Staying out of the gym.

[polishedball]

Anyone else go crazy on off days? I switched to a 6 day on 2 day off and today is my first off day of two i have to suffer through. I'm going crazy I want to go crush some PRs an have fun. I know I need the break as shoulders are toast and chest is my next lift, but I have the desire to go get it done.

And this week I will get my max rep set for 6 on bench. Been stuck at 5 reps for 3 weeks. Can Sunday get here already !!

[Dean6917]

Anyone else go crazy on off days? I switched to a 6 day on 2 day off and today is my first off day of two i have to suffer through. I'm going crazy I want to go crush some PRs an have fun. I know I need the break as shoulders are toast and chest is my next lift, but I have the desire to go get it done.

And this week I will get my max rep set for 6 on bench. Been stuck at 5 reps for 3 weeks. Can Sunday get here already !!

nope not me...I look very much forward to off days lol

[-=FLEX=-]

I train M-F and take weekends off.

Sometimes on Saturday I feel the urge to hit the gym; never on Sunday.

I have a rack, bench, 2 oly bars and 650lbs of weight in the garage, so during warmer weather I'll go do some deads or squats or bench or something.

[BillyBatts]

Anyone else go crazy on off days? I switched to a 6 day on 2 day off and today is my first off day of two i have to suffer through. I'm going crazy I want to go crush some PRs an have fun. I know I need the break as shoulders are toast and chest is my next lift, but I have the desire to go get it done.

And this week I will get my max rep set for 6 on bench. Been stuck at 5 reps for 3 weeks. Can Sunday get here already !!

Just another example of obsessive compulsive behavior that permeates our hobby. Anyone who works out and body builds rigorously must have a form of OCD, myself included. Our shoulders, elbows and knees ache. We nearly puke doing squats. We do cardio until our workout clothes are saturated. Yet, we keep on coming back for more and loving it.

I don't go crazy if I miss a workout day or two, but I do feel guilty about it.

[chodan9]

I feel that way every week
I don't fall for it though, I need th erest

[kimm4]

nope not me...I look very much forward to off days lol

This indeed...

Rest and recovery is crucial for growth, which happens outside the gym.

[DocHoss]

Sometimes I get twitchy and restless on days off if I'm not out doing something. Kind of like pre-migratory restlessness in birds.....

[BillReilly]

I feel that way every week
I don't fall for it though, I need th erest

This.

I've discovered the value of rest lately as I have pushed my lifts this year. I take Friday and Saturday off. Today, I'm so tired I'll probably be in bed by nine.

[CookAndrewB]

This indeed...

Rest and recovery is crucial for growth, which happens outside the gym.

I love this argument...

Ok, so I train 6 days a week. About an hour M-F and 2-3 hours on Sat. All tolled we will call it 8 hours. I work a pretty sedentary job, so I don't have to worry about wearing myself out bailing hay

There are 168 hours in a week. 8 hours represents 4% of that total (a smidge over, maybe closer to 5%... if that matters).

I sleep a very solid 8 hours a night,or 33% of my week. I also run with my wife in the evenings, so I'll call that another couple % that actually detracts from my recovery in some way.

I think most people can manage to do quite a bit more than we ask from our bodies in a typical workout week, without coming close to taxing our true ability to recover. Mind you that recovery adapts like strength or stamina... the more you call on it, the better it gets!

Yes, yes, rest and recovery are important, but you are getting PLENTY of it, without going out of your way to stay away from the gym.

[MuscleHQ]

I go a little crazy. My gym is in my garage so it taunts me every time I get in and out of my car.

[kimm4]

I love this argument...

without going out of your way to stay away from the gym.

Where the hell was I making an argument?

I've been training consistently for decades, with a long contest history. My recovery today is a lot different, compared to my teens/twenties. I don't go out of my way to stay away from the gym. I take what's called normal rest days, big difference...

[cmoore]

I hate rest days. Gravity is my friend and I like to play with her everyday. Typically 12 on 1 off for me is about the most I can stand and even then on my rest day I'll typically wander in and do light work and stretching.

[plumher]

I hate rest days. Gravity is my friend and I like to play with her everyday. Typically 12 on 1 off for me is about the most I can stand and even then on my rest day I'll typically wander in and do light work and stretching.

must be all that pine tree smell of crisp mountain air.

[Rowyn]

Yes, yes, rest and recovery are important, but you are getting PLENTY of it, without going out of your way to stay away from the gym.

We are talking about hypertrophy and strength here. If you don't rest and allow muscle and CNS recovery, you will inhibit strength and muscle growth. Can you still go run and do whatever? Yes. Should you go lift more? No.

