Lifting and Recovery

Building Muscle

Many people, especially women, will forgo training in muscular strength and endurance in favor of cardiovascular and flexibility training. Without disregarding running and pilates, building and maintaining muscle is vital to bone health, injury prevention, and overall well-being. Young individuals may not fear much now, but building healthy habits can prevent them from joining the 45% of older individuals with Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by the loss of muscle, greatly debilitating our abilities to perform daily functions.

Muscle growth occurs when muscle fibers (called myocytes) experience stress or resistance, leading to microscopic tears. These tears trigger a repair process in which the body rebuilds the muscle fibers stronger and larger. Progressive overload, proper nutrition, and sufficient recovery time are essential for optimizing muscle growth. 

Muscle fibers are generalized as fast and slow twitch, though more nuance has been discovered. Fast-twitch muscle fibers are primarily used for anaerobic explosive movements, while slow-twitch muscle fibers are used for aerobic endurance movements. Genetics do play a role in the proportion of these fiber types, but generally, you should train the movements you want to do more of. That means more sprints and plyometrics if you want to run faster, and longer distance pieces if you want to run longer.

Here are methods to maximize muscle growth, aka hypertrophy, during your workouts:

• Slowing down and controlling the eccentric, the lowering of the weight, has been shown to increase muscle mass. Slowing down the movement prevents using momentum, extending the time under tension that your muscles endure.

• Exact numbers are debated, but doing 3–6 sets of 6–12 repetitions at 60–80% of one-rep max (1RM) appears to be the optimal weight and repetitions to build muscle. These ranges allow for controlled form while also placing enough stress.

• Rest between sets should range from 30 to 60 seconds for building muscle. If lifting for strength or if you feel especially fatigued, increase the rest time until you can safely perform another set.

• Whichever muscle group you work out first will experience the most gain from that session.

• Cluster sets: Doing fewer reps per set with shorter rest can help with increasing weight.

• Agonist-Antagonist Supersets: Targeting different muscle groups right after each other in a circuit can help save time.

• Drop sets: Going down in weight in an exercise can help you nearly approach failure more safely.

• Progressive overload: Increase workout weight/volume/difficulty between 2.5 and 10% every week. The exact progress should vary with the muscle group/lift.

Getting Started on Lifting 

Going to the gym for the first time can be intimidating, especially when you see people more experienced than you and when there is an injury risk. The best advice is to start with light weights and to have a spotter when you perform unfamiliar or heavier lifts.

Using free weights (ie, dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell) is also better for training stabilizing muscles. The “big three” compound lifts are the bench press, the barbell back squat, and the deadlift. With proper form, progression in these three lifts can be incredibly rewarding. 

Using machines has a lower margin of error and is easier for targeting specific muscle groups. Most machines will have a diagram for the intended movement, but always ensure the machine is stationary and properly functioning before use.

Getting Started on Calisthenics 

When going to the gym is not possible, calisthenics, or bodyweight exercises, can be used to earn great gains. For progression, calisthenics are typically done at high repetitions, adding resistance, and/ or increasing the difficulty with new variations.

A simple full-body calisthenics workout can consist of pull-ups, push-ups, tricep dips, squats, lunges, calf raises, planks, Russian twists, and crunches. Having a strong body, and not just select strong muscles, is important to athletic performance and overall health.

Optimize Recovery

The foundation for recovering from a workout is dynamically warming up, statically cooling down, proper drinking, eating, and hydration. After those pillars are fulfilled, additional measures can be taken, such as

• Consuming protein pre- & post-workout. 

• Consuming carbs post-workout to replenish glycogen reserves

• Consuming electrolytes if working in heat/high intensity for over an hour

• Massages. Many professional athletes will get massages, but foam rolling and massage guns are an easy way to feel less sore.

• Compression equipment

• Cryotherapy. Cold exposure can help you feel more awake and recovered

• Avoid alcohol and tobacco 

• Light workout → 24 hours to recover that muscle group

• Heavier workout → 2-3+ days to recover that muscle groups

Tapering

For a few days or weeks leading up to an important race, many athletes will “taper”, or reduce their training. By cutting back on volume/mileage but maintaining intensity, athletes see improvements of about 3%. Generally, the longer the race, the longer the taper, and more information can be found on Runner's World.