Experts, how much gap between workouts on gear

[LoneTree]

Everyone say that you should give 48 hours between working out any single muscle group.
Shouldn't using gear cut down this recovery period?
What is your experience?

 

[mrplunkey]

Everyone say that you should give 48 hours between working out any single muscle group.
Shouldn't using gear cut down this recovery period?
What is your experience?

Being on-cycle definately shortens recovery time, but after the first 2-3 weeks of intense workouts, it's your central nervious system that craps-out -- not specific muscles.

I know when I've crashed my CNS. It feels like the flu combined with whole body tendonitis combined with depression. You just start dragging. For me, I do the following rough split while on-cycle:

Sunday: Chest (Bench, Pecs, some Triceps)
Monday: Back
Tuesday: Shoulders
Wed: OFF
Thursday: Catch-All day... Bicepts and abs if I've missed them, inclines, wide-grip bench... basically the odder stuff
Friday: Legs -- this is a little deceptive too. I mix-in some single-leg dumbell leg stuff Sunday-Tuesday as well, but Friday is a "pure" legs day (i.e. barbell front squats)
Saturday: OFF

 

[tzan]

Your answers are going to vary from person to person. When off I like to work each muscle directly only once per week, but when on I tend to work each muscle directly about twice every 8 or 9 days. I don't have a schedule set in stone, I tend to just listen to my body. I'm going to be running my next cycle soon and my splits will look like:

day1-back/rear+side delts/biceps
day2-chest/front delts/triceps
day3-legs
day4-off
day5-either repeat or if I need feel like I need another day off rest again.

 

[The Shadow]

Imo - the 48 hour rule doesnt apply to all trainers and certainly not myself.

I hit one body part per day - 5 days a week


True - gear will help recovery, but I personally dont see the point in reducing the rest days....

 

[mrplunkey]

True - gear will help recovery, but I personally dont see the point in reducing the rest days....

Exactly... don't screw with your rest, but increase your intensity in the gym. For example, when "off" you may do one warm-up, two lead-ins, and three work sets on bench. When "on", you may do one warm-up, two lead-ins, four work sets, and then load-up the bar to feel something heavier for 1-2 reps.

 

[tzan]

True - gear will help recovery, but I personally dont see the point in reducing the rest days....

See, I disagree. Since the gear will aid in your recovery, I don't see any reason why not to take advantage of less rest days. Don't get me wrong, rest days are VERY imporatnt and I'm not saying you don't need them, but why not take advantage of one of the purks gear will give you?? Even if you can have just one less rest day a week, how would that not be beneficial??

 

[The Shadow]

See, I disagree. Since the gear will aid in your recovery, I don't see any reason why not to take advantage of less rest days. Don't get me wrong, rest days are VERY imporatnt and I'm not saying you don't need them, but why not take advantage of one of the purks gear will give you?? Even if you can have just one less rest day a week, how would that not be beneficial??

Gear - faster recovery

Gear + increase in frequency = recovery w/o gear



Its like saying that you are taking away the benefit (rest days) of what the gear gives you


if you ramp up training - you lose the added recovery time

imo anyway




its like saying that gear increases Protein synthesis and then not eating extra protein

 

[THEEGAME2544]

I subscribe to working each bodypart once per week. For a lagging bodypart, I might train it twice a week, but I never train more than one muscle group twice a week. You've got to remember, just because you're not working a muscle primarily doesn't mean that it doesn't get worked as a secondary muscle. Some people do get better results from working muscles as primary more than once a week. I never have, but it works for some.

 

[tzan]

its like saying that gear increases Protein synthesis and then not eating extra protein

This is what I'm saying isn't it??

None the less, different strokes for different folks..... ss long as it's working for you, no need to fix it......it's more of a matter of preference than anything else.

 

[mrplunkey]

See, I disagree. Since the gear will aid in your recovery, I don't see any reason why not to take advantage of less rest days. Don't get me wrong, rest days are VERY imporatnt and I'm not saying you don't need them, but why not take advantage of one of the purks gear will give you?? Even if you can have just one less rest day a week, how would that not be beneficial??

It's going to vary wildly from person-to-person but for me, it's all about CNS shutdown anyway. Sure the muscle itself recovers, but after 2-3 weeks with reduced rest I basically go into shock. Joints swell, pumps don't go down, perma-flu like symptoms, etc. etc.

For me, even a 10 week cycle is a war of attrition -- by week 9 and 10 (i'm in 9 now), i'm dragging around, hating life because I know I've overtrained. It actually works-out well though, because it makes coming off a lot easier. If I felt as good as I did in week 6-7, I'd probably be looking at the extra 3-4 ml in my vial thinking "hey, this could become a 12-weeker!!!".