What happens to your body if you don't rest after lifting heavy?

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

48 hours seem like a long time to wait. I like the split idea because I need to do something everyday, even if it's active recovery. But 48 hours hits me right in my motivation. I though if I knew the why's of it I could understand enough to accept why I need to take a break, instead of just doing it anyway and finding out the hard way. I don't want to hurt myself.
I'm really trying to get into a good groove with the best info. I can. There are so many routines and programs, I really want to lift heavy and do complexes. So that is where I am now. I know I've asked questions a lot lately and everyone has been super great with their advise and experience. I'm really just trying to figure it out for myself. I appreciate all help.

robs_ready

That's why I split the muscle groups up, allowing allowing for a rest day once a week, that allows muscle groups to repair 2 days ahead of the next session.

robs_ready

Day 1. Back and shoulders
Day 2 arms and chest
Day 3 legs
Day 4 rest
Day 5 back and shoulders
Day 6 arms and chest
Day 7 legs

I work abs also every day except rest day

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

So if they don't repair your spinning you wheels, hurting yourself or both? Other?

robs_ready

I allow 3 days between each group (sorry my first post says 2 it's a mispel)

This is more than adequate time for repair as long as adequate protein is consumed

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

So why abs everyday and not everything every day? (Looks like a good rotation.)

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

What happens if you don't give time for repair?

warrengking

you need to rest to give your muscles time to repair and grow. if you don't rest adequately, you can actually get muscle wasting/atrophy, i.e., your muscles will get smaller. if you must hit the gym almost every day, then do a 5 day 'bro split' - basically a body-building split where you hit a different body part every day, then rest on Saturday and Sunday.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

I certainly don't want to loose any muscle!. Bro splits are something I can get on board with then. Thank you very much!

robs_ready

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »

What happens if you don't give time for repair?

Your muscles will shrink, and your efforts will be wasted.

I do ab work outs to burn fat, it's the last area on my body with fat content

MeanderingMammal

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »

What happens if you don't give time for repair?

You've answered your own question.

The muscle and tissue damage that you cause while training doesn't get the opportunity to repair, so if you continue to damage it without repair opportunities you'll end up injuring yourself, as well as not making the gains that you want to make.

fwiw there is little point in doing abs specifically, notwithstanding the point that spot reduction doesn't work you should get enough core strength and stability from compound lifts that you shouldn't need to do it.

Mycophilia

You could just do a PPL (Push, Pull, Legs) routine 6 days a week, and spend the last day doing some active recovery stuff.

Also, read http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2013/09/27/fatigue-explained/ if you're interested in learning about training-induced fatigue.

ThatFatAsianNerd

You guys have never heard of two-a-days?

Yi5hedr3

You only grow while you rest! Do so.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

Mycophilia wrote: »

You could just do a PPL (Push, Pull, Legs) routine 6 days a week, and spend the last day doing some active recovery stuff.

Also, read http://www.jtsstrength.com/articles/2013/09/27/fatigue-explained/ if you're interested in learning about training-induced fatigue.

Thanks for the link! That preemptively answered a lot of other questions as well. Great read.

AdrianChr92

Accumulated fatigue happenes and you hurt yourself. Hitting a muscle 2 times a week is best if you don't want to do a full body routine and want to be in the gym more. Something like a bro split 6 times a week or PPL 6 times or Up/Low 4 times a week.

SonyaCele

I am on a heavy lifting program, and my workouts are brutal. Sometimes i'm sore, sometimes not. I rest 3-4 days after a workout to let my muscles fully recover and heal along with a proper nutrition so that i'm totally fresh for my next workout and can get the most out of it. If i wasn't fully recovered, i'd be weaker and my workouts would be less effective.
mon and fri - Lower body
Wed and Sat - Upper body.

I do abs every workout, i think its because abs are a different type of muscle fiber that can be worked out daily, but

Willbenchforcupcakes

My own personal experience. When I'm training all three main lifts hard, I can train hard 5-6 days a week for 7-8 weeks before accumulating enough fatigue to need a deload. Since I've moved onto being a bencher with low loads on squats and deads, I can make it 12-14 weeks before needing a deload.

