Should I lift if I am still sore?

[Cannibal Thrill]

I'm on a 4 day rotation...my biceps are still sore from my bi+back day earlier this week. Should I lift them tomorow or take a rest day?

Also..I assume stretching is a good thing? Any good biceps stretches, I can't find any that feel "good", like a hurdler stretch for the hams does.

edit:
Ok, I thought of another Q, might as well post it here. Here is an example of my bi+back day

3 sets lat pulls
3 sets seated row
3 sets bent over row
3 sets preacher curls
3 sets dumbell curls

Anyway you notice I have not given reps, basically i pick a weight for the first set I can do about 8 times, and I do each set until the last 2 reps I need a spotter. Is that ok, that good? Or should I quit once I need a spot? Feels like that last 2 reps with the spotter gimme a damn fine burn.

[This message has been edited by Cannibal Thrill (edited April 12, 2001).]

 

[Valdez]

don't lift with a muscle that's sore, infact don't lift until a day after you think it has recovered. if it is still sore then it's still repairing itself to the status quo, well you want it to build even larger so give it some more time.

about the rep-spotter thing, that's fine.

 

[al bundy]

very true don't work a reparing muscle. you can either take more time off or do less excercises per workout. get good nutrition to aid in quicker recovery also.

 

[Warik]

Sore Muscle = "Leave me alone!"

It's sore for a reason. Give it another day's rest even though it's its turn to go again.

-Warik

 

[Robboe]

What do you mean by 4 day rotation? you mean a 4 day split right? If your biceps are hurting 7 days later still then i applaud your intensity! Well, either that or you're doing to much for them. But i notice you said that they are hurting from erlier in the week. This shows me that you are doing every body part every 4 days? That is serious over trainning. Do each body part only once a week. Train for no more than 4 days each week. Remember, when you train you stress your nervous system too and if you don't give that sufficient time to rest then you'll feel the true effects of overtraining.

I can't remember the best stretch at present, but i can tell you that pulling on something does stretch your biceps as well as your lats and is quite handy before back/biceps training.

for your routine i suggest changing the pull down for a pull-up. Notice i say pull up and not chin. A pull up has wrists fully supsinated. This places your biceps in their strongest position and means that they won't give out so quickley.

I assume the reason you don't deadlift is because you squat yes? Squats give sufficient stimulation for the lower back.

Reduce your working sets for biceps. Know it down to about 2 sets per exercise. The biceps are not big at all compared to the back and you are doing only 3 sets less. Think about it.

The thing about the reps is fine, but rememebr that you don't need 'the burn' to stimulate growth.

 

[tlhc]

does that mean that you should completely skip your whole workout or should you just skip the exercises which target you sore muscle?

------------------
true love - hardcore

 

[Robboe]

If he's doing a 4 day continuous training programme i suggest he reworks his entire split.

If your trainning split is fine and you're still hurting from the week prior then the conclusion i can come to is that you are either a) doing too much for that muscle or b) that your diet is not perfect.

As Warik quite rightly said, if your muscle is sore, then have an extra days rest because you will most likely hinder growth if you train. Growth only occurs when you rest so if you go breaking yourself down again you will soon reach dire straits. You may even find yourself getting smaller.

 

[he-man]

I would suggest lifting every other day. It sound like your really putting some intensity into your lifts which require extra rest. Ensure you get plenty of sleep at night, like 8-9+ hrs. and your soaking up the protien/calories. As far as stretching your back goes - try grabbing a cable machine leg or anything else that stands vertical and drop back until you feel the stretch in your lats. Also for your upper back try interlacing your fingers then place palms out and try and reach out - you should feel the stretch across your upper back. You might try having your girl give you a good rub down - always works for me.

 

[Romeo78]

don't lift if the muscle group is sore you want to work out. to help, try massage therapy or the sauna if you don't have high blood pressure, etc.

 

[Enock]

damn you lucky bastard sore biceps, no matter what I do I can't get them sore every other muscle I can, (tris only slightly) but every thing else I get a good Doms soreness that lasts for days, bis have never been sore even when I 1st started, I know it doesn't mean anything but I like the soreness it helps me gauge recovery and just feels right. lucky bastard