Post Workout Recovery, Day 2: Ouch!

The best / worst part about working out is dealing with the pain in my muscles. It's always the 2nd day of recovery that hurts the worst, and especially when dealing with the 1st week back at the gym. In the first week I'm pretty much setting a baseline for my body to grow from, if I go too easy then I'll have slow gains and if I go too hard, I'll burn myself out or fail too quickly.

My past 2 days, I've done a couple of regular workout routines focusing on my Legs the 1st Day and Chest 2nd Day. Today is a day of rest, I have to let my body recuperate some strength before I finish off the week with some more legs, arms, & back exercises.

Here's a breakdown of my workout for the past 2 days:

Legs - Day 1

Angled Leg Press (upward pushing)

• 2 warm-ups, 1 minute break
• 1 set to fail (12), 10 sec rest
• 5 sets of 6, 10 sec rest in-between

Squats - Smith Machine

• 2 warm-ups, 1 minute break
• 1 set to fail (15), 10 sec rest
• 4 sets of 6, 10 sec rest in-between

Leg Extensions

• 1 warm-up, 1 minute break
• 4 sets of 15, 1 minute break

Alternating Lunges (straight to wall, then diagnal back)

• 3 sets with 10lbs in each grip, 20 steps each way, 30 sec break

Chest - Day 2

Incline Bench Press

• 2 warm-up sets of 20, 1 minute rest
• 1 set to fail (12), 10 sec rest
• 4 sets of 6, 10 sec rest in-between

Flat Bench Press

• 2 warm-up sets of 15, 1 min rest
• 4 sets of 10, 10 sec rest in-between

Decline Free-Weights

• 3 warm-up sets of 10, 1 min rest
• 4 sets of 10, 10 sec rest

Cables Pull / Push 3-levels (high, middle, low)

• 10 reps, 2 different sets per level, no rest (60 reps total)
• 12 reps, 2 different sets per level, no rest (72 reps total) (repeat once)

Its a good base-line start for my workout regimen this time around. When creating your own baseline, you want to push your self about 80% to prevent complete muscle tear-down. The first 2 weeks of starting any workout is the hards for anybody both mentally and physically. Make sure to drink atleast 1-gallon of water per day, eat regularly and supplement protein shakes in-between your meals for maximum recovery.