In strength training, objective measures ultimately determine recovery. If progress has been made, then sufficient recovery has occurred. You’ll know by the first set: An absence of muscle soreness is not mandatory for optimal recovery (see Warren et al., 1999). Still, other useful subjective criteria exist to determine whether you should train on a given…
Typically, between winter and summer I go through what I call a “two- to six-pack” rotation. My goal in the winter is to gain weight and I’ll let my body fat increase slightly to a two-pack status. In the spring, I tighten up a bit with my food intake and the midsection responds to a…