I'm starting a new weight lifting program, and I'm trying to find good
information on how often I should lift. Specifically, I'm looking for
reputable articles or research papers that cite research on the length
of time it takes for muscles to recover AND grow after a hard workout.
I would like to know how these relate to the muscle soreness often
experienced after a hard workout. For example, have the muscles
finished recovering and growth when the soreness is gone? Have they
only finished recovering when the soreness is gone? Is there possibly
more recovering to do after the soreness is gone? Is there even a
difference between "recovery" and "growth"?

This research should then relate back to how often a person should
weight train a given set of muscles. For example, is it preferable to
start lifting again as soon as the muscle recovers, or should you let
it grow a little before lifting again? (assuming that the theory of
separate recovery & growth stages is even valid)

Again, this should be research done by a reputable organization, like
a University or something similar. Research done by companies selling
products to help with weight training is likely to not be very
trustworthy.

I'll leave a good tip if good information is found. Thanks for the
help!
Seth

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Clarification of Question by sethro-ga on 09 Aug 2003 16:37 PDT

FYI:
I just started a fitness program that requires exercise 6 days a week.
Here is what it looks like:
Day 1. Aerobic
Day 2. Upper Body Lifting
Day 3. Aerobic
Day 4. Lower Body Lifting
Day 5. Aerobic
Day 6. Upper Body Lifting
Day 7. Rest
Then the next week you switch and do lower body twice and upper body
once. I'm asking about muscle recovery because I found that after my
first tough upper body workout I was still a little sore when I was
supposed to do my second upper body workout.

Hi

Here is an example of a routine that would allow you to work out
efficiently:

Monday - Chest/Triceps
Tuesday - rest
Wednesday - Biceps/Back
Thursday - rest
Friday - Shoulders/Legs
Saturday - rest
Sunday - rest

This is based on personal experience with professional trainers. Keep
the workout sessions short but intense to get the most out of them.