Hi, I've recently started a variation of the Bill Starr routine. I did the single factor version for a while and have just switched to dual factor. Its only the first week and while the amount of weight on the bar ain't too bad, the sheer volume is killing me. My hamstrings were still sore from monday and I had to go through the grueling wednesday workout (5x5 on weighted pull ups, deadlift, front squat, and standing overheadpress). For me to keep up with this until the deloading phase (increasing weight each week) is going to be hell. SO I really need some good ways to aid recovery inbetween workouts. Also, should I be doing some GPP during off days? Any suggestions will be great.
Maybe you should lower the volume slightly? For active recovery, your best bet is to do some walking or swimming immediately following your workout. You might even try the contrast showers that everyone seems to love.
Have no idea what the Bill Starr thing is, but some great ways to aid recovery are some simple nutrition supplememnts. Talk to any health shop. a good post exercise mix for drink is the pre-mix gatorade powder - mix it at half the concentration of what the directions say. Should work well. Ever tried Hot and Colds? Ideally, a hot and cold is done alternating short time periods between ad sauna and an ice bath. Not many people have ice baths (wierd I think....) so an easy way to do it if you have no facilities is have the shower as hot as you can bear for 30 seconds, then cold for 2 mins, then hot for 30 seconds.. repeat it three times in total and it will be a big help. It's a flush mechanism. If you're going to do it, do it immediately after exercise.
The thing about this program is that you do not mess with it. You have to follow it strictly. I'd like to try the contrast shower thing but I have about 45 mins from the end of my workout till I go have a shower because I shower at home. I think the main reason this routine is hard for me is because of the high volume deads.
Just tough it out, after a few weeks you should be used to the volume and it won't hurt as much. Other good methods to help recovery are massages, saunas and stretching. Make sure you're getting plenty to eat as well.
On off days, add in active recovery in the form of say leg curls, doing maybe 50 reps in the morning, 50 in the evening and staying well away from failure. Here's the article from Chad Waterbury incase you have no idea what I'm talking about: http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459605
I strech on my off days i find it helps. I recommend creatine, fish oil caps and ZMA. My favourite out of them is the ZMA cos i wake up so refreshed. Make sure you get enough protein 1-1.5g per1Kg of bodyweight is the kind of figures ive seen the most. Stop reading if you definatley want to follow Bill Starr Despite this i think doing a pre set program is a bad idea i dont see the point in me going for my run when my legs hurt cos i wont run as fast and when lifting weights i can only lift a heavier weight if my body feels ready. I used go against what science says that you should have a rest day cos the cells are damaged its like kicking them when there down and no they dont come back stronger well i didnt my weighted dips stayed the same for ages my libido went down and my skin went all crusty. I dont think this was due to deficeny cos i ate lots of healthy foods (fruit veg nuts whey chicken salmon etc). Now i take rests and i have gone from an extra 1stone to an extra 3 stone in a few weeks.
I find creatine helps quite a bit for recovery as well. Make sure you go through a proper cool down. Walk/jog slowly for maybe 3-5 minutes, then do dynamic stretching followed by static stretches.
I've had some good results with ZMA too. Especially in terms of kicking an insomnia problem i was having. At first nothing happened and i thought i'd just wasted 15 bucks but then after 7 days wham, everything changed, and since then i've been off to dreamland within 5-10 minutes of hitting the sack. And speaking of dreamland...i used to only very seldomly remember any dreams upon waking but after taking ZMA i seem to always be waking up right in the middle of a dream. And usually a very vivid one too. Luckily no nightmares yet though *knocks on wood* :bang:
someone correct me if iam wrong, but shouldnt you not be waking up during a dream, as this implys that you are waking up during your Rapid Eye Movement (REM) phase of sleep, thus breaking that current cycle of sleep.
You just haven't taken it long enough yet...give it some time. I'm actually being serious about that one. Box, I was having this same debate earlier. During REM you're supposed to be paralyzed, so if you're moving then you're not in true REM sleep. Usually the jumpiness and twitching quits after a few days. Geez, I just made ZMA sound really whacked. lol.
Flaming I think the problem you had before was because your program was single factor and have ran it for too long. There was no "deloading phase" (recovery) so you just burned out.
thanks i forgot about that i did interval runs and circuit training 6 days a week and i kept upping the intensity and if i was aching i wud try harder cos i thought i was getting weeker i probably was, the only time i have longer than 3 days off ever is if i go away on holiday with the family, and we havent been on holiday for nearly a year. I kept doing that until about 3 months ago when i had to take a week off cos my doms wouldnt go. Im now doing 2 days on and a rest day i do some gymnastics type exercise not that heavy. im going to italy in about 3 weeks for 10 days so hopefully that will give me time to fully recover. How many weeks or months should i train intensley before i have a week off, or do most people just keep going until they go on holiday. should i keep training on holiday? .
the chad waterbury article you were given a link to is very good and so is its content. also, people are right with an exercise or sports drink post-workout. biotest surge is very good, i've heard good things about accelerade, or, if you want the budget approach, dr. john beradi (designer of surge) says that chocolate skim milk can be promising too.
Good nutrition, hydration, proper recovery cycles built into your training program, and a plunge tank full of cold water, about 5 degree celsius for an after training dip.
Don't change your intensity just because you're leaving. Just work out as normal, hit your trip and enjoy your vacation, then come back to it.
Thanks samurai, i think ill just do some light dynamic then static streching each morning so my ROM doesn't decrease and im gonna take some home made protein bars (whey, oats, water. microwave till firm mmm) and i should get plenty fruit.
I've heard bad things about microwaving whey. I recommend whey + PB + a little water + oats. edit: Im recovering faster from high volume deads that I expected. I guess it helped that it was a pretty conservative weight selection.
