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By now you know that doing “micro-damage” to your muscles by working them out will lead to them getting bigger when they get repaired while you are at rest. So how much rest do your muscles really need?
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Sleep
Sleep is critical to muscle recovery. When you sleep, your body secrets large amounts of growth hormone which help to recover and build muscle. If you’re partying hard and barely getting 5 hours of sleep per night then you need to stop this activity and ensure you get 8 hours of sleep every single night.
How Long?
So let’s assume that you are getting the required 8 hours of sleep every night. So how long do you need to rest?
This varies from person to person. There are a few people who are lucky enough to need only 2 days of rest before working those muscles out again. But most people need 3 to 4 days rest.
So Only 2 Workouts Per Week?
The good thing is that the above only applies to individual muscle groups. So you can work out every day if you want to, so long as you don’t work the same muscle groups for two days in a row. For example, you could alternate between arms, legs and torso or something similar.
This is why routines are very important. A good routine will not only cater for your nearest goal (strength training, huge muscle mass gains etc.) but will also allow you to work out as often or as little as you want but in the most efficient way that promotes adequate rest and recovery.
