 48 hours before i start to hurt the most.. i work each muscle group once a week ( besides bi's) .. and it seems to work for me and everyone who has trained with me..

[ruffdaddy]

Or you're young and your bodys filled with testosterone and other male hormones, and you're on a crazy mad diet. But yes if i were to do a concentrated workout like White Lightnings, I would wait at least 3 days. However since my workouts probably aren't quite as focused on single muscle groups, I dont completely burn that muscle out. So its really sore the next day, a lil sore after that, then its back to the gym for me.

[GRAYHORSE]

aahhh fuck it don't be a bitch hit those weight's hard as hell everyday til you can't move anymore!!! something bound to happen!!! :p and use the same steroids Grayhorse is useing!!! :eek:


blah, blah, dont hate cause i dont sit on the couch all day watching UFC re-runs. Thats for the compliment though. :D

[90redlx]

Or you're young and your bodys filled with testosterone and other male hormones, and you're on a crazy mad diet. But yes if i were to do a concentrated workout like White Lightnings, I would wait at least 3 days. However since my workouts probably aren't quite as focused on single muscle groups, I dont completely burn that muscle out. So its really sore the next day, a lil sore after that, then its back to the gym for me.

Or, I'm only 21!, I think that qualifies me as young, and I take mad suppliments to increase my testosterone and I still stand by my previouse statement. You shouldn't be working out at all if you're not doing it right, because if you're not doing it right you're either not going to see the gains you want, or hurt yourself thinking you're gaining by continuing to workout wrong and getting a false sense of strength. If you are working out correctly you should have broken down the muscle tissue enough to where it will be sore for at least 2-3 days, and even if you don't feel the soreness anymore your muscle hasn't had time to rebuild stronger, and that is why we workout in the first place. If you want to workout major muscles more than once a week go join an arobics class and get out of the gym!

[OMEGA DOOM]

blah, blah, dont hate cause i dont sit on the couch all day watching UFC re-runs. Thats for the compliment though. :Dso! :p
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[MoonDog]

I agree! I don't know where all of you got this 48hr thing, that's bullshit. If you are lifting with a goal of making any gains at all, your muscles should be the most sore on the third day. But there are exceptions like biceps, calves, and Ab's. These are able to be worked usually every other day, because of their fast recovery time.I said on AVERAGE it is 48 hours. And its not bullshit, it is the absolute truth. Average people just getting starting out and doing an average workwout only require about 48 hours to recover. This does not mean that if you are doing an extremely intensive workout that you fall into this catagory. Some poeple may require 4 or 5 days for a particular muscle group to rebuild properly.

[90redlx]

I said on AVERAGE it is 48 hours. And its not bullshit, it is the absolute truth. Average people just getting starting out and doing an average workwout only require about 48 hours to recover. This does not mean that if you are doing an extremely intensive workout that you fall into this catagory. Some poeple may require 4 or 5 days for a particular muscle group to rebuild properly.

Really the average person just starting out would be sore for a longer period of time, because their muscles are not used to the stress of working out and then rebuilding. Plus their bodies are not storing nutrients to rebuild them as in someone who does workout and has a diet that matches their level of dedication.

[MoonDog]

Really the average person just starting out would be sore for a longer period of time, because their muscles are not used to the stress of working out and then rebuilding. Plus their bodies are not storing nutrients to rebuild them as in someone who does workout and has a diet that matches their level of dedication.Whatever, I am not going to argue over something stupid. You workout the way you want if it works for you. :rolleyes:

[tex]

Know-it-alls ROCK!

Not everyone has the same goals, so recovery times and workout schedules/routines are going to vary. Not everyone has the desire to pack on as much mass as possible, so they can work their bodyparts more than once a week to achieve their desired results. Neither is wrong, do what works for you and don't try to make the world conform to your ideas.

[5111]

When I first started back at the gym I started very slow. I did cardio, bench, lat pulldowns, and leg press. I them all three times a week. I was also lifting very light and trying to get my joints used to it. After about a month or so I started working out more intensively and did each muscle group twice a week. After about 6 months of that I have moved to once a week.

It won't work for everyone, but it worked for me.

[White_lightning]

if you come into the gym. and fart around.. you will recover in 2 days.. if you do any kinda serious work out.. you WILL hurt for more then 2 days..moondog.. im sure you know it all.. and everyone else here knows nothing.. but with my personal experience.. as well as all the pro's i have spoken to.. i guess our candy asses are worse off then the average person because we require more then 2 days to fully recover.

[MoonDog]

if you come into the gym. and fart around.. you will recover in 2 days.. if you do any kinda serious work out.. you WILL hurt for more then 2 days..moondog.. im sure you know it all.. and everyone else here knows nothing.. but with my personal experience.. as well as all the pro's i have spoken to.. i guess our candy asses are worse off then the average person because we require more then 2 days to fully recover.Why do you think I believe I know it all? It is you and 90redlx spouting off with the mouth thinking you know everything. When I was young I thought I knew everything also, when I got older and more mature, I found out that I was wrong most of the time. Now that I am older, even though I may not know everything, I definitly know better.

