Is this true about weightlifting?

Question

I'm currently doing a weight lifting program that recommends working your upper body and resting for a day before working your lower body. Then I'm supposed to wait a day before going back to my upper body. The logic is that if I don't wait a day, my body won't have time to repair itself from my weightlifting session, thus I will be undoing any progress made the day before. Given that I'm 18 and my body should therefore be fairly resilient, shouldn't I be able to simply alternate on a daily basis?

Answer 1

not really...the intensity of training dictates the frequency. if you are using loads that are 60% or less than the 1RM there is no trauma induced to skeletal muscle and the CNS is not taxed much. with these light loads you can train the same muscle daily. when you train at higher levels of intensity then skeletal muscle is broken down and the CNS is taxed. so this would require a longer recovery period. basically the higher the loads the greater the recovery period there must be for the CNS as skeletal muscle recovers much faster.

there are many, many ways to train. you need to set short and long term goals and find a training routine that will help you meet those goals.

Answer 2

Most of all you must remember while in the gym you're tearing down muscle tissue, it get stronger and somewhat bigger (without steroids) on days you rest. The soreness you may feel is actually tissue damage at the cellular level. Doing a workout, any workout, with the three sets of ten style without fatiguing the muscle will only tone and maintain. You must push till failure for each muscle group, that's why most competitive bodybuilders, including myself, work only two muscle groups per session. I just finished a bicep and triceps workout and I couldn't even pick up a pencil when I finished. Next day, chest and shoulders. Of course you'll use bicpets and triceps for this as well, but you won't be targeting them, they're only assist muscles for the chest and shoulders. It doesn't matter that you're young, at the cellular level what's torn down in the gym needs a rest day. If you considering lower body as the waist and below, a good leg routine will require at least 6 days of rest before working them directly again. The leg routine, which does not work calf's, there on a separate day by themselves, is one of the hardest because they are working carrying you're body around all day. I can hardly make it to the car after a good leg routine.
Work hard, do take time to rest, include lots of protein in your diet, 200grms a day for you and almost all gained by food source. No more then 75grms a day by protein shakes.
Don't expect changes you can see in just few days, don't worry about the scale and try not to look at yourself in the mirror. That may discourage you if you can't see changes day by day. Good luck.
Charlie C.

Answer 3

The concept you've stumbled on is known as cross-training. Despite your age, it's very important to stick to. Cross training means that you exercise different parts of your body at different days, so that your muscles can regenerate. The way you get muscle mass is essentially by tearing the muscle and letting it rebuild, which is how muscle gets added. I see that your question is not about this specifically, but about shortening your rest time to alternating days. I would say pick another activity to throw in between those instead of just alternating days. Really give your muscles some time, and make sure to have protein in your diet. Without the protein the muscles cannot rebuild :).

Answer 4

It depends how hard you workout. There should be no reason you should have to rest a day since you are working upper body on day and lower body next. I would limit to 4 or 5 days per week.

Answer 5

In my years of weightlifting and working out, I've discovered one universal truth: everyone is different. Everyone's body is different and has different needs and what works for one person may not work for another. That includes diet as well. So I would recommend listening to your own body and determining what it can handle. Only you can do that and who is more qualified? If you think your body doesn't need the day of rest go for it. Always listen to your body. If it is telling you to rest, rest. If it craves exercise, then train. Everyone is different.

Answer 6

what i find works wonderfully is working everything real hard, and then the next day doing something light such as pushups and crunches...just a few, maybe 30 pushups and 50 crunches...

Answer 7

Seems logical if you think about it.