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What do you make of the below research which questions recovery time?

Title: Effects of a 7-day eccentric training period on muscle damage and inflammation.

Researchers: Chen TC, Hsieh SS.

Institution: Department of Ball-Related Sports Science, Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Source: Medicine and Science Sports & Exercise 2001 Oct;33(10):1732-8

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a 7-day repeated maximal isokinetic eccentric training period on the indicators of muscle damage and inflammatory response.

Methods: Twenty-two college-age males were randomly assigned to eccentric training (ET) and control groups (CON). The initial exercise was 30 repetitions of maximal voluntary isokinetic eccentric contraction (ECC1) on non-dominant elbow flexors with Cybex 6000 at 60 degrees.s-1 angular velocity. The ET group performed the same exercise for the following 6 consecutive days (referred to as ECC2 to ECC7) after ECC1. Upper arm circumference (CIR), range of motion (ROM), and maximal isometric force (MIF) were measured before, immediately after, and every 24 h for 7 consecutive days after ECC1. Plasma creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), leukocyte counts, and serum interleukin-1beta and -6 (IL-1beta, IL-6) levels were assessed before; at 2 h; and at 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 d after ECC1. Muscle soreness was measured before and for 7 consecutive days after ECC1.

Results: The ECC1 produced significant changes in most of the measures for both groups, with the exception of leukocyte counts. No indicators of increased damage were found from the second consecutive day of eccentric training to the 7th day for the eccentric training group.

Conclusion: Continuous intensive isokinetic eccentric training performed with damaged muscles did not exacerbate muscle damage and inflammation after ECC1. In addition, a muscular "adaptation effect" may occur as early as 24 h after ECC1, as shown by the ET group′s performance for 6 consecutive days after ECC1.

As you can see the results of this investigation indicated that repeated bouts of the eccentric exercise performed on each of the following 6 days after the first bout did not affect recovery from the first training bout.

This indicates that one need not wait for the muscle to be fully recovered before training it again!

Pls let me know your thoughts on this.

This is true, but there are two points on this.

1) Training again also does not ′add′ to the stimulus.

2) Training too soon also will wear on the nervous system. This will make it to where you are not able to train hard enough to induce further adaptations.

This doesn′t mean you have to wait a LOOONG time to train again, but long enough that you can train with a significant intensity so the training is stimulating.

Most positive changes from training such as enhanced protein synthesis, insulin sensitivity , hormonal changes return to baseline in 48 hours.

This would mean that 48 hrs after training one could train again.One could train more frequently and by not going to failure the CNS would be saved.ANd the more often one could train, the more frequently the training stimulus applied and all the resluting benefits such as protein synthesis, insulin sensitivity etc.

What are your thougts?

I′m surprised this topic hasn′t taken off. This is probably one of the biggest most important variables between training methods.

On the one hand, if the muscles recover in 48-72 hours, they ′should′ be ready to train again, and the more stimulation periods they receive, the better.

On the other hand, if ′other′ systems are not recovered, does training them before your total strength increases manifest do any good?

Low frequency training says: Wait until you have completely recovered so your next session is as significant as possible. Even if it′s the CNS that is slow to recover (as opposed to the muscles) it′s better to wait and be able to work the muscles properly with full motivation and intensity, than to train too soon and not stimulate any new adaptations.

Higher frequency training says: It′s better to keep sending the growth signal as often as possible, it doesn′t matter if you ′beat last workouts performance′ you can still keep inducing a stimulus.

?????

" 1) Training again also does not ŒaddŒ to the stimulus. "

– Respecfully disagree.

Stress is calculated through Intensity x Volume x Frequency. The frequency of training is stimulating.

Some more advanced trainees use several sessions, a microcycle, or even an entire mesocycle "loading" up on the stimulus. They then spend several sessions, micros or even a meso, "deloading," which allows the fatigue to dissipate and delayed transformation to take place (ie: adaptation). A taper is usually used before a competition. This is where you′ll see the performance gains built in during the load, after fatigue has left.

As one gets more advanced, the Stress required to induce adaptation (to make it to the alarm stage) becomes greater and greater, meaninig a trainee might use several sessions or a cycle as "the workout" and several easier sessions or an easier cycle as "the rest" to allow adaptation to manifest.

This is Two-Factor Theory in practice. The Single Factor "stress cycle" is a mini version of this (which is a surender in my book).

In the end this essentially means the following:

– If you want to give your best performance, you need to be fully recovered.

– If you need more stress to provide an increased stimulus, you don′t need to be fully recovered.

This isn′t all that important unless you′re getting towards the advanced stages and can′t look at progress as a linear process anymore. Since non of us are there yet, we should look at strength gains as a linear process and try to be recovered enough between workouts that we can improve performance each session. That doesn′t mean that we should ignore the possibility of a small stress cycle every now and then.

Jeff