Excited to get up early everyday head to your local gym, crush some weights with your training partner? A lot of people feel this way, and you should. Being excited to train is one of the most important aspects of success in the gym. Feel like shit, train like shit. Feel like superman, train like superman.
Recently I’ve started a new job coaching classes at a CrossFit gym in my area. Along with that, I switched my training to include 1-2 of these classes a week. I consider myself pretty fit. Ran half marathons, lift weights 4-5x a week, and go for weekly runs. These classes are no joke, in 30-45 minutes, I am gasping for air and my muscles are on the verge of cramping. Every class I participate in humbles me, makes me want to get better.
With my current training split of upper-lower-off, pull-push-legs-off, adding even one CrossFit session would mean training 6x a week. With my current goals of putting on muscle mass, this isn’t ideal. Recovery would have to be near perfect to maintain this long-term.
Fairly simple—adding a day of training made my lifts suffer and stalled my progress. Subtracting one of those days has made a world of difference. My current weekly split is push-off-legs-CrossFit-off-pull-legs. A month in, it’s really working for me. I feel more recovered, stronger during my workouts, and get insane pumps every time.
If you’re not seeing the progress you want in the gym, over-training—while rare—could be your problem. More often, it’s under recovery. Poor sleep, inadequate diet, dehydration, and stress are the top reasons most of us don’t perform our best.
How to fix your recovery:
Sleep – 7-9 hours every night. Go to bed and wake up at the same time. Me, I get into bed by 9:30pm, wake up at 6:30am. (8.5-9 hours a night.)
Nutrition – Eat healthy ratios of PRO:CHO:FAT*. 25:50:25 is a good starting place. For me that is 201g:401g:89g (3210 kcal total). Goal dependent*.
Hydration – 64oz of water with added electrolytes. I add 500-1000mg sodium, 100-200mg potassium, and 40-60mg magnesium to each 22-32oz of water. Or, use pre-mixed electrolyte packs.
One of the simplest things you can do for recovery outside of the gym is add an extra rest day. This spaces out your workouts so your muscles get 24-36 hours to recover before the next session.
Example: 5 day split vs. 4 day split
5 day – Monday: upper, Tuesday: lower, Wednesday: off, Thursday: push, Friday: pull, Saturday: legs, Sunday: off.
4 day – Monday: upper, Tuesday: lower, Wednesday: off, Thursday: upper, Friday: off, Saturday: lower, Sunday: off.
Comparison:
5 day – You HAVE TO train 3 days in a row. Most rest is 24 hours. Very taxing if you’re training hard.
4 day – Extra recovery day, never more than 2 days in a row, minimal muscle group crossover.
If you’re feeling beat down, under-recovered, or not making the progress you want, don’t just push harder. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your performance is to do less, better. That extra rest day might be the missing link between stagnation and growth.
Recovery is a skill. It can make or break your training. Learn to prioritize it, and your results will follow.
Onward.