For the past 25+ years I have heard and read nothing different then what I have previously stated. But I will do this, when I hit the gym tonight I will not ask just one trainer, I will ask 3 or 4 what kind a recovery time a person needs while working out. And I will let you know what my findings are.

[ruffdaddy]

I do a pretty serious workout, but not Highly concentrated like Whitelightnings; and im only sore the next day and maybe a little the 2nd. You guys say you're sore for like 3-4 days. Why aren't i sore like that then? I've had some trainers tell me that your muscles get used to it, and it could be from when we lifted the same muscle groups everyother day in football.


And does anyone know a GREAT deltoid workout? Maybe 3 lifts that'll give me some size to my delts. Thanks in advance guys.

[White_lightning]

lol.. you are going to ask a trainer? lol.. and his word is law?? LOL
90% of the trainers are idiots..
After the JUNK i have seen the trainers trying to pawn off on most of the patrons as "training".. i wouldnt trust most of them to carry my chalk...

as for knowning it all.. no.. but i go by what i have learned by Pro body builders.. power lifters and other serious lifters.. like i said.. iif you go in and pussy foot around.. i'm sure you will be healed in a day or 2.. but a REAl work out.. unlinkely.. maybe after 48 hours you could lift again. but no way you would be at 100% efficiency..

Ruff. you are confusing Sore /not sore with full recovery.. you can be 100% out of the "sore stage" and still not be recovered..
Ruff.. if you want.. join us for a SAterday chest work out.. and then go see if you can do chest again in 3 days and do the same weight..

i went from 165lbs @24ish% to 255@17% iun 2.5 years 100% naturaly. including taking off 4-5 months for REST and recoup of a torn rotator cuff ... IMo thats pretty good gains.. my gym partner saw very similar gains ( he started and stoped a bit heavier).. so i guess what i am doing WORKED...

[greenrebel]

Eh, all I know is that I get good gains, true my muscles are the most sore on the second, sometimes even the third day, but thanks to WL I now understand why. I may go to a different routine so I can do a more isolated workout.

[AL P]

Here is the way it is FOR ME....it probably differs for other people, as I am 32 years old.

If I do a really intense powerlifting type workout where I go heavy and get heavier on every set and end up doing 3 or 4 reps on the last set, such as in my bench workout, I am sore for 2 to 3 days, depending on how well I eat and sleep. I am really tired and hungry the day after one of these workouts.

Example of this is this week's deadlift workout, which is a powerlifting routine designed to preexhaust you:
320 lbs. 2 reps as a warm up
260 lbs. 3 reps, 8 sets, 90 seconds between sets, explode off the bottom come up as fast as you can and still maintain perfect form.

Straight leg DL:
4 sets, 8 reps, 90 seconds rest, ended up at 195 lbs. on the last set, pretty damn tired by that point, back feels pumped.

2 sets of good morning exercise, as many reps as I can do, 90 seconds rest.

Shrugs in the rack, first week of doing this, not much weight. Back is pretty damn tired. 235 lbs. for 8 reps, 3 sets.

Hammer strength rows, 4 sets, 90 seconds, 8 reps a set, started at 195 and ended at 235. Pretty damn tired by the time I get to this.

Close grip lat pulldowns. 4 sets, starting at 160 lbs. ending at 190 lbs.

I'm still getting used to this workout and am increasing the weights every week on all of the exercises after the deadlifts which are there to pre-fatigue you. It makes me sore as hell for at least two days.


If I do a bodybuilding sort of workout with higher reps, IE a bit less weight and more cable and dumbell exercises I can be ready to go again in 48 hours. I'm hardly sore or fatigued at all.

There is a bid difference between training for strength and power and training for appearance or weight loss.

[ruffdaddy]

Well if you're trying to get a nicer body, a powerlifting workout is not the way to go by far, because powerlifters only do 3 main lifts at competition, and try not to build up "unecessary" muscle.

w-Lightning I may join you on a chest day, where do yall lift at, and how much? I probably wont be able to do quite the weight you guys do, but i may learn something at least.

Ill try giving myselfmore time to rest, and see how that works, and i guess thatll answer the question on which works better. And maybe thats why i haven't seen great increases in mass.

[AL P]

Powerlifting workouts can build muscle, but more importantly they train your nervous system to handle weight. They also develop you mentally so heavy weight is not a mindfuck. The whole powerlifting to bodybuilding shift is a bit of a one way street. Its easy for a powerlifter to take up bodybuilding and many do, mainly because the strength is already there. Harder to go the other way though as you have to do all the ridiculous training cycles to slowly build up to those heavy weights.

Not that I'm one to talk, I am pretty much neither at the moment.

[90redlx]

White Lightning, no one paying any attention to what we are trying to tell them, it is a lost cause. If everyone is so set on the way that they are working out is correct let them make their own mistakes. Let them take advice from the "trainers" that probably got "certified" over the weekend, and for the most part are weaker/smaller than I am(I am not big by any means).

