Alex_Str said:
I have a question about weightlifting. Let's say I did my biceps, shoulders, triceps, and chest yesterday...is it OK if I do them again today? Or do I have to let my muscles "rest"? I am not really sore in either area as I didn't work out TOO hard...but I can feel it a little.
TY TY TY
Well, why are you working out, anyways? Ok, if you did your biceps, shoulders, triceps, and chest yesterday, and you didn't work out too hard, then what are you working out for?
With that said, if you work out (and I mean really work out, since it seems you only did half a set without even challenging yourself) you should typically give 48 hours of muscle rest before you work that area again. The fact that you didn't try to hard means that you're a)wasting your time or b)not moving ahead.
IF you've been working out for four months, you would have seen some really dramatic changes. A good thing to do, for rapid healing of your muscles, is to eat some carbs (like half a wheat bread sandwhich) about 30 mins before the workout. Load up on water about an hour before the workout (keep drinking water, mmm it's so good). After you work out for about 45 minutes (the workouts HAVE to be long, if you're doing them fast then again, you're wasting your time) you stop, log your results, and then go back and finish the other half of your sandwhich, along with something with protien like milk, and then only a LITTLE bit of protien. People think Protien is the master of all that is muscle, when it's really not.
OK, after you've done that the first day... you're going to feel it the next morning and day after. Luckily, you'll have picked a new area to work. Your legs and butt should be an area you should definately work, because well, as opposed to the rest of your body, that's where most of your muscle is. Remember: Muscle burns fat. Strong legs = fat burning machine. Another key component is your abs. They burn fat like nobody's business. So, you should do something like:
Upper Body Monday (chest, abs, biceps and triceps and wrists) - pressure is your friend. Don't push yourself too hard, but make sure you push yourself enough, constantly. Muscles adapt and can hit platues in which you'll not see muscle growth for weeks/months, unless you keep the workouts different and challenging.
Lower Body Wednesday (squats, gluts, abs, inner thigh) - make sure you feel the burn when doing these. You can lose a lot of overall body fat by working these areas. Believe it or not, it helps achieving the "cut" look later on.
Shoulders and Back Friday (shoulders, and upper and lower back - careful doing these, make sure you practice FORM before trying to lift those weights) this will give you the broad shoulder look, and again just build overall muscle.
Throw in some cardio and you've got yourself a great body in less than two months. Feeling sore isn't a bad thing, and it shouldn't make you give up. Feeling sore felt good to me, as did working out. There's just this feeling you get when you look at your workout logs and see how much strength you've gained. The problem is keeping up, making sure you stick with it. If you don't feel like you're trying hard enough, just up the weight a bit, or take it slower. I see a lot of kids and even people my age (19) still doing weights the wrong way. They throw their arms and use momentum, ect... when lifting. I'm like, ok what the hell?
Make sure you take a few seconds, yes you heard me right, a few SECONDS to get into the up and down positions of your workouts. Pushups are easy when you've got momentum. Try a few SLOW pushups compared to a bunch of fast ones. Feel your muscles shaking? Good. That means you're tearing apart those weak little bastards to be replaced with stronger, more efficient fibers.
Remember, nothing helps repair your muscle like a bit of gatorade and a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protien after a workout. Wow, I talk too much... :lol:
