Mr Scorpio Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I've been advised to do pushups, stretching, and ab-work on my off days. Stretching and ab-work? Fine. Pushups? Really? Shouldn't thsoe muscles be recovering as well? Thoughts? Link to post Share on other sites
tman666 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I highly doubt that a reasonable number of pushups is going to severely impact your recovery from your training days. If you're frying yourself so hard on your training days that a few sets of 20 push ups on your off days is out of the question, then you may need to re-evaluate something else in the greater scheme of your fitness plan. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
violetsareviolet Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 rest up ftw make sure to eat and sleep well for most efficient progress Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 You're only working out twice a week. I'm sure you can fit some pushups in there without compromising your recovery/rest. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Mr Scorpio Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 You're only working out twice a week. I'm sure you can fit some pushups in there without compromising your recovery/rest. Nope! I stumbled across a free personal trainer and am now on a three-day rotation and chomping down 1g per pound a day. Did my first non-smithrack squats yesterday! Knee doesn't hurt! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Star Gazer Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Nope! I stumbled across a free personal trainer and am now on a three-day rotation and chomping down 1g per pound a day. Did my first non-smithrack squats yesterday! Knee doesn't hurt! Told you that you could make time! If you have a trainer, I'd be asking him these questions. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Mr Scorpio Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 If you have a trainer, I'd be asking him these questions. He was the one who suggested it. It seemed odd to me to tax my muscles on rest days. We'll see. For right now I'm just enjoy the unique pain associated with squats. I feel like I should have an AARP card with the way I'm walking. Link to post Share on other sites
tman666 Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 He was the one who suggested it. It seemed odd to me to tax my muscles on rest days. We'll see. For right now I'm just enjoy the unique pain associated with squats. I feel like I should have an AARP card with the way I'm walking. There's a difference between Central Nervous System (CNS) fatigue and muscle fatigue. Things like pushups, bodyweight squats, abs, and single joint/smaller muscle group movements aren't especially taxing on your CNS, whereas things like heavy deadlifts, squats, jumping, sprinting, Olympic lifts, and what not are much more taxing and generally require more recovery time in between training sessions. This distinction between CNS fatigue and muscle fatigue is part of the reason why muscle soreness isn't necessarily a great indicator of 1) how well you're recovered or not from your training and 2) how effective your training has been for your goals. My experience is that doing bodyweight calisthenics on my "off" days is great for maintaining mobility, helping improve GPP (general physical preparedness), as well as helping to keep bodyfat in check without cutting too deeply into my recovery from CNS intensive training sessions. Link to post Share on other sites
PogoStick Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 If you're doing something like a bench press on your heavy days then there's no reason to do pushups on recovery days. The general rule is 48 hours between hitting the same muscle group...such as M/W/F. You may hit different muscle groups on consecutive days...like a split routine. Link to post Share on other sites
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