I loved to train... can't seem to stay away from it....i'm 45 years young but the lil' nicks and dings are starting to add up.... out of 52 weeks a year if I rest 1 or 2 weeks it's a lot... I SAY i'm gonna rest but I end up right back hitting the weights... how do you guys stay away??... I know one thing that makes it hard for me is all my weights/equipment is at work.... I literally walk 50 yards and i'm there.... I train on my lunch break AND after work at 5pm... I can train through the injuries I have but I have a real big bulk coming and its probably best to be as close to 100% as I can...... advice? words of wisdom??
I was talking with one of my younger guys about this today but it applies to all.
I always see people doing this endless training, they simply use drugs to compensate for lack of proper recovery. you can drug yourself out of overtraining but it often leads to injury.
in order to constantly progress you have to take steps back, you can not and will not just continually get stronger.
someone touched on cns, but the important thing to think about with that is that when you start a new training phase you get these big bumps in strength as you progress, this is due to the cns adapting and creating new innervations which make you perform the exercise more efficiently, your body is always trying to become more efficient.
that is WHY you gain that strength then stall, the cns has adapted and you need to introduce a new stimulus to continue to make it adapt.
it also needs time to recover.
years back a bb his name was brian hayckock or similar talked a lot strategic deconditioning... but lots of things have talked about the same concept.
you need to take time off to recover, not doing it leads to more injury and more aches and pains.
the time off can be completely off, but you can also do more cardio or stuff outside, if you HAVE to go to the gym just keep it super light, barely get a pump, no real volume, I try to be sure I do not break a sweat when I do this. its just light going through the movements maybe practicing a new exercise or something.
doing this regularly will lead to a bigger you.
if you plan to do a big bulk take two weeks off, you will go into it raring to go and make great progress.