My strength gains are coming nicely. And unless you are incredibly good at self regulation, and can back down and rest as needed (or have a coach who will willingly tell you to deload whenever you need it), sticking with bro splits or full body three times a week is probably better.

Carlos_421

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »

So if they don't repair your spinning you wheels, hurting yourself or both? Other?

Both.

AnvilHead

roblloyd89 wrote: »

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt wrote: »

What happens if you don't give time for repair?

Your muscles will shrink, and your efforts will be wasted.

I do ab work outs to burn fat, it's the last area on my body with fat content

Ab workouts burn very few calories and they do nothing to target the fat over your abdominals. Fat is inert, it can't be exercised, and spot reduction isn't possible. You may be building a strong muscle base beneath the fat, but the ab workouts aren't burning that many calories and they're doing nothing for the fat over them.

AnvilHead

^ Not saying that ab workouts aren't worth doing because they certainly are. But not for purposes of fat burning or spot reduction. It's good to have a strong core and once the fat is burned off (via caloric deficit), you'll have solid abs beneath.

SideSteel

Generally speaking, you COULD be introducing additional injury potential if you're chronically under-recovered or if fatigue and/or soreness is having a negative effect on movement quality.

But having said that, depending on the goal, you COULD train identical muscles or movements back to back.

For example there are "Squat every day" types of programs, many people can bench on back to back days. I'm currently benching 4 days per week and I also had a specific high frequency squat program during my rehab where I squatted 15 days in a row.

I'm not suggesting that everyone should do this, just that you CAN structure program so that you're performing specific movements at a high frequency -- you just need to pay close attention to volume and intensity so that you are allowing for high frequency to occur.

And in some cases it's beneficial to do so. If someone had the goal to get good at squatting, squatting very frequently would be a good method of accomplishing this for motor learning purposes.

ltworide

I'm currently using a DUP method to increase/rebase strength/power for pull-ups, military press & front squat 3 days/week. I rotate eAch lift throughout the week for sets/reps 6x3 (strength); 5x5 (strength/endurance) & 5x5 (@60% 1RM for power). Once I hit my goals on these movements I'll spend time rebasing strength/power in deadlifts, chest press & rows to balance out.

I take classes in Krav Maga on the other 3 days I'm not strength training & leave 1 day as rest.

So far I'm still progressing in my exercises & recovery is good.

Warchortle

If you train too much you'll be like that guy from Baki the Grappler who wastes away.

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

"If you train too much you'll be like that guy from Baki the Grappler who wastes away."

IILikeToMoveItMoveIt

SideSteel wrote: »

Generally speaking, you COULD be introducing additional injury potential if you're chronically under-recovered or if fatigue and/or soreness is having a negative effect on movement quality.

But having said that, depending on the goal, you COULD train identical muscles or movements back to back.

For example there are "Squat every day" types of programs, many people can bench on back to back days. I'm currently benching 4 days per week and I also had a specific high frequency squat program during my rehab where I squatted 15 days in a row.

I'm not suggesting that everyone should do this, just that you CAN structure program so that you're performing specific movements at a high frequency -- you just need to pay close attention to volume and intensity so that you are allowing for high frequency to occur.

And in some cases it's beneficial to do so. If someone had the goal to get good at squatting, squatting very frequently would be a good method of accomplishing this for motor learning purposes.

Yeah, I had wondered about that a bit. I get some kind of squat in almost every day. Anywhere from weighted to bw, at least 30 but up to 90 at a time... I feel like my form isn't on point because of the way my pelvic area tilts, even when I stretch my hips... So that many squats is probably not doing what it could...I'm still learning.

tillerstouch

Splits are good advice and you can work them however you want.
3 day split:
Push (chest tri)
Pull (back bicep)
Legs, shoulders

4 day split:
Push
Pull
Legs
Shoulders

5 day split:
Chest
Back
Legs
Shoulders
Arms

These are just a few examples but this will allow you to workout multiple days while still giving you body time to recover. And you can always add to a split to make it more days. For instance add another leg day to the 3 days split to make it 4 days.

Also lots of discussion on abs. People seem to forget they are a muscle same as the rest and they also need rest. And doing ab workouts doesn't burn stomach fat.