When to lift weights?

LoganAnthony6

So I was reading up on a little article the other day, which seemed to be a bit on the amateur side, but it said that when you're lifting weights, you should give your muscles 72 hours [ three days ] rest before going at them again. Is this true that you should really wait this long to allow the muscles to repair/build? It seems like a bit of a long time considering I can generally go three-four straight days of weights before I begin to feel any discomfort at all.

NikoM5

You should wait a minimum of 48 hours before hitting THE SAME muscle groups again. Depending on intensity this amount of time can be less or more. Personally I can only hit my muscle groups once per week or my joints start complaining after a while. Remember, muscles grow/repair in the days after an intense lifting session. Rest and food are required for this to happen efficiently.

LoganAnthony6

I suppose this makes sense as to why I see most people only posting about doing weight sessions three times a week at most. Gives them the time they need to recuperate. Thanks for the input! I will go by what you said.

NikoM5

Cool. Although just to clarify (and the reason I wrote "THE SAME" in caps) you can work out 7 days a week if you wish, so long as you split up your training so that you are working different muscle groups on different days thus giving each group enough rest. Or if you are doing a full body routine you could simply train every other day. You basically have to figure out what works best for you. I would HIGHLY recommend using a program like "starting strength" or "5x5" to begin. These programs are designed to build you a good base of strength quickly and efficiently.

moustache_flavored_lube

I agree with the 48 hours. I would also suggest working your full body 3 times per week vs doing splits. This will produce the best results for most beginners.

If you aren't feeling your strength workouts you aren't doing it right!!! Add higher weights, work to failure, and do more sets until you notice soreness then next day.

LoganAnthony6

I heard about this 5x5 program and quickly viewed it on youtube but wasn't sure it would be a good fit for me. I don't have a gym membership right now, so all I have is my cardio and a bench press/light dumbbells at my disposal. Do you need anything more than that for the 5x5?

RunDoozer

Yea i've always seen you don't want to hit the same muscle group more that 1 time per week ... Although Stronglifts does have you doing it multiple times per week. but always 48 hours in between so maybe thats a better gauge

LoganAnthony6

As previously mentioned, don't really have a gym pass of any type. Would barbell squats count as legs, or is that working the same muscles from me bench pressing. I'm a complete nooby to weight lifting, for the most part. So I definitely need a guiding hand.

RunDoozer

I heard about this 5x5 program and quickly viewed it on youtube but wasn't sure it would be a good fit for me. I don't have a gym membership right now, so all I have is my cardio and a bench press/light dumbbells at my disposal. Do you need anything more than that for the 5x5?

You need to be able to do squats. And how much weight do you have for your bench

justjenny

I just read the New Rules of Lifting...the women's version. The original book is geared towards men...they suggest 2 to 3 days a week and no more than that in order for your muscles to repair themselves. Great book with a great workout. Takes you step by step, week by week. Definitley worth a read.

RunDoozer

Goto stronglifts.com and see if you have the equipment you need there or if there are any modifications you can do. He is kinda against modifications but some of them work

LoganAnthony6

My weights don't even say if they're Kg's or lbs. If they're Kgs, it's roughly 135 pounds. If not, I believe it's like 62 lbs?... It has to be Kg's, cause it definitely feels like a hell of a lot more than 62 lbs i'm benching.

LoganAnthony6

Checking this out now.

sleepytexan

I like Tuesdays around 1045 am and Thursdays around 945. Fits into my schedule

RunDoozer

Yea thats 135. Youd probably need to get more weight also. Your squat and deadlift will get much more than that quickly. Just depends on how much you want to do 5x5. Also there are beginner plans on bodybuilding.com

RunDoozer

I like Tuesdays around 1045 am and Thursdays around 945. Fits into my schedule

Nice legs

LoganAnthony6

Yea thats 135. Youd probably need to get more weight also. Your squat and deadlift will get much more than that quickly. Just depends on how much you want to do 5x5. Also there are beginner plans on bodybuilding.com

More weights shouldn't be a problem. I'm reading up on it now to try and find out where it says what I need to begin this program. And what in the love of god is a "deadlift"?

moustache_flavored_lube

Yea thats 135. Youd probably need to get more weight also. Your squat and deadlift will get much more than that quickly. Just depends on how much you want to do 5x5. Also there are beginner plans on bodybuilding.com

More weights shouldn't be a problem. I'm reading up on it now to try and find out where it says what I need to begin this program. And what in the love of god is a "deadlift"?

IMHO they are second only to squats for lifts that will change your fitness.