We were talking in the Fem forum about how men and women differ in the training arena. In my opinion, women tend to think too much, and don't do enough. Men do too much and don't think enough. More is not always better.

[cmoore]

We are talking about hypertrophy and strength here. If you don't rest and allow muscle and CNS recovery, you will inhibit strength and muscle growth. Can you still go run and do whatever? Yes. Should you go lift more? No.

We were talking in the Fem forum about how men and women differ in the training arena. In my opinion, women tend to think too much, and don't do enough. Men do too much and don't think enough. More is not always better.

There are no absolutes. YMMV

[acguy73]

I feel that way every week
I don't fall for it though, I need th erest

^^This

[Kraken]

nope not me...I look very much forward to off days lol

Same. It gives me time to focus on diet and spend more time with my family and relaxing. I enjoy the gym, but I also enjoy my off days just as much.

Maybe it's a a point in your life that you're not busy with anything really important that makes you anxious to get back? I used to be like that, trust me, but with everyhthing else going on in my life, I enjoy it all.

[bigtallox]

There are 168 hours in a week. 8 hours represents 4% of that total (a smidge over, maybe closer to 5%... if that matters).

I sleep a very solid 8 hours a night,or 33% of my week. I also run with my wife in the evenings, so I'll call that another couple % that actually detracts from my recovery in some way.

I think most people can manage to do quite a bit more than we ask from our bodies in a typical workout week, without coming close to taxing our true ability to recover. Mind you that recovery adapts like strength or stamina... the more you call on it, the better it gets!

I'm not sure I agree with that last statement "the more you call on it the better it gets". I train hard, I pretty much give it all i have. BUT here's an example... Two weeks ago, I did a strongman competition. Two events were for reps, so they each took the entire 60 seconds to finish. The other 3 were speed events, and I finished one in 16 seconds, the other in 30 seconds. and the other in 22 seconds. So I did about a total of 3 minutes of work. After the competition, I went up to my motel room and slept for 3 hours prior to dinner (I'd post what I ate the 24 hours after the show, but I'm sure nobody would believe me ). I felt pretty decent the first two days after the show, the third day it started setting in, by the 5th day after I could barely walk up 1 flight of stairs to my office and any activity basically immediately made me feel like SH_T. That lastst for 5 days. Basically every strongman competition has had the same effect on my body, i.e. it does not adapt, and it's taught me, that now anyway, it's actually pretty easy to tax my body really so hard that it can take a long time to recover. It's definitely something to avoid, I save it only for shows, otherwise I'm sure my progress would come to a scretching halt.

[jrctherake]

Anyone else go crazy on off days? I switched to a 6 day on 2 day off and today is my first off day of two i have to suffer through. I'm going crazy I want to go crush some PRs an have fun. I know I need the break as shoulders are toast and chest is my next lift, but I have the desire to go get it done.

And this week I will get my max rep set for 6 on bench. Been stuck at 5 reps for 3 weeks. Can Sunday get here already !!

Well, just because chest is next don't mean you can't hit legs again unless they are toast too.......if so.......maybe just a light cardio session with some calf work.

[Rowyn]

There are no absolutes. YMMV

I agree with that, actually. What works for one may not work for another. But its a proven fact that muscles need rest and recovery. Perhaps you would have even GREATER success with more rest, eh? 12 days in a row? I would have to be running an "easy" program to be able to lift with intensity 12 days on and only one day off.

[cmoore]

I agree with that, actually. What works for one may not work for another. But its a proven fact that muscles need rest and recovery. Perhaps you would have even GREATER success with more rest, eh? 12 days in a row? I would have to be running an "easy" program to be able to lift with intensity 12 days on and only one day off.

Everybody is different. I've worked through a lot of different regimens over the last 28 years, I've been 30lbs bigger and 30lbs smaller but one thing that has always come to the surface is my body responds better to more often than not. I'm not going to discuss my routine/split (academically I'm doing it wrong I'm sure), but tailoring your splits, intensity, and exercises to your body and mind is what makes a program work best--be it for growth, refinement, strength, endurance, injury prevention/rehab, etc. The right exercises are important (i maintain different body comps respond to different programs) but for all the proven SCIENCE, psychology is at least as important (even placebo has been proven to be effective). Frequency makes me happy and keeping my head happy makes everything else better. Ps- text not meant to sound grumpy :-)

[Rowyn]

psychology is at least as important (even placebo has been proven to be effective). Frequency makes me happy and keeping my head happy makes everything else better.

