Rest day.

**pheenyx1** · 05-12-2011, 10:40 AM

I have been lifting every day for about three months now. It seemed to work well for a couple months, but I have plateaued. I plan on doing a rest day once a week. my chest is my weakest body part (both in strength and appearance). Which would be better, to do the rest day before chest day to get a better chest workout, or after to give my body a chance to heal it?

**Gaspari1255** · 05-12-2011, 10:52 AM

You've been lifting 7 days a week for the past 12 weeks without a rest day? THATS YOUR PROBLEM RIGHT THERE. I'm gonna sound like a broken record right now, but muscles grow when resting, not training. Take 2-3 rest days a WEEK. You'll be suprised how much this alone will increase your physique and strength.

**kelevra** · 05-12-2011, 10:59 AM

^^^ yes, and get off the chest thing. its all ego for most
my worst days i need rest for are back and legs.. the rest are simple.

**Gaspari1255** · 05-12-2011, 11:02 AM

Another common thing I see with people who have chest issues, being sore for Chest is how poorly they space out their routine. Chest and Shoulders should be spaced very far apart (same with back and legs). Your front delts get hammered through chest, which can negatively effect your shoulder day. In return, if you're training Delts a day or two before chest, you're gonna be sore as fvck and have a shitty chest work out. One more thing, when it comes to developing a nice well rounded chest, LESS is MORE. I don't go above 10 sets every when training chest, and it's the most progress I've ever made on mine. Intensity means a hell of a lot more than Volume, imo.

Here is my current routine:

M: Chest/Abs
T: Back/Biceps
W: Off
Th: Shoulders/Traps/Triceps
F: Legs/Abs
Sat: Off
Sun: Off

**|2ogue** · 05-12-2011, 02:55 PM

Its very easy to get hung up on your chest, especially if you aint benching huge weights. I have trained with people who are much better than me on the bench press, yet I've had the bigger chest. Some pro bodybuilders have famously said (I think it was Franko Columbo, but may be wrong) that bench press is 90% shoulders. How much weight you can lift will depend greatly on your body structure. I have very long arms, which means I have to move the weight a long way etc.
Training every day is def your problem, I'd suggest at least 2 rest days per week, or ideally what Bronzer laid out. More is not always better.
Dorian Yates explained it well once in an article by him. He said, imagine rubbing the palm of your hand with sand paper as being the same as doing a weights session. If you rub your hand with the sandpaper and leave it a plenty of time, the skin will grow back thicker and stronger. You'll then rub it again and the same will happen. But if you were to increase the frequency of how often you use the sandpaper, your hand will not have time to fully recover and you will gradually wear away the skin untill you can no longer do it. I think this about sums it up. Give your muscles time to recover, feed them correctly and they will grow.

**|2ogue** · 05-12-2011, 02:56 PM

Its very easy to get hung up on your chest, especially if you aint benching huge weights. I have trained with people who are much better than me on the bench press, yet I've had the bigger chest. Some pro bodybuilders have famously said (I think it was Franko Columbo, but may be wrong) that bench press is 90% shoulders. How much weight you can lift will depend greatly on your body structure. I have very long arms, which means I have to move the weight a long way etc.
Training every day is def your problem, I'd suggest at least 2 rest days per week, or ideally what Bronzer laid out. More is not always better.
Dorian Yates explained it well once in an article by him. He said, imagine rubbing the palm of your hand with sand paper as being the same as doing a weights session. If you rub your hand with the sandpaper and leave it a plenty of time, the skin will grow back thicker and stronger. You'll then rub it again and the same will happen. But if you were to increase the frequency of how often you use the sandpaper, your hand will not have time to fully recover and you will gradually wear away the skin untill you can no longer do it. I think this about sums it up. Give your muscles time to recover, feed them correctly and they will grow.

**pheenyx1** · 05-12-2011, 04:39 PM

Ok. Will do. How about when I am on a cycle? I am starting test prop 350mg/wk in a couple weeks.
Stats are 41yp/170lbs/5'7"/14%bf/first cycle.

**Windex** · 05-12-2011, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by pheenyx1

Ok. Will do. How about when I am on a cycle? I am starting test prop 350mg/wk in a couple weeks.
Stats are 41yp/170lbs/5'7"/14%bf/first cycle.

