Methodology for determining ideal rest periods

[Arch0wl]

I've observed that I get better results from going on - off - on - off - off repeat. Why would this be, if I'm working essentially the same amount each day?

I suppose another question would be "to what degree does protein synthesis occur when muscles are not fully recovered?"; it could be that on the first off day my muscles are not fully recovered but protein synthesis is still happening, while on the second off day tension from the first on day carries over and makes the fatigue too much to recover from in one day.

I asked several geared lifters what their workout schedules are like, and even with the recovery power that hormones bring, many still adhered to 1-on-2-off schedules.

How would one determine ideal recovery time?

[gstarfire]

I've noticed how when I go away for a few days when I come back, sometimes I do extremely well and start AAAing songs I never could, but sometimes I am super horrible and I have no idea why. I've thought maybe amounts of sleep could be a factor but maybe you have a good point.

[SCWolf]

Recovery time is dependent on how you train and what your own body is accustomed to in terms of frequency. There's no one superior split that is just better than everything else.

[Reach]

Yeah, we discussed this a bit over facebook but....

Depends on genetics and how you train.

With respect to genetics, some people recover faster than others. You need to understand YOUR body and how you respond to training.

With respect to training, there are two major factors that affect recovery: 1. Total volume and 2. How often and how close you're working at failure during that volume.

Increasing total volume increases recovery time.

Working closer to failure will also increase recovery time. This affect is amplified as your rep ranges get lower and the amount of muscles you recruit for that lift is larger; e.g. hitting failure @ 15 reps for lateral raises will not significantly affect recovery time vs hitting it on a deadlift triple. Hitting failure and grinding out an absolute max 1 RM for example can completely blow out your CNS and lead to days of recovery time for that 1 rep alone (hence why powerlifters don't do 100% reps and if they do it's in competition and for a record/last lift).

[NorthStrong]

You need to get in shape to train. The more frequently you can train a given muscle group or movement in general the better. There are exceptions to this of course but frequent training can be useful. For example I'm in my off season so my training is highly general, dedicating only 1x per week to each of the lifts, with 3 extra days of just GPP style things, a main lift (ohp, front squat, bb row) followed by several general exercises.

But at this point I am training 6x a week and I am really never sore. Recovery shouldn't be a problem if you are in good shape and aren't training stupidly.

[MosaicMan3]

From a textbook standpoint, and from my powerlifting background. Recovery should be solely revolved around your CNS. There's no magical number on CNS recovery time, however the generally accepted rule of thumb is 36 - 48 hours rest for small muscle groups (abs, biceps, calves, ect.) and 48 - 72 hours rest for large muscle groups (pecs, lats, hamstrings, ect.). Even if you're sore or your muscle fibers are still in recovery, as long as your CNS is recuperated you will grow.

If you are training for a powerlifting/strongman/olympiclifting meet, you want full muscular recovery, which can take up to 10 days, depending on your previous workload, nutrition, and genetics.

If you're lacking in recovery, odds are you diet is absolute shit, or your CNS is weak. If you're a victim of a weak CNS you need to increase your ATP levels; also thiamine won't hurt either. ATP is like protein for your CNS.

End of the day, your brain is what controls how fast you recover, grow, and improve. And is the most under looked part of training, when it is the most vital.