Plan your workout split so that you are giving at least 2 to 3 days of rest for each muscle group you work out for it to function to its fullest at each work out. That does not mean you won’t feel slightly sore or a little tight when you’re back to work out that muscle group. The main reason for giving that 2-3 day period of rest is so that your neural end plates had enough time to recycle and replenish the neurotransmitters to the level needed to optimally contract the muscle. The density of neural end plates at a muscle and the amount of readily available neurotransmitters at the neural end plate greatly contribute what we refer to as strength. The beginner’s exponential pace of gain in strength has to do with recruitment and formation of end plates between the muscle fibers and nerves. Whereas, the noticeable gain in strength from resting 3 days versus resting only one day has to do with replenishment of the neurotransmitters. If you rest too little, you’ll not have enough neurotransmitters to get the optimum amount of contraction to force micro tears, and hypertrophy of the muscle in return.
