Lifting weights and racing. (A timing question).
 

How long after you lift weights do your muscles return back to "normal" or optimum performance level?

I lift once every week, and try to make it to the gym in the middle of the week so that it doesn't affect weekend rides/races, but sometimes it just doesn't work out like that. Is there a certain buffer period necessary between hitting the weights and racing/hard rides?

it's completely individual

If I lift to failure I am usually moderately sore the next day... the 2nd day I;m more sore and by day 3 I feel OK but I'm willing to bet if I tried to work my muscles till failure again(same muscle group) my body would not be able to do it.

Honestly if racing is important to you I would only lift in the of season if you look at a program by Friel you lift in your base/build phases but slowly phase it out so that by race season your not lifting at all

I actually am following Friel's program (loosely...). He recommends either stopping lifting, like you said, or just maintaining throughout the season, which is what I'm doing. Not a whole lot, not lifting to exhaustion, just to keep my upper body muscles strong/fit/less prone to injury and supplement my lower body muscle strength building.

I guess it would make sense that it's pretty individual.

I'm a bit sore for a couple days after weight lifting when I am doing strength building (higher weights, more sets and working to exhaustion or close). If I back off the intensity then I'm not so sore. I do my main weight lifting early in the week so any soreness is well over by the weekend.

Recovery times depend on the muscle group and your level of fitness. When I was lifting heavily - off-season when I was younger - legs were one big slow-recovery group. That would be on a one week cycle, with one hard workout and one lighter workout on the basic muscles per week, so essentially a week of recovery after a hard workout. Calves were twice a week, hard. Abs could be done every other day or more, the back every three days (though dividing upper and lower back work, so that's a two day on, one day off cycle). Arms three times a week, and so forth. It can be as complicated as you have time for, but you can see why serious weight training is usually a twice a day thing - there's just that much to do, and a variety of cycles suited to each muscle or muscle group.

That's some of what I remember from my off-season lifting a few years back, with a pretty knowledgeable training partner. During the racing season I didn't lift at all, just worked on stretches and keeping things flexible.

if your gonna lift through out I'd say do 10-15 reps and no set to failure, possibly your last set if you want and see how you react

but I find my legs need allot of recovery if I really beat em up

Does anyone hear -know what you are asking about? What do you mean?

Just how hard do you "hit" your weights? And do the weights "hit" you back? This "buffer" period you speak of -is that when you make your self all greasy-looking and shiny? Is that when you get "all buff?"

I'm pretty sure that there is some advice about "resting" for races, even if the race is scheduled on a weekend. I'm not so sure whether you have to rest for "bike rides."

Good luck, I hope you stay all "buffered" up for your races.