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Anyone who has ever trained seriously for strength or size has run into this problem…..
Their body simply hits a wall.
“The Wall” can come in many different shapes and sizes.
For some the burn out is physical, for some it’s mental.
For some it’s a lot of aches, pain, inflammation, and even injury.
For others it’s just a sense of overwhelming fatigue and dread of training sessions.
So how do we know what to adjust when we hit the wall???
There are usually a few key variables to look at:
- Per Session Training Volume
- Per Session / Weekly Intensity
- Training Frequency
- Exercise Selection
- Recovery Factors
To some degree you have to learn how to use a little bit of Intuition & Instinct to figure out what needs to give.
To be blunt – a good portion of you reading this lack this ability when it comes to your training.
And it is not because you are incapable of applying Intuition & Instinct to your training……It’s because you won’t give yourself permission to use them (read that again).
It’s as simple as this:
Are your training sessions taking forever? If you are north of 90 minutes in a training session you’re doing too much (or just moving too slow).
Bring down the per session volume to get your sessions somewhere in the 60-90 minute range.
Many of you who are trying to get hyuuuuge! have been conditioned to believe that More Volume = More Hypertrophy.
It doesn’t.
Most of you could get the same – or much better results – by doing 1/2 of the volume you are currently doing if you’d just up the effort levels a little.
But I digress……
So this brings us to Intensity…..
If you’re a strength athlete, you obviously have to go heavy. But going too heavy too often or too heavy for too many sets per session is problematic.
Max Effort 1-5 rep sets should be a very small percentage of your overall total workload across the week.
Fill in the volume with lighter weight, higher velocity back off sets and more assistance work.
If you find yourself doing a ton of maximal effort 1-5 rep sets, then this might be your issue.
Training Frequency…….
This can mean less overall days per week, or it might mean more days per week, but training each lift / muscle group less frequently.
For instance…….training the full body on Monday / Wednesday / Friday has you potentially Squatting 3 days per week.
Switching to a 4-day per week Upper / Lower split will increase your overall frequency but will reduce your Squatting frequency (and generally shorten session duration).
On the flip side……taking your 4-day per week Upper / Lower split and running it across a 3-day training week can do wonders for recovery.
This is one of my favorite deload techniques if you are just feeling generally tired, fatigued, and dreading training.
- Monday – Upper I
- Wednesday – Lower I
- Friday – Upper II
- Monday – Lower II
- Wednesday – Repeat Schedule
Exercise Selection……..
As you progress in strength and in years under the bar, you’re probably going to want to institute some variety into your training.
If for nothing else a more diverse menu of exercises cuts down on overuse related wear and tear.
It’s just like rotating the tires on the car.
It can be as simple as switching from Low-Bar Squatting 2x/week to Low-Bar Squatting 1x/week and replacing the second day with the Safety Squat Bar.
Lastly – and I know this is beating a dead horse – look at your Recovery Factors.
Try and get your 7-8 hours per night.
For nutrition – don’t just think “More!” Think better.
The vast majority of your calories should come from lean sources of meat, vegetables, fruit, rice, and potatoes. Probably 80-100% of your calories should come from those simple menu items.
Try eating just off that simple menu for 1-2 weeks and see how your body feels.
Does your body need a break?
If you are a strength athlete my best “low stress” program is Garage Gym Warrior 2.
It still yields great results, but does so without the grind. I really like it as a follow up to harder bouts of training.
If you’re looking to build maximum muscle mass with more efficiency then try my Upper / Lower Hypertrophy Program.
Or look into following the Body Building Track in my online coaching group – The Baker Barbell Club. Frequency on this program is high (up to 6 days per week) but the workouts are short and focused.
