How Long To Rest Between Muscle Groups

rest, the best way to grow muscle

As you probably already know, muscle needs to rest in order to grow. Muscle is built by causing small tears that cause trauma and the body works to repair it. As the repair process is completed, the muscle fibers are bigger in size and density.

Much like any other injury, the process of healing is not immediate. If you have ever gotten a cut or scrape on a joint you understand the importance of rest.

As the cut or tear is trying to be repaired, constant movement interrupts the healing process, thus taking much longer to heal.

Muscle is no different. If you constantly work out the same muscle day after day without any rest, overall growth will be limited. In some instances, this will actually cause regression, resulting in smaller muscles and time wasted.

DOMS

DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, is a phenomenon that occurs from resistance training. After you train a particular muscle group, you may not immediately be sore or even the next day. But, be warned, the muscle soreness can strike potentially days later and be intense.

DOMS can be known to take place anywhere from 24-72 hours post exercise. This means that you may not feel any soreness for 1-3 days after training.

While muscle soreness does not always guarantee muscle growth, it is a good indicator for rest. The reason being, if you are still sore while attempting to train the same muscle group again, you will likely not be able to overload them.

Overloading the muscle, in other words, pushing muscles to failure is what is required for growth. Soreness is often correlated with stiffness, which results in a shorter range of motion. Muscle grows from loading throughout the full range of motion.

If you are not able to hit proper range of motion, chances are you will not be able to make efficient use of your time training. It is possible to grow muscles with limited range of motion, however, the rate and overall size will be limited.

*As a note, the information above is a recommendation, however it is possible to train the same muscle group everyday. It is of our opinion that it is not optimal, but not impossible.

So, how long?

The answer depends on the individual. Your ability to heal and recover is the ultimate answer and that varies from person to person.

But, as a rule of thumb, the range is about 48-72 hours. Using DOMS as an indicator, allow that to dictate the frequency.

With experience, recovery time will decrease and so the time necessary between a particular muscle group. Structuring a workout program with proper amount of rest will yield the best chance for success.

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