The psychology of exercise is a whole different ballgame, as is the word "exercise" versus lifting. If it makes you feel better, certainly do it lol, as long as you aren't incurring injury and wear and tear.

[CookAndrewB]

We are talking about hypertrophy and strength here. If you don't rest and allow muscle and CNS recovery, you will inhibit strength and muscle growth. Can you still go run and do whatever? Yes. Should you go lift more? No.

We were talking in the Fem forum about how men and women differ in the training arena. In my opinion, women tend to think too much, and don't do enough. Men do too much and don't think enough. More is not always better.

I am well aware that we are talking about hypertrophy and strength, but if you think that endurance work doesn't have a recovery impact, you have a lot to learn.

More is not always better, but then again most people can do more and not suffer either. There is a point where your training outpaces your ability to recover, and I'm here to say that *IF* you think you can't train (lift) more than 3x/week and make progress, you are fooling yourself. It may be what you prefer, and I wouldn't argue with that. Cmoore stated that he does it because it makes him happy... I get it. However, being happy is not a biological limitation.

Again, you made the "if you don't rest" point... so how much rest do I need? I laid out the plain facts of my rest to stimulus ratio through a week. Do I need MORE rest? If anything, it is staggering how much "rest" I get! What limits me, at this point, is time available for training and not my ability to recover.

Where the hell was I making an argument?

I've been training consistently for decades, with a long contest history. My recovery today is a lot different, compared to my teens/twenties. I don't go out of my way to stay away from the gym. I take what's called normal rest days, big difference...

You aren't aware that your statement "you grow muscle outside of the gym" is the mantra of every HIT jedi? It is a very common point of contention on this site. I wasn't necessarily aiming my comments at you, though just the thought makes my hackles stand up because it smacks of broscience every bit as bad as nutrient timing and cortisol aversion.

You mentioned that your recovery today is different from your teens/twenties. Care to elaborate?

I'm not sure I agree with that last statement "the more you call on it the better it gets". I train hard, I pretty much give it all i have. BUT here's an example... Two weeks ago, I did a strongman competition. Two events were for reps, so they each took the entire 60 seconds to finish. The other 3 were speed events, and I finished one in 16 seconds, the other in 30 seconds. and the other in 22 seconds. So I did about a total of 3 minutes of work. After the competition, I went up to my motel room and slept for 3 hours prior to dinner (I'd post what I ate the 24 hours after the show, but I'm sure nobody would believe me ). I felt pretty decent the first two days after the show, the third day it started setting in, by the 5th day after I could barely walk up 1 flight of stairs to my office and any activity basically immediately made me feel like SH_T. That lastst for 5 days. Basically every strongman competition has had the same effect on my body, i.e. it does not adapt, and it's taught me, that now anyway, it's actually pretty easy to tax my body really so hard that it can take a long time to recover. It's definitely something to avoid, I save it only for shows, otherwise I'm sure my progress would come to a scretching halt.

Ox... there is a BIG difference between stress and distress. Competition typically redlines your body in a way that training does not. I know what you are talking about, sort of, as I've been incredibly sore after a strongman comp. I also know that if I didn't train my recovery from that event would be even worse. I don't think your story proves, or disproves anything, as it would be very difficult to say what your recovery would look like if you never trained, and then made a comparison.

But here, I'll give you an example of how recovery does adapt... Take someone that is a complete couch potato. They train a little bit, and get very sore from a pretty weak effort, right? Months down the line they will actually talk about how they don't get as sore anymore, even though they are lifting more weight, and probably have increased their volume to boot. You've seen that in practice, correct? Now, take a guy like you... powerlifter, and start him training in strongman. You have demanded a high level of strength from that athlete, and increased his volume a great deal. When you first started, I'll bet you got much more sore from training than you do now, even though you routinely handle more weight and more volume. You adapt to that change stimulus. The same thing happens in runners, in gymnasts, in wrestlers... you name it. The body will learn to adapt to the stress it is under. If you only ever impose level 'X' then your body will optimize for that level. If you increase the need to recover from more, your body will start to develop the capacity to recover to that new level. It doesn't happen overnight, just like building strength and muscle doesn't... but it DOES happen.

[cmoore]

More is not always better, but then again most people can do more and not suffer either. There is a point where your training outpaces your ability to recover, and I'm here to say that *IF* you think you can't train (lift) more than 3x/week and make progress, you are fooling yourself. It may be what you prefer, and I wouldn't argue with that. Cmoore stated that he does it because it makes him happy... I get it. However, being happy is not a biological limitation.

