How long till recovery

[Screecher]

Hi guys. I'm trying to bulk up,
I do a three work out split. I do theses splits all in the one day!
Legs in the morning, chest in the after noon, and back in the evening.
These workouts are performed on a Sunday. I do not plan to change this!

I used to have my 6 meals/day for another 5 days after my workout day.
Recently I changed it to 4 days after my workout day.

So, my question is for how many days do I have to eat my protein/carb/fat meals for, to make sure my muscles have recovered? I Don't want to waste my money on extra protein for meals if I don't have too.

I can't tell if I'm progressing at the moment , after making very good progress for 5 months, and put on over 30 pounds, I think i may have hit a plateau.

Maybe I have to go back to the 6 meals/day for another 5 days after my workout day.


Thanks
Screecher.

[j1akey]

I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. You lift one day per week and you want to know what you can do to push through a plateau?

[Screecher]

I just want to make sure I'm reading this right. You lift one day per week and you want to know what you can do to push through a plateau?

You read right. yes 3 workouts in that 1 day. I made exellent progress and put on about 30 pounds doing so.

[j1akey]

Well, I know you don't want to hear it but you need to lift more. At this point I feel like focusing on how many meals you're eating is the wrong place to be looking for a problem.

[drudixon]

You read right. yes 3 workouts in that 1 day. I made exellent progress and put on about 30 pounds doing so.

Umm. ok. You realize there's more efficient ways to do it right? If you're schedule constrained, and that's all you can do. Fine. Otherwise, your "30" could have been much more.

To answer your questions. Hit your macros every day. Period. Granted, in your case, it's a little tougher to say with certainty because your recovery / build is done in 72 hours. The rest of the week, you're basically doing nothing....

[Screecher]

in your case, it's a little tougher to say with certainty because your recovery / build is done in 72 hours. The rest of the week, you're basically doing nothing....

You telling me that it only takes 72 hours (3 days) for the muscles to repair. I thought it can take up to 5 days.

But I thought you should only hit the same muscle group once a week.

[EB68]

That depends alot on how long you have been lifting. Most newer lifters can recover in 48 hours, where a well seasoned lifter who is lifting heavier weights with more intensity would take longer. It will vary on each individual as well, some can lift daily while ithers respond better to less frequency. I would also think your diet would have alot to do with your recovery as well. And even though you lift once per week you need to hit your macro's and calorie target everyday to maximize results. You do not have to eat 6 meals per day, you can do it in three or even two if you like, just be sure to get the right amounts in. This is all my opinion on the subject. disclaimer: I am not a doctor/dietician/personal trainer.

[mmderry]

That depends alot on how long you have been lifting. Most newer lifters can recover in 48 hours, where a well seasoned lifter who is lifting heavier weights with more intensity would take longer. It will vary on each individual as well, some can lift daily while ithers respond better to less frequency. I would also think your diet would have alot to do with your recovery as well. And even though you lift once per week you need to hit your macro's and calorie target everyday to maximize results. You do not have to eat 6 meals per day, you can do it in three or even two if you like, just be sure to get the right amounts in. This is all my opinion on the subject. disclaimer: I am not a doctor/dietician/personal trainer.

Whether I can do only 60 consecutive pushups or do 70 depends a lot on whether I've rested my arms 1 day or 2. Surprise. It depends even more on the fact that I am 67 years old and, in good shape or not, recovery is slower. There are so many variables, I don't know where to begin. EB68 is right but has only begun to scratch the surface.

Screecher, if you can't bring yourself to eat properly every day, cost efficiently or not, why am I not surprised that exercising once a week is good enough for you?

[Screecher]

I did some research on hitting the same body parts once/week, twice/week and trice/week.
Looks like I will have to hit the same body parts every ~4 days, as answered by you guys.

So it wasn't a diet problem.

Thanks for you input.