Rest and recovery play an integral role in increasing muscle mass, especially during bodybuilding training. From Mike Mentzer to Jay Cutler, every iconic athlete has talked about this subject in detail. Recently, Cutler even dove into details, with some reasoning and logic behind the practice.
At 50, Cutler is probably one of the most ripped senior bodybuilders, working out intensely even at this stage. He recently admitted to hitting the gym every day because he was habituated to exercising frequently. However, when a fan asked him about the ideal time to rest a body part, Cutler was ready with a bold take.
Depending on the body part, Cutler advised to keep in mind the research-based recommendation of 72 hours. Picking biceps as an example, he mentioned that since it was a smaller muscle group, several approaches could be applied for growth.
“If I was going to train my biceps, I would give myself five to seven days rest in between.”
The reason why Cutler resorted to such a significant break in between was because of his volume training. His daily routine of going to the gym, often twice a day, led him to take more breaks across each body part.
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Yet, he believed that 72 hours of rest was a good base to build upon for individuals entering the fitness space. In the end, workouts and exercise routines could be personal and customized, and the recovery period would depend from person to person. Yet, he didn’t let go of the subject without reminding fans of the crucial role that resting played.
“Not to say you can’t shock the body and train it, you know, several times…but remember, recovery is when the muscle is growing. So be choosy about how you rest and how you monitor your workout.”
Training for hypertrophy often involves several experiments, trials, and errors before one finally cracks the code that works for them. In general, just like Cutler said before, it was critical to keep some basic principles in mind, like muscle growth through recovery and maintaining a balance.
Jay Cutler preached about the importance of balancing between the head and the heart
Working out at the gym for a bigger purpose involves more passion and energy than what one can physically muster up. Often, this leads to going overboard with the intensity of performing exercises or overthinking one’s way out of the gym.
In his newsletter, Cutler advised how it was crucial to maintain a balance between passion and physical endurance. One must not overthink their capabilities and try to go all in on workouts, but also not get too passionate, leading to injuries. Nailing the sweet spot between the two situations could help one enter a great mindset necessary to fulfill fitness goals.
