The term “No off Days” has become very popular in todays society. The idea that never taking a rest or time to recover will make you stronger. This idea is popular among todays youth because everyone wants to prove that they can work the hardest to gain muscle. But can taking no off days actually make you weaker?
Lets look at the bicep and what happens to the muscle during the work out process. When someone does a bicep curl their muscle contracts when they weight is pulled up toward their body and as the wight goes back towards the weightlifters side the muscle loosens. Although we are only looking at the bicep curl the same process of muscle contraction and loosening happens on way or another in every workout.
Despite popular belief muscles do not get bigger while you are at the gym. The actual act of weightlifting just breaks down the muscles that are being targeted. The new muscle is added long after the workout is done. Once the body sees that their is a broken down muscle it rebuilds the broken down area. Amino acids, which act as the building block for protein in the cells, start the process of protein synthesis in the broken down areas. They work to rebuild the muscles and if muscle protein synthesis occurs at a higher rater than muscle protein breakdown the muscles become bigger.
Because the muscles grow when they are rested proves the point that an alternating schedule and off days are necessary for building muscle. Alternating what muscles you work out is a very easy way to deal with the issue of overworking a muscle. Alternating muscles makes sure that their is enough time between each isolated workout so the muscles can regrow. Also an off day every week or every other week is beneficial because it gives the body time to recuperate.
Due to the fact that new muscle is added when the body is a rest proves that “NO OFF DAYS” is not only a false argument, but something that could be extremely dangerous for people who follow it. If the body is not given time to synthesize new muscle protein no affects will ever be seen no matter how hard someone works out.
Works Cited:
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/12/28/7-hidden-signs-of-overtraining.aspx
http://www.statisticbrain.com/exercise-statistics/
http://www.livestrong.com/article/521047-reasons-to-not-work-the-same-muscles-every-day/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/zaino4.htm
I love going to the gym and I’m not going to lie I always feel lazy whenever I don’t go for even a day. I know though how bad it is for your body and muscles if you don’t get rest though. I look at it like this, even Arnold took a rest day in his prime when he was to busy winning Mr Olympia. If anyone wants to jump into working out or going to the gym and doing whatever they want to do I recommend at least having a schedule or even write down your progress and make sure you give your body time to rest.
I think you were correct when you talked about the best way to gain muscle mass is to alternate the days that you work on specific areas. In high school, every day of the week was dedicated to a different area; leg day, chest day, etc. On Fridays we would do our cardio. This way we wouldn’t over work certain areas. The amino acid part of you post got me thinking about all the supplements people take nowadays. MedicinePlus defines amino acids as “organic compounds that combine to form proteins.” You can go out and by so many different forms of amino and protein supplements, the first one that shows up on BodyBuilding.com is BSN AMINOx – “Resist Muscular Fatigue and Increase Muscular Endurance.” With so many supplements claiming to help rebuild muscles, is it still as necessary to take days off? Or can you keep pushing yourself everyday because of the added supplements you are putting into your body? I found a site that helps explain how supplements help in muscle growth – http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/do-muscle-building-supplements-work
I think you were correct when you talked about the best way to gain muscle mass is to alternate the days that you work on specific areas. In high school, every day of the week was dedicated to a different area; leg day, chest day, etc. On Fridays we would do our cardio. This way we wouldn’t over work certain areas. The amino acid part of you post got me thinking about all the supplements people take nowadays. MedicinePlus defines amino acids as “organic compounds that combine to form proteins.” You can go out and by so many different forms of amino and protein supplements, the first one that shows up on BodyBuilding.com is BSN AMINOx – “Resist Muscular Fatigue and Increase Muscular Endurance.” With so many supplements claiming to help rebuild muscles, is it still as necessary to take days off? Or can you keep pushing yourself everyday because of the added supplements you are putting into your body?
Many people do not take days off, and you make an interest point. I think that people believe if they do a work out cycle they can return to a particular set of muscles while their other ones rest. On http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2511045/Getting-exercise-bad-getting-all.html the author describes a study that was published in the British Medical Journal and says, “…more than 1,200 16 to 20-year-olds in Switzerland between February 2009 and January 2010. Their mental and physical wellbeing was assessed using validated scoring criteria from the World Health Organisation, on a scale of 0 to 25. A score below 13 indicates poor wellbeing. The group was divided equally between the sexes, the average age was 18 and a tenth were overweight or obese. A third said their weekly sports participation was up to 3.5 hours, two fifths said they did 3.6 to 10.5 hours, just under a fifth did between 10.6 and 17.5 hours, and only five per cent said they did more than 17.5 hours. Compared with the teens in the average group, teens in the low and very high groups were more than twice as likely to score below 13 on the WHO wellbeing scale.” The closing statement was then, “The average wellbeing score for the entire sample was 17. Those in the high group, on the other hand, were around 50 per cent less likely to score below 13. The study authors said that while doubling the recommended weekly time spent playing sports to 14 hours seems to be good for mental and physical health at this age, going beyond this seems to be detrimental.”
As a frequent gym goer, this post immediately caught my interest. Personally, I would always take days off when I went to the gym because I was worried about overworking myself, and I didn’t want to risk harming myself. However, I did not know the exact science behind it, I just assumed that you had to have days off. I’m glad that I read this post as you describe how muscles get bigger, and why days off are necessary. This got me thinking, and I wondered if there was a proven “best/most efficient” way to getting stronger. So I did some research and found out a great way to get stronger, but not overwork yourself. This workout plan emphasizes high intensity training each day, but focuses on a different muscle group each day. Furthermore, it stresses cardio and having a rest day. This allows for one to get in the maximum amount of work possible, without having to risk overtraining.
The key to the “NO OFF DAYS” argument is alternating the muscle groups being worked on. If an athlete trains daily but gives each individual muscle group enough time to regrow than its beneficial. The body also recuperates at different speeds based on diet, sleep and individual muscle composition. Some muscles recover much faster than others. For example leg muscles regrow slower than muscles in the abdominal area but faster than those in the arms. This is partially due to certain muscles being used more because they’re hard to avoid them ae your back and biceps. In addition, “NO OFF DAYS” doesn’t mean no rest. Having days where you go a bit lighter on the workout is not only encouraged but necessary.