Hi,
I'm a 35 year old female who is not interested in being a "bodybuilder" but just wants to tone up and lose a few (5-10) pounds. For the past couple of years I've been lifting weights 3x a week and doing cardio 3 times a week, both for about an hour each time. When I lift weights I do every muscle group each time, so each muscle group is getting worked 3 times a week. I'm pretty pleased with how I look but I've noticed that now and then when I do let more than 2 days go by without lifting, I feel "stronger" (or I guess I should say the lifting seems easier) when I do go back to it (say, 3 or 4 days later). I'm wondering if my muscles need more time to recover in between sessions and if lifting twice a week would be enough to maintain my physique?

Hi CC - it looks like you answered your own question. You - personally - may have some muscle groups that benefit from that extra day's rest. As you probably know, rest is a key component is muscle development. You might want to try a different lifting schedule to help determine which muscle groups (for you) can use that extra bit of rest, for example dividing your routines into lower-body and upper-body workouts instead of whole-body. By varying your routine you will also prevent plateaus due to adaptation.

Do not be afraid of lifting some iron - you will not bulk up into a "bodybuilder". Push yourself a bit. You will become leaner and stronger and your muscles will provide you more definition and "feminine shape" (not meant to be a sexist remark). Women do not have sufficient levels of testosterone to bulk up like men.

Of course you gotta eat right, also.

I have a question: If I were to excercise too frequently, could I actually lose muscle? I have heard this from a few sources, but I'm not sure whether it's true or not. Does anyone know?

Colleen

Thanks so much for the reply, segdoh. I think I might try increasing the weight a little and doing fewer reps as well as fewer sessions and see what that does for me.

Originally posted by Deep_in_Thought:
I have a question: If I were to excercise too frequently, could I actually lose muscle? I have heard this from a few sources, but I'm not sure whether it's true or not. Does anyone know?

Colleen

Absolutely. That is what is known as cumulative microtrauma (overtraining). Basically resistance training causes tiny tears in the muscle. Recovery time allows these to heal which is how you get muscle mass and how you get stronger. If you train too often, you do not allow any time for recovery and are only doing constant damage. It won't take long for your immune system to take a dive and you won't see any gains until you stop for some recovery.

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Keep your body lean, your blood clean and your mind sharp. -Rollins

Thanks, Naxis http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif.

Colleen

hi naxis

is every other day enough time for recovery for the same muscle group?

There are a lot of factors determining recovery time. Sleep, nutrition, anabolic state, stress, and workout intensity and workout volume. So there is no cut and dry answer. The easiest way to know is to keep a training log. Note the exercise, weight used, number of sets, and reps for each set. Each workout try and beat your last, ie bench press, 185lbs, 3 sets, set1 6 reps, set2 6 reps, set 3 5 reps. You might try for 6,6,6 reps in the next workout. If you can't consistently beat your previous workouts, try more rest.