There is definitely a yin/yang principle that applies to resting between workouts. On one hand, there is the facet of muscular development required for gaining strength. On the other hand, the central nervous system needs to be adequately rested as well to gain strength. It's a delicate balancing act between the two, and I've made strength gains on not enough rest and too much rest.
Too little rest can lead to short term strength gains. When I say too little rest, I'm referring to rest periods of 48 hours or less. Short rest periods tend to have a positive impact on muscle development. The muscles are harder and bigger when accompanied by short rests.
The problem though is over the long term, shorter rest periods tend to diminish the capacity of the central nervous system to fire off electrical impulses to requisite muscle groups, so you will miss the lift. When I say long term, I mean three workouts in a row with forty eight hours rest in between them.
Too much rest between workouts can also lead to strength gains. When I say too much rest, I mean rest periods of 72 hours or more. This happens because the central nervous system is adequately rested, so it will fire off electrical impulses to requisite muscle groups in a timely and efficient manner. Consequently, a strength gain will be made.
The problem with too much rest though is if you're constantly taking 72 hours rest in between workouts, you will lose muscle mass and consequently lose strength. When I say constantly I mean two weeks in a row where you workout twice a week with 72 hours rest between workouts.
So what's the answer? Too much rest or too little rest? The answer is there is no right answer. I don't know you're genetics. I don't know how well you keep strength gains over time. I don't know how well your muscles stay strong without atrophying over a duration of time. As a general rule, if your muscles are getting bigger but you're not making strength gains you should probably take a 72 hour rest to adequately rest your central nervous system. If you still haven't made a strength gain, maybe
you need another 72 hours rest between workouts.
My latest health kick is to workout Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday with forty eight hours rest between workouts. I workout each of these days at 8 a.m. Then after Thursday, I'm taking a full 72 hours rest until my Sunday workout.
I used to workout with 60 hours rest between workouts. I would workout on a Monday for example at 8 a.m. Then on Wednesday, I worked out at 8 p.m. Finally on Saturday, I worked out at 8 a.m.
My strength gains were fairly consistent but not always. The Wednesday workout at 8 p.m.was particularly rough. If I had a long day and if my nerves were frazzled because of the usual bull poo I put up with on a daily basis, I would sometimes miss on my lifts and not make strength gains.
The other thing about working out at night is I was too tired to workout. I would park my car in front of the gym and rest and intend to workout after fifteen minutes, but I would just fall asleep and sleep through the night. Then I would wake up in my car in the morning, and then I would workout.
However, I do think the 60 hour rest period is the optimal time frame for resting. The muscles don't atrophy that much, and the central nervous system gets enough rest to perform adequately enough to make strength gains. I would definitely recommend it if you live a relatively stress free life, and you're not too tired to workout at night.
Latest health kick is to workout three times in a row with 48 hours rest between workouts, I'm predicting lots of misses on my Thursday workout because my nervous system will not be adequately rested. But my theory is that since I'm waiting for 72 hours between Thursday and Sunday workouts I should hopefully be rested enough to recover any strength I lost on Thursday and make strength gains on Sunday. I don't know. I'll guess I'll find out.
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