Expert: Dean Dryer Date: 7/16/2008 Subject: training schedule
Question Hi,
i've been training for the past few months to return what I used to do 5 years ago. I was able to flare and flip and a few other things. since i started training in Jun, I've lost 15lbs out of 45 gained in 5 yrs.
How often should I train? I was told to let my body rest to be able to perform better in my next practice. I do heavy workout/training & practice on Mon, light on Tues. Rest on weds. Heavy again on Thurs, light on Sat. Is that enough?
Or should i practice/train daily? and rest 1-2 day per week? How often should I train hard vs rest.
Thanks.
Appreciate it.
Answer Reynand,
How often you train depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
For example, the gymnastics team that I coach trains 3.5 hours per day, six days per week (21 hours per week). We will train upper body one day, core strength the next, and lower body the third day and then repeat. This is in addition to our skill/routine work. That way each muscle group has two recovery days after a workout, but we are still working every day. We do flexibility training every day.
However, if you aren't trying to be a competitive gymnast, this sort of training schedule may not be necessary for you. If you are training for martial arts, cheerleading, or break dancing, I would say that the schedule you are currently on should be fine.
The real question is this: Are you getting the results you want? If you are then there is no reason to change what you are doing now. If not you may want to add to your workout or vary the intensity (how much work you do in a set amount of time). However, I would strongly recommend flexibility training every day. But you should always do it AFTER strength training, because doing flexibility first reduces the effectiveness of strength training.
