Gaining the proper amount of rest is critical when you are bodybuilding. In fact, it’s about 30 percent of the battle, second only to the training itself, which accounts for 40 percent. Diet, supplementation and equipment are the other factors. Unfortunately, proper rest doesn’t always get the attention it should, says John R. Little, author of “Static Contraction Training” and numerous other bodybuilding books.
Time Frame
As a general rule, your body needs about 48 hours of rest in between workouts to recover from your training session and to increase muscle mass, says John R. Little in “Beginning Bodybuilding.” The best way to achieve this is to train three days a week, such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday, if you are doing an all-body workout.
Function
Rest allows your muscles to grow, says fitness instructor and “Iron Dolls” author Karen Sessions. When you lift weights, there is trauma to your muscle fibers. This is referred to as “muscle injury” or “muscle damage,” say Young sub Kwon and Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico. When your muscles repair themselves they get stronger—and bigger. You actually retard growth if you train before your muscle has repaired itself, Sessions says on the Critical Bench website.
Considerations
If you do an all-over training workout and miss a day of training, it’s better to rest and allow your body extra recovery time than to add in an extra workout so that you are performing back-to-back workouts, says Little. The extra recovery day may even prove beneficial in terms of muscle growth.
Types
Using a four-day split in which you work different muscles on different days allows for five days rest for each muscle group. If you are utilizing a high-intensity training program, you’ll need more days off for rest so your muscles can fully heal, advises John Hansen in “Natural Bodybuilding.” You need to separate your back and thigh workouts by at least one day with a four-day split because when you work each of these muscle groups you also work your low back. Also, separate shoulder and chest workouts by at least one day because your chest workout will affect your shoulder muscles as well. You can try the following sequence: Chest, calves and triceps on day one; thighs and abs on day two; deltoids, trapezius muscles and calves on day three; and back, biceps, forearms and abs on day four, suggests Hansen. As an alternative, use this workout schedule: biceps, forearms and chest on day one; thighs and calves on day two; traps, triceps and deltoids on day three; and back, calves and traps on day four.
Expert Insight
As you progress in your bodybuilding, the amount of rest you need will change, says Little, in “Static Contraction Training,” co-authored by Peter Sisco. In fact, as your strength progresses you may need up to seven days of rest. Your rest requirement is determined by your strength as well as the amount of work you do during a training session. You can utilize a split routine that builds in seven days of rest, according to “Body By Science,” by Little and Doug McGuff. The first workout consists of the chest press, lateral raise and triceps pushdown; the second features the leg press, standing calf raise and abdominals; and third workout consists of pull-downs, seated rows, shrugs and biceps curls to hit your back and biceps. You alternate these workouts with seven days rest in between.
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