Days off between workouts?

[andrewfrenk]

Everywhere I look it seems that people are saying different things in regard to training frequency.....is there any scientific evidence that tells just how long a mucsle needs to recover or does it all depend on the individual? Also if for instance my chest is super sore from a previous workout would it effect me chests recovery by doing shoulders? Thanks

[kingcarlos]

no it would not. u can even work ur chest too. but at a relatively low weight (50-60%) of ur 1RM. the opitmum resting days is 4-5 days. but it will vary with a lot of factors like whether u r gettin enough rest, the food u eat, the intensity of the session,etc.

[Defiant1]

Everywhere I look it seems that people are saying different things in regard to training frequency.....is there any scientific evidence that tells just how long a mucsle needs to recover or does it all depend on the individual? Also if for instance my chest is super sore from a previous workout would it effect me chests recovery by doing shoulders? Thanks

There is not absolute scientific evidence about training frequency. There is some but I hate to post it because people take it as gospel. Just suffice it to say that small muscles recover faster than large muscles.

I think a GENERAL plan, is to start doing a little for everything frequently, then progress to doing more on a split routine, gradually increasing the amount of work you do, but with more rest between workouts.

Example GENERAL:

Beginner: 3-5x per week, whole body, 1-3 sets per bp
Intermediate: 4x per week, split body into 2 part, 5-10 sets per bp

More advanced: split body into 3 parts, 4-5x per week, 8-12 sets per bp

and so on.

You will make more progress listening to your own body, then waiting for an answer about a "perfect" or "correct" routine. This is CRUCIAL.

It is very difficult, almost impossible, for "science" to answer questions about a subject such as "bodybuilding" because of the variables involved. This is coming from someone with a scientific background.

I'm not saying don't take other peoples advice, or to ignore science, but beware of "absolute" answers and dogma.

If you look at peoples training, you will discover that EVERYONE TRAINS DIFFERENTLY.

Instead of being puzzled and frustrated by this, accept it as the way it is, then have fun finding out what works for YOU.

[RipStone]

good read on training frequency...

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do...ydra?id=673054