Anyone out there know (or have theories on) what’s going on with sore muscles and recovery?
I lift as heavy as I can a few times a week for general health purposes and am at 25% body fat. I’m not looking to go into any competitions or get more cut, I just want to not be hobbling around for 3 full days after I do my squats!
I’m all about n=1 and want to have a basic understanding of what’s happening so that I can come up protocols to test. Thanks for everyone’s input!
I take it we’re talking more than whats considered normal after heavy lifting? As far as the hobbling around after doing heavy squats… were you squatting heavy pre keto? That’s kinda normal and why so many people hate squatting heavy, and leg day to begin with. I’m not physically built well for squats, so I do hack squats and the squat press but when I go real heavy I feel it for a couple days, I don’t know anybody that doesn’t. Since I started lifting heavier I’ve started supplementing more and it has made a night and day difference vs when I was trying my hardest to do it the “right” way. When you go heavy you really do need to supplement. I’m on the second wave of heavier lifting right now, first one was 12 weeks. In that time I put on just under 8lbs muscle (confirmed) which is a very noticeable increase from going without. May be something to consider.
Thanks! I did not weight train pre-keto, so maybe it’s not as bad as it could be!? What do you supplement with?
I have been using Doug McGuff’s Body By Science method for the last few years, maybe not quite as exact as he describes it but what I have found is the there is little to no stiffness/soreness in the days following… Search here and there are a few threads on the topic. Search elsewhere and there are lots of threads on the topic.
I also am not using it for competition etc, just general health. We are all N=1 but this is the only (so far) resistance training method/protocol that I have been able to stick with for any length of time (nearly 5 years now and no signs of slowing down or stopping)
the soreness is from microtrauma induced during the exercise which then becomes inflamed as part of the healing process.
so you’re either doing everything right, and are reaping the benefits but have to endure the recovery, or you are over doing it and causing severe trauma that may be counterproductive.
you will be able to tell if your improve over time (in regards to performance). if you are backsliding you are over training.
I do a protein blend when I wake up (I work out before work) which is a whey/egg/milk/cassein blend as well as a preworkout, post workout I have a regular post workout recovery drink which is very similar to the pre, but no caffeine and I have a cassein shake before bed. I also drink one post workout on off days to keep feeding the repair process. Lifting heavy, you really don’t have to fear your protein intake, you need it. But on off days I dial it back to around <100. I do one of Jim Stoppani’s programs, ive actually done a couple now, and I use his supplements (JYM) most of the time. I done a ton of research on the best ones and his seems to have all the highly recommended things and in the recommended doses. I can find others that are equals as far as quality but always are way more money. The JYM line is priced like all the other stuff which is good for cheapskates like me.
Many prefer supplements, and I used them quite a bit at one time. I gradually figured out that they were not superior to Whole Foods. How long have you been training? Things like DOMS are pretty common initially, it’s part of the adaption process and will eventually go away. I do recommend a 35% protein macro for those training, as it provides ample protein for repair and growth. In myself, if I didn’t hit that macro my muscles would be prone to ache and be sore.
I’ve been doing 20 min sessions with a trainer 2-4 times per week for a little over a year now (the work outs are great and totally effective!). I think y’all are right on the protein. I normally do one or two 40 hour fasts per week, which makes my protein pretty low I guess! And, on my eating days, I’m still at 20-30% protein. I really like fasting though. I’m guessing it’s probably best to do that before lifting days? And should I be waiting until I’m fully recovered to do another one? Thanks again for your input! I really want to keep training and fasting; just need some ideas on quicker recovery 
I avoid training on a full stomach. Otherwise I train when ever but usually do best in the evening after work before diinner. 100% of my macros come from real food but I may suppliment some micros.
The most common mistake new lifters make is over training. Figuring out the optimal amount of lifting and then having the discipline to not exceed that seems to be hard for almost everybody…
I can’t help you there, I’ve never seen the need for fasting, but if I’m cutting I go to OMAD.
I started weight training yesterday and expected to be in a world of pain this morning. Much to my surprise, I felt no pain or discomfort in any of the muscle groups that I had trained to the point of exhaustion. I was on my 4th day of extended fasting, so maybe try fasting or further reduce your carb intake to zero–if you can’t fast.
I’ve never tried it personally, but I’ve had numerous people who lift tell me that drinking dill pickle juice is great for recovery.
I am curious about muscle recovery time. There are those who swear by only working out once a week to failure. But my goal is to actually build arm definition. I have the weakest arms and part of the problem is I am “top heavy”. I want to be able to do pull ups and more than 10 push ups in a row. I can build muscle easily in my legs, but my arms continue to be weak tubs. So far doing it twice a week is not cutting it. On the other hand, I don’t want to over do it.
So what is a recommended recovery period? I’ve been consistently working out since January on average twice a week. I can only workout in the early evenings and I love working out fasted. Any advice?
You will find a variety of opinion on recovery time, and from my experience one has to find what the body wants. I tried lifting every day and did so for weeks and weeks. I was getting torn muscles and it just wasn’t working–not enough recovery time.
Currently I’m lifting every other day and that’s fine. I am however doing some form of exercise every day, with lifting every other. Big on squats (with and without weights) and planking too, for overall core strength.
Good luck!