Muscle recovery

jenluvsushi

I found an interesting article on muscle recovery. I am finding that the heavier I go (with more compound exercises as opposed to my old split routine), the longer I am taking to recover (duh!)....I used to be able to skip one day between lifting sessions but it looks like I am going to need two days in between (at least) if I stick with SL....I'm not saying this article is completely accurate (I have no idea actually so please don’t blast me) but it mentioned things that I never really thought of before like being extra tired in the am as opposed to just being sore....thought I'd share: http://www.livestrong.com/article/462346-how-to-tell-if-youre-recuperated-from-bodybuilding/

tameko2

it might be time for you to drop one or two of your movements down to 3x5 - what has your progress been like lately?

Edit - also you might try just taking a long rest period in general - like take 3-4 days off, then go back to your regular schedule and see if that helps.

Martucha123

I find lifting 3 times a week really challenging, so every 4 weeks or so I take 4 days break (basically I skip one training) and also due to travel every 8-12 weeks I take 1 week off. This way I can continue lifting 3 times a week.

jenluvsushi

I am currently doing 5x5 on everything but OHP...I just decided to drop to 3x5 on that one lift as it is so challenging to me. I was planning on lifting tonight but I am still sore from this last Sunday so I know it's probably a bad idea....for the past few weeks I have only been able to lift two days per week instead of three which is my norm. I've also taken a week off as a break previously. Being in the weight room for an hour and a half is kind of getting to me too. I'm starting to miss doing a split routine because it gave me so much more recovery time for each body part and I was able to do cardio afterwards easily. I am eating in a deficit, sleep deprived (baby) and getting old (lol!) so I am sure all that is also a factor. My main goal is to maintain what muscle mass I have while I drop body fat. I will definitely work on a bulk when I get closer to goal body fat%. Thanks for the suggestions ladies. I know that compound lifts are supposed to be so much better for someone like me.... hopefully we can all find that perfect fit.

thedreamhazer

Well, you could lift while you have DOMS. The weightlifting community seems pretty evenly split on this one, though. I do it, and it doesn't effect my progression.

--EDIT --

For what it's worth, I'm now soliciting my very knowledgeable friends for their opinions and some articles/studies. If I find anything interesting I'll be sure to share.

nexangelus

Being in the weight room for an hour and a half is kind of getting to me too. I'm starting to miss doing a split routine because it gave me so much more recovery time for each body part and I was able to do cardio afterwards easily. I am eating in a deficit, sleep deprived (baby) and getting old (lol!) so I am sure all that is also a factor.

All your answers are right here, in your own post. Mehdi (or whoever the original designer of stronglifts was) designed this for 45 mins, a quick in and out heavy lifting session I am sure, according to what I have read. An hour and a half is too long, hence your tiredness. Also eating in deficit is not conducive to building strength or even muscle mass, only maintaining it.

jenluvsushi

Well, you could lift while you have DOMS. The weightlifting community seems pretty evenly split on this one, though. I do it, and it doesn't effect my progression.

--EDIT --

For what it's worth, I'm now soliciting my very knowledgeable friends for their opinions and some articles/studies. If I find anything interesting I'll be sure to share.

Haha! I read this after I read your post on my feed.....

jenluvsushi

Being in the weight room for an hour and a half is kind of getting to me too. I'm starting to miss doing a split routine because it gave me so much more recovery time for each body part and I was able to do cardio afterwards easily. I am eating in a deficit, sleep deprived (baby) and getting old (lol!) so I am sure all that is also a factor.

All your answers are right here, in your own post. Mehdi (or whoever the original designer of stronglifts was) designed this for 45 mins, a quick in and out heavy lifting session I am sure, according to what I have read. An hour and a half is too long, hence your tiredness. Also eating in deficit is not conducive to building strength or even muscle mass, only maintaining it.

I'm thinking you are right....now to figure out what to do about it. Maintaining my LBM is very important to me until I can get to my goal body fat% at which point, I want to work on building. I still have quite a bit of fat to lose (I'm at abuot 32% and want about 20%). Wish I could have my cake and eat it too...don't we all? Thanks for the advice.

thedreamhazer

From Rae6503:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/bodypart-frequency-and-soreness-qa.html

QUOTE:
"soreness. Simply, this doesn’t matter. Soreness appears to mainly be an issue of connective tissue damage more than anything muscularly (despite still being called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS) and there is no problem training through it. Most find that by the time they finish their warm-ups (see Warming Up for the Weight Room Part 1 and Warming Up for the Weight Room Part 2 for detailed information on this), the majority of the soreness is gone and even more find that as they get used to a higher training frequency soreness becomes much less anyhow. They also usually start growing better."

Lyle McDonald is pretty great, so I'll take his answer.

As for the time consuming-ness: if this is a big inhibitor for you, drop it down to 3x5. I've been doing 3x5 for a while and adding in some extra lifts with my extra time (Romanian deadlifts, split squats, negative pull-ups, etc).


EDIT --

One more, courtesy of Stroutman81:
http://www.myosynthesis.com/articles/doms-muscle-soreness

jenluvsushi

Thanks ladies for all of your input...I totally appreciate it!

nexangelus

I'm thinking you are right....now to figure out what to do about it. Maintaining my LBM is very important to me until I can get to my goal body fat% at which point, I want to work on building. I still have quite a bit of fat to lose (I'm at abuot 32% and want about 20%). Wish I could have my cake and eat it too...don't we all? Thanks for the advice.

I am not an expert, but have been trying to lower my body fat percentage for a few years on and off. I can only speak from my own experience, which obviously might be totally different for you or someone else. (hey, we have all tried the same stuff others have and gone what the heck when it doesn't work, or it seems to easy or we find some other way of doing that stuff) I saw we are the same age and I bet we have similar challenges. Anyway...I am at 29% bodyfat, but a whole stone and a bit (20 pounds-ish) heavier than a few years ago when I thought I was strong and fit and at a lower body fat %. I now lift 30 kg more in nearly all the compound lifts and when I have sneaked to try the isolation exercises the same story. So higher body fat %, but way more lean mass this time around, which feels awkward and backwards, but it has worked and I am not going to fall into the "damnit I really NEED to lose this last 20 lbs of fat/weight" vicious cycle while the strength gains are still surprising me.

I do wish the results would be instantaneous every now and again, but maintaining lean mass, strength and lowering body fat percentage is a long and tricky process...good luck to you and all of the strong ladies on here!