MoonDog, I don't know everything but from your replies I obviously know a lot more than you. Everything I know was learned from experience and talking with pro bodybuilders/powerlifters as White Lighting said. So continue with your cooter workout if you prefer, but the people that are reading this thread and decicde to be open minded and take a little advice will see a lot more gains.

[MoonDog]

MoonDog, I don't know everything but from your replies I obviously know a lot more than you. Everything I know was learned from experience and talking with pro bodybuilders/powerlifters as White Lighting said. So continue with your cooter workout if you prefer, but the people that are reading this thread and decicde to be open minded and take a little advice will see a lot more gains.Listen here boy, I was working out before you were even a wet spot on your daddys leg, I just have been away from it for the past 10 years (due to medical reasons). There are two types of workouts, one will build bulk and the other will build tone and definition. When you are going for bulk it will take longer to recuperate, when going for tone it doesn't take nearly as long. When I was working out steady I went from a 135 bench to a 235 bench in about 18 months doing my "cooter workout". I will definitly stick with what works. :rolleyes:

[90redlx]

First off don't call me boy unless I can call you an old man! Second If you have been doing this for 10 years you should know what you're doing by now. Also it doesn't matter what you goal there is a correct way to do everything. I'm not saying I am the say all be all of it. But I sure know a hell of a lot more than you do. Third going from 135lb bench to 235lb in 18 months is cooter shit! Try gaining 60lbs of lean mass and going from a 135lb bench to a 350lb in 10 1/2 months oldtimer! And no I DO NOT TAKE ROIDS!!! Also don't continue this on this thread if you have something to say to me PM me. I'm sure not everyone on the board wants to witness me continually correct you.

[MoonDog]

You can call me old man anytime you want, wont bother me at all. :p I said that I had been away from lifting for 10 years, not that I have been lifting that long. And my comment about my bench was more directed at White_lightening and his "i went from 165lbs @24ish% to 255@17% iun 2.5 years 100% naturaly." I guess he has a cooter shit workout also. I cant do jack on the bench now because I have arthitis in my right shoulder and it hurts to much to light alot, so I do what I can. (old HS injury)

Second, even though you dont want to hear anything from a trainer because they "probably got "certified" over the weekend, and for the most part are weaker/smaller than I am", I am going to tell you anyway. This is from a guy who 2 years ago had a body fat % of around 30. Now he is pretty well ripped and is in the type of shape I am wanting to get to. He said that there are many different types of workouts including both types that I have mentioned and you have mentioned. He said that typically 48 hours is the least amount of time you want to wait to rework a muscle and that is if you are eating a near perfect diet high in protein. However, he did say that the way he got to where he is is by giving his muscles 4-5 days rest between workouts.

So I am gonna be a man and say that although I was not fully wrong, I definitly learned something new and I will be modifying my workout to see what kind of gains I can get by resting atleast 4 days.

And people say I am close-minded. :confused:

[90redlx]

Thank You. Correct me if I'm wrong but I beleive White Lightning was talking about body weight to % of Body fat. I also have no sympathy for people complaining of old injuries, my spine was fused in HS, I have tendonitis in my right elbow, acute arthritis in my left knee, and I still hit the gym hard twice a day 5 days a week. Anyways I think you will be pleased with the gains you will get giving your muscles more time to rest and rebuild.

[GRAYHORSE]

blah, blah, blah just keep hitting the gym like my skinny ass! :D

[White_lightning]

ruff.. i do chest every sat at the 24 hour fitness at parker.alma....
what do i do? as in weight wise? i dont know.. i took 4 weeks off and am now going light. trying to get back up to 365 for set of 15 on flat bench.. give me a heads up if you plan to join us.. as there are 3+ ppl who normaly work out with me on sats.

[MoonDog]

Thank You. Correct me if I'm wrong but I beleive White Lightning was talking about body weight to % of Body fat. I also have no sympathy for people complaining of old injuries, my spine was fused in HS, I have tendonitis in my right elbow, acute arthritis in my left knee, and I still hit the gym hard twice a day 5 days a week. Anyways I think you will be pleased with the gains you will get giving your muscles more time to rest and rebuild.Then I misunderstood what White_lightning was saying, my mistake.

As far as my injury goes, I wasn't really complaining just making a statement as to one of the reasons I got away from lifting (the other being a double hernia operation :mad: ). But like I said, I still do what I can and I am hoping that eventually I will be able to build the muscle up around the shoulder enough that I will be able to do more but I am taking it easy right now on bench and my shoulder workouts.

But the bottom line is, I am really more concerned with the physical state my body is in instead of gaining alot of strength. Although strength will come the more and more I lift, I care more about what I look like.

[90redlx]

But the bottom line is, I am really more concerned with the physical state my body is in instead of gaining alot of strength. Although strength will come the more and more I lift, I care more about what I look like.

Bottom Line!, Injuries just take time to heal.That is why I am a bodybuilder frist powerlifter second. Too many new injuries due to "powerlifting". Good luck trying your routine.