Recovering Too Fast

[Ricky Bobby]

...I moved from the US to the UK about a year ago..Before moving to the UK, I hit each bodypart once every 6 days, having a basic 3 day split..after moving over here, if i wait 6 days i start to atrophy (particulary quads)..therefore, i have to hit each bodypart once every four days..i know hitting quads every 4 days is bad for my joints and back...i can't figure out why i'm recovering so fast in the UK. it's got to be something in the food/water supply over here...my wife is off the pill and her boobs are grown tremendously...anyone think it could be elevated levels of estrogen in the water?? or something else...any thoughts would be appreciated, as this is very frustrating..i also seem to be holding more water than in the US, as is my wife...

[timtim]

anyone think it could be elevated levels of estrogen in the water??

why would estrogen be found in water? this is either really stupid or a joke. i hope its a joke.

if i wait 6 days i start to atrophy (particulary quads)..

this was figured out how?

[Ricky Bobby]

..i'm doing the same intensity/sets as i was back in the states, except i recover (my muscles) about twice as fast..and if i wait too long in b/w workouts, my muscles ache - that same ache that normally i would get if i quit working out for a couple of weeks in the states...my wife trains and experiences the same thing, so it's not just me...also, her boobs have gotten much bigger and she's not on the pill or taking anything else..no weight gain otherwise for her, though we both seem to be holding a little water as well....our nails/hair grow faster here too..totally bizarre...the problem was even worse when we were drinking tapwater...started drinking only bottled water, and that helped a little but i've still got the problem.....it's got to be something in foods over here...totally frusrated....

there's tons of stuff on web about estrogen in water supply in UK..could be the reason for increase size of wife's boobs...just trying to figure out what me might be causing my problem...

[DSM4Life]

" if i wait 6 days i start to atrophy"

No you are not. Maybe your brain is but your muscle certainly is not. When you work your muscle its going to look pumped and big because of all the blood pushed into the muscle during the intense workout. Later that night/next day it will look "normal" and might seem "deflated" when compared to of your workout but that is normal. Remember muscles aren't made in the gym so give your body that week to recover. Not only is your muscle recovering but also your CNS.


I am not going to give you every single detail of how important the recovery/diet is because it has been discussed 1000 times. Use the search button.

[LBT]

..also, her boobs have gotten much bigger..

[Ricky Bobby]

" if i wait 6 days i start to atrophy"

No you are not. Maybe your brain is but your muscle certainly is not. When you work your muscle its going to look pumped and big because of all the blood pushed into the muscle during the intense workout. Later that night/next day it will look "normal" and might seem "deflated" when compared to of your workout but that is normal. Remember muscles aren't made in the gym so give your body that week to recover. Not only is your muscle recovering but also your CNS.


I am not going to give you every single detail of how important the recovery/diet is because it has been discussed 1000 times. Use the search button.

i didn't say that there is visible atrophy.set aside the whole atrophy issue for the time being and see if anyone has comments on a couple of very narrow issues:

(1) All other things equal (diet, supplements, sleep, training habits, etc), why would a 35 year old male, experienced, knowledgable bodybuilding person (natural), all of a sudden begin recovering twice as fast? The only variable in the equation is that I've moved to the UK.

(2) I kill quads/hams on Monday. On Thursday, I'm fully recovered - all DOMS is gone (I've always gotten DOMS). On Friday, my quads ache, not the type of aching that DOMS feels like, but the kind of ache that I've had in the past when having to take a few weeks off. The aching continues until the day I go into the gym and hit quads again. What could be causing the ache? Remember - forget the atrophy issue - all I want to know is what could be causing the ache? Also remember that all other variables are unchanged other than living in London.

Side note:

As I've gotten older and learned how to train better (i.e., how to really tear down a muscle), I've required more recovery time. While in college, i did a 3 day on, 1 day off cycle (hitting each muscle once every 4 days) and that worked fine for me - I grew. As I got a little older, like everyone else, natural test. levels dropped a little and at the same time i learned how to train better. I then went to a 2 on, 1 off, 1 on, 1 off cycle where I hit each body part every fifth day. Then about 3 years ago I went to a one on, one off, one on, one off, one on, one off cycle where I hit a bodypart (save calves/abs) only once every 6 days - and I made gains. Now since I moved to London, after being here a couple of months, I noticed that after hitting quads/hams like a MoFo on Monday, I could go in the gym again on Thurs and do the same thing. I never could have done that back in the States.

[brutesinme]

How would elevated estrogen levels improve your recovery times. We all know this is associated with elevated testosterone, not estrogen.

[Ricky Bobby]

dont know and not saying it's the cause, just looking for comments from folks who may have some insight