Have you ever felt that a rest period was unnecessary between weight training sessions? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to your goals if you trained every day instead of taking time off in between weight lifting? Would you be able to reach your goals quicker if you trained more often? The answer to all of the above questions is periods of rest and recovery between weight lifting training sessions is essential to the fulfillment of your goals. If you do not allow sufficient time to elapse between weight lifting sessions, you will actually be hindering your progress.
There are two main purposes of the rest and recovery period. During the weight lifting training session the rest and recovery period allows your body to replenish the energy source used. Your body must replenish the stores of ATP and Creatine Phosphate. These are the primary energy sources being used during the maximum strength phase of weight training. Allowing at least three minutes between each set of exercise will allow your body to recover these stores.
The second purpose of the rest and recovery period is to allow the muscles you worked to grow and change. A minimum period of 24 hours is required to replenish the energy stores. But if you are training to increase your muscle definition and endurance, you need to allow at least 48 hours to fully restore. Without sufficient recovery time, your muscles will not have the necessary time to grow. If your next training session is done to soon after the previous one, you will only be able to perform in a diminished capacity. Your body will not be able to equal the weight, sets, and reps of the previous weight lifting session.
Allowing sufficient rest and recovery time between exercises and weight lifting sessions will improve your performance and your results. You will hurt your progress if you ignore your body’s limitations. The body needs time between exercises and between sessions to replenish the energy sources that fuel the muscles being worked. You can work a different muscle group during the rest period. You can also use the time to add aerobic or cardio exercise to your exercise program. Cardio is a necessary part of any exercise program and will burn any excess fat that is covering the muscles you are working so hard to develop.