Recovery, Linear or Exponential?

I?m really curious about something: right now I?m doing what I?d guess you?d call Chad Waterbury’s 3 Day a Week Full Body program. (Btw, this has been a life saver ? all my injuries have gone away.) Of course, I?m pretty sore afterward and I?ve read enough to know that rest and recuperation is as much a part of hypertrophy as the time you spend in the gym.

But what I?m wondering is if almost all of the anabolic rebuilding of the tissues and muscle growth occurs linearly in the 48 hour period of rest between exercise sessions? Or does it occur almost immediately after the workout and that?s why you?re supposed to pump in protein, carbs and creatine right then? Or does it just occur during sleep?

The reason I?m asking is I worked out a few days ago and got a call from work in the middle of the night and didn?t get proper sleep and now I am SO sore ? much more sore than past weeks. And I?m wondering if that?s because I interrupted the healing process at a critical time. I?m also wondering if the first 24 hours after a workout are the most critical?

Hmm, if you can dig out the post workout nutrition articles, I think one of them talks about the maximum rate of protein synthesis being about 24 hours after the workout.

Of course, all the phases of recovery are important and so on, but maybe this will point you in the right direction.

Well I dont think it just waits to turn on its more of a it starts even during, but it is also being broke down and damaged then. the body is carrying away broken tissues etc. Then of course the more active you are the more energy has to go to that and daily bodily function. So I am betting that at night during sleep whne activity is least more can go to reapir.

Just my take,
Phill