HERNON TRAINEES

B~RAD · May 17, 2009

We all know of the lifting schedule Phil has us on. Only a few days off a week. I love it. I get a little bit stronger nearly every workout. This week was finals week and I'm taking 22 credit hours

I skipped 4 days and ate like shit because of it. I didn't follow the diet at all, hardly any sleep. And was dreading coming back yesterday to lift because I knew my numbers would be horrible.

I start on the farmers walk and worked up to the weight I did last time 50feet down and back, like always. 3 SECONDS FASTER. I was so excited. Standing calf raises. 20 pounds more plus another rep then last time. EVERY lift went up tremendously.

So my question is, how often should I be taking 3-4 days off? It's obviously a good thing to do from this experience. Maybe even phil could chime in on what he thinks is best.

patrick · May 17, 2009

Last time i asked Phil said he didnt think it was nescessary. But if YOU think its nescessary, just take the rest. I should follow the diet though, that would probably make your "come-back" even better.
Just listen to your body. Same goes for eating etc.

HeavyHands · May 17, 2009

Hm...

I have a feeling this sort of thing would not be advised by the big man, because if you do follow the plan he has made for you to a T, it seems that everything will fall into place accordingly...

However, I too have taken a couple days off (extra 2 at the most) during finals and I was not eating great. When I hit the gym again and hopped back onto the diet plan, I noticed that I was feeling stronger and had a bit more endurance for that first workout. Interesting.

With that said, I did feel a ton of guilt for doing this and felt that had I informed Phil of this deviation from the plan I would receive a prompt CAPITALIZED e-mail telling me how imperative it is for me to NOT do this

Dens228 · May 17, 2009

I've been training under Phil since April 1st and haven't deviated yet but it hasn't been that long. Diet-wise I think it's more important to stick with it as best you can.

I've been training for a long time, about 33 years, pretty much non stop. One of the benefits of experience is knowing your body. Forcing yourself to workout when your body is telling you to take a day off is not a good thing. Taking a day off because your lazy is not a good thing. There is a big difference between the two. I used to be one of those guys that would never miss a workout, I was terrified I'd shrink away to nothing if I missed a workout. Then I realized that there are times, although not that often, where it's smarter to miss a workout. Just don't make a habit of it. I probably miss maybe two or three workouts a year. It's going to happen.

Real life is going to throw you roadblocks and detours that will get in the way and take priority over training. Finals, work, children, etc you need to stay balanced. Consistency over TIME is the key and is what separates those who are successful from those who are not.

PHIL HERNON · May 17, 2009

Good question!

It is all individual..........stresses in life can cause increased recovery time as opposed to another.......If that applies to you, you should take a day or two off.....6-7 hours of sleep is important also........I can guarantee though that although you may be strong after a few days of letting your joints and micro tears recover, not training and not eating correctly will catch up with you quickly and the production will go downhill fast.....its is all about learning your body, good job B~RAD

B~RAD · May 18, 2009

PHIL HERNON said:
It is all individual..........stresses in life can cause increased recovery time as opposed to another.......If that applies to you, you should take a day or two off.....6-7 hours of sleep is important also........I can guarantee though that although you may be strong after a few days of letting your joints and micro tears recover, not training and not eating correctly will catch up with you quickly and the production will go downhill fast.....its is all about learning your body, good job B~RAD

Thanks for posting Phil. I know for a fact that the diet makes or breaks you. Before this week with finals, I've probably cheated MAYBE 2-3 times since I've been working with you. NOT bad for going back to october haha. I also rarely skip the schedule. Besides taking some time off for competitions, I haven't taken a day off since new years day (gym closed). But I've been having lots of lower back pain and just lifting through it. I'm going to my first chiropractor tomorrow. Although after taking some time off, I have ZERO back pain, and that's after stones, tire flips,deadlifts, and squats lol.

New personal records on everything today. I deadlifted a weight for 4 reps last time and today did 7 with the same weight. Huge increase for me. I think I'm going to take a few days off every couple of months now. It seems very beneficial.