I’d like some info on this phenomenon
Scenario 1
Day 1- train hard
Day 2- sort of sore, no training
Day 3- even more sore
Scenario 2
Day 1- train hard
Day 2- sort of sore, train almost or equally hard
Day 3- hardly sore at all
I have observed this many times, and I am beginning to suspect that doing more training isn’t the best method of muscle recovery. Why, then, does it seem to work so well?
I get this from other guy,
but i agree totally with his words…
When are your weights days located? This sounds like you are doing weights sporadically, say once a week, or twice a week with a large gap between the weights days, you’ll always be cyclically sore this way, the days after weights after many days with no weights you’ll be very sore. My experience is that the only way to fix this is never let more then 3 days pass between weights sessions for a muscle group or you get sore.
As to the last part, more training actually is the best method of muscle recovery if the volumes are properly handled and periodized. It’s a complex equation, the exercise choice (neural adaptation to movements), regenerative work on the track or massage/sauna also affects the recovery, they are all factors that contribute towards your muscle tonus vs CNS fatigue. Training every other day or even every day (varying exercises) the same muscle group will present no problems if things are done the right way. So your scenarios are too general, there are many more factors to weigh in as to why you’re sore, then whether you trained hard or not on a particular day.
This is known to occur with individuals when circulation isn’t that good. This would occur when training is solely based on high intensity actions, which swell the muscles against the circulatory system. When the muscles swell even more on the day off because you don’t do any physical activity to pump the blood through, you get even more sore. This is a phenominon familiar to tradespeople from the last century- carpenters with manual saws etc and lumberjacks working with an axe. they’d get excruciating soreness and twitching on their day off and would often relieve the aching by getting into fights!
You need a balance between high (anti-circulatory) and low (circulatory) activities. It’s also better to lift lesser rep numbers more often when performance is your objective.