My PT told me that different muscle groups need different amounts of time to heal:
Large groups need 72 hours (ie chest, back, legs)
Small groups (ie shoulders, tris, bis) abs and calves need 48 hours.
I personally would not use my muscles in a way that could possibly hurt them, even for one week. I've had a couple of slight muscle tears which slowed me down and I won't risk the monkey wrench in my tightly scheduled plans again. Summer's comin'! I don't have time for injuries.
PT pushes me to fatigue at the end of every set. If I'm not at the point of fatigue, she makes me do more reps. Because I'm trying to tone rather than build bulk, she stresses more reps over increased weight. Often I'll decrease weight with subsequent sets just to get the reps I need.
Also, a suggestion for cardio interspersed with the weights: Jump rope for 30-45 seconds between each set. PT made me do that this week. It was rough, but I got my cardio and strength training done within 45 minutes.
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