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/

moustache_flavored_lube

My weights don't even say if they're Kg's or lbs. If they're Kgs, it's roughly 135 pounds. If not, I believe it's like 62 lbs?... It has to be Kg's, cause it definitely feels like a hell of a lot more than 62 lbs i'm benching.

FYI if you have an Olympic barbell that weighs 45 lbs with no weights

LoganAnthony6

I really don't think it's much weight itself. It's got like a black plastic coating, but i'll take my weights off and lift it next time to see if there is anything at all to it.

RunDoozer

It should weigh about 21 kg

Mummyadams

Why don't you look up Michelle Bridges 12 week challenge? it's a fantastic on line programme that you sign up for. You can decode whether you want to train for a marathon, lose weight via cardio, tone up or become strong. You can choose from at home, gym or classes work outs and it's really really good! You print of every weeks programme, it has photo's and every exercise is demonstrated.
it also gives you a weekly meal plan if you want to follow. Both for men & women. I highly recommend.
www.michellebridges.com.au

lilRicki

NikoM5 sounds like he knows what he's talking about. For me I do compound every other day. My DOMS kicks in the worst on day 2, so I'm lifting, and feeling like my body is ripping apart...but I've already given myself a day in between to recover. I'm just THAT out of shape (especially when I up my weights). Exarnious, go to bodybuilding.com, or get New Rules of Lifting if you're a newbie. Do some research, and youtube as much as you can.

NikoM5

If you aren't feeling your strength workouts you aren't doing it right!!! Add higher weights, work to failure, and do more sets until you notice soreness then next day.

The soreness is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) You will feel it the first couple weeks when starting out but it will go away and it should by no means be used a guide for how effective your workouts are. I don't get DOMS and my workouts are just fine. You also do not necessarily want to work till failure. There are times to do it but for the most part progressive load is the way to go.

IMHO they (deadlifts) are second only to squats for lifts that will change your fitness.

Both are great but deads are the better all around exercise working more muscles than squats.

lilRicki

If you aren't feeling your strength workouts you aren't doing it right!!! Add higher weights, work to failure, and do more sets until you notice soreness then next day.

The soreness is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) You will feel it the first couple weeks when starting out but it will go away and it should by no means be used a guide for how effective your workouts are. I don't get DOMS and my workouts are just fine. You also do not necessarily want to work till failure. There are times to do it but for the most part progressive load is the way to go.

IMHO they (deadlifts) are second only to squats for lifts that will change your fitness.

Both are great but deads are the better all around exercise working more muscles than squats.

deadlifts are knows to be the BEST compound exercise. I've read that in more than one place. It should not be done lightly, or skipped at all. I love deadlifting, makes me feel strong lol

RunDoozer

If you aren't feeling your strength workouts you aren't doing it right!!! Add higher weights, work to failure, and do more sets until you notice soreness then next day.

The soreness is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) You will feel it the first couple weeks when starting out but it will go away and it should by no means be used a guide for how effective your workouts are. I don't get DOMS and my workouts are just fine. You also do not necessarily want to work till failure. There are times to do it but for the most part progressive load is the way to go.

IMHO they (deadlifts) are second only to squats for lifts that will change your fitness.

Both are great but deads are the better all around exercise working more muscles than squats.

deadlifts are knows to be the BEST compound exercise. I've read that in more than one place. It should not be done lightly, or skipped at all. I love deadlifting, makes me feel strong lol

Just starting to deadlift my bodyweight and man do I feel it everywhere

LoganAnthony6

Well thanks for all the input, everyone. Think i'll start at a weight I can do all of these at comfortably: Deadlift, Barbell Row, Bench and Squats. I'll likely start doing at least 15 minutes a day of even rotations and add more weight as I go, unless you all have a better, more precise suggestion.

RunDoozer

Get the smart phone stronglifts app and follow that itll tell you how much weight to use

it starts out really light but be patient it gets heavy fast work on your form at first

LoganAnthony6

Get the smart phone stronglifts app and follow that itll tell you how much weight to use

it starts out really light but be patient it gets heavy fast work on your form at first

I likely would if I had access to a phone that could download the app. I tried downloading the 5x5 report on my computer, but it froze everything up so I ended the process.

lilRicki

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Just starting to deadlift my bodyweight and man do I feel it everywhere
[/quote]

that's awesome, what a great feeling eh? I'm not nearly as heavy as I want to be, but by the time I'm done, I hope to deadlift at least 250lbs.

lilRicki

also do SOMETHING in between lift days. Lots of recommendations for yoga (for the stretching and core work out), swimming because it's easy on the joints, and cardio to get your heart rate up.