Whoa! Hold on. First I agree with you, but lets get this out. I do better with more frequent training- period. I've just figured out my recovery times and have dialed my splits to allow me to go more often than most could/would tolerate. The Happy part is a big deal though and should not be underestimated. Few people will ever reach their physiological max. WHY? Because of mentally induced limitations. Finding a way to have fun and stay inspired is a major factor in reaching a goal. This stuff is a long road, we might as well take the scenic route and enjoy the ride. Now we should probably end the thread though as some people really need to get some rest :-p

[freebirdmac]

I am well aware that we are talking about hypertrophy and strength, but if you think that endurance work doesn't have a recovery impact, you have a lot to learn.

More is not always better, but then again most people can do more and not suffer either. There is a point where your training outpaces your ability to recover, and I'm here to say that *IF* you think you can't train (lift) more than 3x/week and make progress, you are fooling yourself. It may be what you prefer, and I wouldn't argue with that. Cmoore stated that he does it because it makes him happy... I get it. However, being happy is not a biological limitation.

Again, you made the "if you don't rest" point... so how much rest do I need? I laid out the plain facts of my rest to stimulus ratio through a week. Do I need MORE rest? If anything, it is staggering how much "rest" I get! What limits me, at this point, is time available for training and not my ability to recover.



You aren't aware that your statement "you grow muscle outside of the gym" is the mantra of every HIT jedi? It is a very common point of contention on this site. I wasn't necessarily aiming my comments at you, though just the thought makes my hackles stand up because it smacks of broscience every bit as bad as nutrient timing and cortisol aversion.

You mentioned that your recovery today is different from your teens/twenties. Care to elaborate?



Ox... there is a BIG difference between stress and distress. Competition typically redlines your body in a way that training does not. I know what you are talking about, sort of, as I've been incredibly sore after a strongman comp. I also know that if I didn't train my recovery from that event would be even worse. I don't think your story proves, or disproves anything, as it would be very difficult to say what your recovery would look like if you never trained, and then made a comparison.

But here, I'll give you an example of how recovery does adapt... Take someone that is a complete couch potato. They train a little bit, and get very sore from a pretty weak effort, right? Months down the line they will actually talk about how they don't get as sore anymore, even though they are lifting more weight, and probably have increased their volume to boot. You've seen that in practice, correct? Now, take a guy like you... powerlifter, and start him training in strongman. You have demanded a high level of strength from that athlete, and increased his volume a great deal. When you first started, I'll bet you got much more sore from training than you do now, even though you routinely handle more weight and more volume. You adapt to that change stimulus. The same thing happens in runners, in gymnasts, in wrestlers... you name it. The body will learn to adapt to the stress it is under. If you only ever impose level 'X' then your body will optimize for that level. If you increase the need to recover from more, your body will start to develop the capacity to recover to that new level. It doesn't happen overnight, just like building strength and muscle doesn't... but it DOES happen.

It's hypocritical to say you understand the difference between each of us having a different recovery rate even on the same routine and call growth and recovery outside of the gym broscience.

[BrotherWolf]

In my opinion, women tend to think too much, and don't do enough. Men do too much and don't think enough. More is not always better.

I disagree somewhat .. yes woman over think it but most men do too

most men don't do enough and think too much(and they think they do enough) , this forum is full of examples of people thinking too much

[ProtienandIron]

Whenever I feel like getting in the gym on a day off, I just take the dog for a walk. It gives me the exercise high without eating into my recovery too much.

[polishedball]

Not that anyone cares but continued to just maintain my max set, maybe next week. But I have been continually dropping weight each week so I guess I should still be happy.

[Rowyn]

I disagree somewhat .. yes woman over think it but most men do too

most men don't do enough and think too much(and they think they do enough) , this forum is full of examples of people thinking too much

Not its not an absolute. But I spend time in both forums and the females really obsess a whole lot more over numbers and particulars. But they don't apply near as much "effort" and dedication to the gym. Whereas sometimes the guys think going all balls to the wall every training session is the best way to go while they don't always apply the philosophies behind proper nutrition and training. Those are obviously broad statements of course lol, just my opinion from being in both places quite a bit.

Not that anyone cares but....

Sorry, OP, were we ignoring you?

[BrotherWolf]

Not its not an absolute. But I spend time in both forums and the females really obsess a whole lot more over numbers and particulars. But they don't apply near as much "effort" and dedication to the gym. Whereas sometimes the guys think going all balls to the wall every training session is the best way to go while they don't always apply the philosophies behind proper nutrition and training. Those are obviously broad statements of course lol, just my opinion from being in both places quite a bit.

I think most guys think and say they go all out but don't actually do it