I think you should continue lifting for a while in my opinion. If you've just been going at it for 3 months, despite being an adult, your body more than likely isn't accustomed to heavy weights. If you have plataeud it;s because of lack of rest as already mentioned. I've only been lifting for 9 months and still doing better each time. Adding on 20-80 lbs in an exercise will be no trouble for your muscles while on juice, but your tendons and ligaments grow a lot slower and take longer to develop new, dense, tissue. Therefore, you would be very prone to injury. If I can find it not too long ago a guy posted his story of how he tore his rotator cuff and was out of the gym because he cycled too early. He had an exceptional diet, knew to do just a beginner test cycle, had a PCT planned, but had only been lifting for a year. He added on X pounds (like 50 or something I don't remember) to bench press, did two reps, then blew his rotator cuff. Had he not had a spotter, he would have died.

**pheenyx1** · 05-12-2011, 05:32 PM

I have been lifting with little off time for 14 yrs. Just the last 3 mnths I have been 7 days a week. I knew I was overdoing it, but I was just trying to get myself mentally geared up for the cycle. Also, I always kind of expect something to force me to take rest days. Work, car trouble, the usual life shit. I have just been so motivated that it kinda happened by accident.

**pheenyx1** · 05-13-2011, 09:54 AM

Ok. No gym today. I feel like a total slacker, but I know u guys are right.

**Gaspari1255** · 05-13-2011, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by pheenyx1

Ok. No gym today. I feel like a total slacker, but I know u guys are right.

Hit it hard and get out of there man. The only ones who feel like slackers on their days off are the ones slacking off while their training.

"Get in. Get it done. Get it done right. Get the hell out." - Donald Trump

**pheenyx1** · 05-16-2011, 04:16 AM

Can I go in and do abs on my rest day, or does that not count as rest? How about some cardio? How much cardio would be too much?

**Gaspari1255** · 05-16-2011, 05:35 AM

^I always give myself atleast one real rest day a week (a day where you don't do jack shit). Here is an example of my split:

M: Chest/Abs/Cardio
T:Back/Biceps/Carido
W: Cardio
Th: Legs/Abs/Cardio
F: Shoulders/Traps/Triceps/Cardio
Sat: Cardio
Sun: OFF

**pheenyx1** · 05-16-2011, 07:53 AM

Does 2 to 3 days off a week also apply when on a cycle? Say, hypothetically, 350mg/wk of test prop for 8 weeks?

**dirtybrd** · 05-16-2011, 08:41 AM

I do
Mon-Chest/Tris
Tue-Back/Bis
Wed-Core/Abs
Thu-Legs
Fri-Shoulder/Trap
Sat and Sun-off, maybe 30 mins cardio
I lift for 12 weeks and then take a week off

**Gaspari1255** · 05-16-2011, 11:09 AM

I feel like we're all just pissing in the wind by contributing to this thread. We've all told you to add in a few rest days and that you will see better results with more rest. Even if you are on gear, your body still needs rest! It just seems like you're going to do whatever you want anyway, which is fine, but I don't see the point in asking for advice, and when the majority of the members give you the same answer, you seem like you're just going to stick to what you have been doing. Overtraining is another way of saying "Delaying an inevitable injury"

**pheenyx1** · 05-16-2011, 06:57 PM

Not at all, man. I took off Fri and today, and I am just trying to figure out what my new program is going to be. I am not on a cycle now, but will be shortly. I'm just trying to get all the info I can. I totally respect that you guys have WAY more knowledge and personal experience than me, and I am trying to learn for the future as well as make good decisions for what to do in the short term.
p.s. I felt good in the gym sat after taking fri off (which I'm sure you guys are not surprised by) I'm just doing a little readjusting mentally.

**Jonesyy** · 05-17-2011, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by pheenyx1

Not at all, man. I took off Fri and today, and I am just trying to figure out what my new program is going to be. I am not on a cycle now, but will be shortly. I'm just trying to get all the info I can. I totally respect that you guys have WAY more knowledge and personal experience than me, and I am trying to learn for the future as well as make good decisions for what to do in the short term.
p.s. I felt good in the gym sat after taking fri off (which I'm sure you guys are not surprised by) I'm just doing a little readjusting mentally.

If you are to go on a cycle I would spend at least the next 4 weeks eating well and training well (with the rest days) before starting on the cycle. IMO, you should never start a cycle until you know your diet and workout knowledge are good enough to make the cycle worth doing at all. If you rush into the cycle, you might not see the benefits you're looking for.

4 weeks, 2 days off with 3 days of cardio a week minimum.
Also your diet should be right, go to the diet section for that. 1.5x-2x protein per lbs body weight, but everything else depends on your goals.

When you can see your diet is improving, you may not feel the need for a cycle but if you still do, at least you know how to get the most out of it.