Do I need more rest?

[Omar1223]

I am 22 years old and I have been lifting pretty regularly for about 2 months now. For the last two weeks, I started this workout. Just like the instructions say I have been lifting 3 times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

My first love is basketball and I play full-court basketball on Saturday and Sunday for about 2 hours on both days which I have been doing since the summer.

Is my body getting enough rest it needs to build muscle from weight lifting? Should I be resting more? My body feels fine and it definitley feels stronger. I feel as if I am quicker and can jump higher, so I dont know if that means anything. I have gained weight over the 2 months, so I know I am eating enough to gain more mass.

I just wanted people's advice on whether if I rest more, it will be better for my body. Thanks.

 

[drizzt3117]

That sounds fine as long as you don't feel tired and you feel like you are making progress. It's likely as you continue to lift that you'll have to incorporate some weeks of rest, but you'll know when you're worn down. You won't be making any more progress in terms of increasing your lifts.

 

[whacked]

You're fine. Lots of people get good results with lifting 3-4 times a week with cardio days in between(each cardio session >= 30 min.) with one 'sedentary' day if necessary.

I like doing 3-4 consecutive days of activity, rotating between weight work, cardio, and sports(sometimes this don't count, however) myself.

Then again, I know some who swear by Arnold's 6 weight sessions/week program. So, go with whatever works for you.

 

[adversity04]

If you feel tired, get more sleep at night. If getting more sleep doesn't fix things then get more rest in between days of workouts. I know I don't always feel right unless I get at least 8 hours.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by adversity04

If you feel tired, get more sleep at night. If getting more sleep doesn't fix things then get more rest in between days of workouts. I know I don't always feel right unless I get at least 8 hours.

+1, but be careful to not get too much. I don't know about you guys, but if I get more than 8 on a regular night, I'm dead the next day.

 

[adversity04]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

+1, but be careful to not get too much. I don't know about you guys, but if I get more than 8 on a regular night, I'm dead the next day.

Depending on my activity level for the days, I find that when I'm not active at all, 7-8 is sufficient, but when being active that 9 hours is the sweet spot for me. Anything more or less and I feel a bit off.

 

[drizzt3117]

Originally Posted by adversity04

Depending on my activity level for the days, I find that when I'm not active at all, 7-8 is sufficient, but when being active that 9 hours is the sweet spot for me. Anything more or less and I feel a bit off.

It just depends on a lot of stuff... including age. I think 8 is probably ideal for me, and 7 is acceptable, and feel somewhat lethargic with 9 hours of sleep even after a really hard workout day (1-2 hours of lifting + sports), but during HS/undergrad I could easily sleep 9-10 with no ill effects after heavy workouts. Probably due to melatonin levels or something.