Quote:
Originally Posted by Mydivorcegift
Rest is important but if you are getting proper sleep at night there is no reason why you can't and shouldn't lift more than that using supplemental, extra workouts as an active restoration method.
I too have 4 training sessions a week...2 then a day off then 2 then 2 days off. But in between I also have 4 extra workouts of about 20 mins.
Hell by this logic you should just blast everything one day of the week and rest the other 6....just saying...
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You've got to look at the big picture. We're not going to factor in that some people have different genetics and can handle more training than the average person and we're not going to factor in use of steroids or hgh's we're talking in general.
Doing non strenuous exercise during non lifting days is ok if it is light and used as active recovery. The problem with training more than that is that it is accumulative, you may get away with it for a short while but it will lead to overtraining or burnout. Even with adequate sleep if training more than two days in a row you are not allowing for adequate recovery time, not only at the muscular level but on the nervous system, your body can only take so much. Look at almost any program, I'm not talking half assed programs or gimmick programs used for marketing but programs from any of the more advanced lifters and trainers and you will almost never see training more than two days in a row, there is a reason for it, it ends up being non productive and results in overtraining burn out or the worst possible INJURY. Well constructed programs almost always allow for two days before directly working the same muscle group. In fact, almost all muscle building programs call for no other exercise between lifting days, again because it becomes catabolic
Look at the 20x20 program you recommended. It is a well put together program but it also specifies no more than two consecutive days even for advanced lifters.
Whole body workouts can be very productive, more so in beginners but one day weekly with 6 resting days is to far in the opposite direction. Although some gains can be made at first, as soon as the body adapts there is not enough stimulus for muscle growth so you are wasting time.
Doing whole body workouts 2 times a week doesn't work that well either for a few reasons, one is that your workouts should be kept rather short about an hour, more is counterproductive because after about an hour your workouts become catabolic rather than anabolic because testosterone levels drop and cortisol levels increase, so following that logic it's hard two work every muscle group adequately in that time frame, two times a week again does not provide adequate stimulus for muscle growth.
You can train everyday if you like and work your ass off, have perfect nutrition and get 8-9 hrs sleep nightly and believe me many do but you will also notice that for all that work, gains are minimal, why, because of the above mentioned overtraining.
Personally, I'll stick to 3-day and 4-day splits, enjoy the rest of my time doing other things and keep making progress even at 58. I prefer, in my old age, to train smarter not harder.