Work out frequency, recovery and fatigue

I've been doing F1 for 9 months now. Initially repeating each element twice a week. This felt fine until the reps and sets increased to a level where the endurance kicked in. I started to feel tired consistently so I reduced the training frequency to each element every 1.5 weeks. I then had a plateau for a bit and just wasn't progressing, so I backtracked a few steps to make sure I am getting full contraction and planned to start moving forward from there but it just hasn't happened. This process has taken many months and I'm still on PE1 for nearly all elements. Christmas caused a break in consistency for a week and then I got the flu 4 weeks ago and just felt too weak to train so did nothing for 2 weeks. I have been trying to find some consistency for the last 2 weeks and am only finding consistent failure. I just feel tired all the time. I would say that this fatigue has gradually been building as the endurance of each element has increased. It really feels like the nervous system is not recovering. I just don't know how to proceed. I am wondering whether my diet is a limiting factor. I don't yet have the thrive course but I am keeping things simple with making sure I drink enough water, cut out sugar and eat about 100g of protein per day. 

If anyone has advice on how I can proceed from here I'd be really grateful. More time off, less frequent workouts? 

Hi Antony, 

Sometimes training can be a frustrating process. There will always be setbacks along the path to health and fitness. 

I agree that Thrive may be something that you could look at. The correct nutritional intake definitely goes a long way towards aiding recovery.

In regards to your training frequency I wouldn't recommend backing off any further on each element. It is possible that you are overtraining but it could also be a possibility that you are not training enough to build your work capacity either. Training needs to be challenging as this is what forces the body into an adaptive response. This response is not something that occurs immediately you have to allow your body the adequate amount of time to adjust to the new demands that are placed on it. I would recommend training each element at Coach's preferred schedule which is once per week. Do this for a 4-6 weeks make sure that your nutrition is spot on and that you are getting adequate amounts of sleep. Allow your body sufficient time to adapt and build work capacity when the repetitions increase. If you are still feeling like you are stagnating then there is other factors that can be considered as well.

You also mentioned that you have suffered from a lack of consistency. This is the number one reason most people will fail at their fitness goals. Consistency in the fitness world doesn't mean not missing a workout for 6 weeks. Consistency means training consistently week in and week out for years not months. Consistency will always beat intensity. The people who experience great results are the ones who remain consistent in their training throughout the ups and down.

We are always here to support you and aid you on your fitness journey so feel free to reach out any time. 

3 hours ago, Antony Stanley-Clarke said:

...This felt fine until the reps and sets increased to a level where the endurance kicked in. I started to feel tired consistently so I reduced the training frequency to each element every 1.5 weeks. I then had a plateau for a bit and just wasn't progressing, so I backtracked a few steps to make sure I am getting full contraction and planned to start moving forward from there but it just hasn't happened...

You mentioned that problems started when the nr of sets and reps increased and endurance kicked in- isn't this potentially the place to look into?

People are different and reacting to training stimulus littlebit differently. Me for example, although I’ve been into different forms of strenght training for whole life (I’m 37 male), I can’t do it without balancing it with endurance training (running, bicycling, swimming). When focusing only on strenght training without additional endurance part, my body gets stiff (despite the stretching), the body is not able to relax and nervous system stays elevated, which leads soon to fatigue and even to overtraining. Maybe this is because I’m the weirdo who tends easily to overdo things (pushing too much), but I've felt similar to what you described several times before. Anyway, additional endurance training (easy jogging or cycling) couple of times per week has helped me a lot- it relaxes the body and muscles, calms the nervous system and thanks to the higher bloodflow in the body, it helps to recover faster.

Thanks for the advice,  really appreciate it. Kinda difficult to take it on the chin when I reflect on what I was capable of doing when I was younger. Now at 36 I am expecting to bounce back like I did 15-20 years ago.

In relation to workouts, I guess I was expecting to have a certain capacity and starting to think that I am constantly falling short. Really good to hear that one element a week should be sufficient to work with. This has given me some new focus as it feels completely doable. So thanks for the encouragement. 

I'll post again here in future and let you know how I'm adapting to the new frequency. 

Thanks again, Antony 

Hi Antony,

I felt the same thing when I first started GST at 28y/o (32y/o now). It will pass and the body always adapts. As Winter said, maybe the next step is to fix your nutrition. Janno's advise in adding cardio also helps facilitate recovery. You are definitely not alone on this one. Please keep us posted.

Hi Antony,

Am glad to hear that our forum has enabled you to refocus and brought you encouragement. So please do post again and keep us updated on your progress. 

Hi Antony,

In terms of fatigue are you saying that it's a problem just at the gym, or outside the gym too?  We all respond differently since we all have different bodies but I'll chime in with what's going on for me:

Variations in my diet have changed my over all energy and focus levels a lot.  For me greatly reducing carbohydrates and increasing fats has massively increased my mental focus and energy levels.  Secondly I'm experimenting with how long before going to the gym to eat.  I gym at lunch time, and I find that if I eat too close to the gym I totally tank and have no energy, but if I'm too hungry I also do terribly in terms of energy.

Dunno if there's anything in there for you, but that's me :-)

Antony - what are you doing on non-GB days? I've added in 2 days a week of masters swimming (had to check my ego at the door, got my ass whupped by 60-yo ladies when I started) and I feel like that's been beneficial for building both muscle mass and endurance. There might be something appropriate for you to do on non-GB days to recover & improve yourself.

On 2/15/2017 at 9:04 AM, Winter Phoenix said:

Hi Antony,

Am glad to hear that our forum has enabled you to refocus and brought you encouragement. So please do post again and keep us updated on your progress. 

Hi Winter,

Thought i would give it a month to see how this encouragement has really landed in me and whether it brought any lasting change in motivation. I can happily say it has. It's been 4 weeks now and i have successfully implemented a one-element-per-week schedule. It is definitely sustainable. I have a few times where i failed to complete the week. I am a javelin coach and like to muck in with the throwers and sessions on Thursdays, which resulted in that extra stretch leaving me wasted on a Friday and unable to complete my Friday workout. Otherwise all is going well. I'm now taking 2 full days rest at the weekend, which is leaving me really ready for Monday. That has definitely helped. Going to give it another month or so to see whether it's really bedded down or not.

Thanks again,

Antony

On 2/14/2017 at 1:14 PM, Janno Rillo said:

You mentioned that problems started when the nr of sets and reps increased and endurance kicked in- isn't this potentially the place to look into?

People are different and reacting to training stimulus littlebit differently. Me for example, although I’ve been into different forms of strenght training for whole life (I’m 37 male), I can’t do it without balancing it with endurance training (running, bicycling, swimming). When focusing only on strenght training without additional endurance part, my body gets stiff (despite the stretching), the body is not able to relax and nervous system stays elevated, which leads soon to fatigue and even to overtraining. Maybe this is because I’m the weirdo who tends easily to overdo things (pushing too much), but I've felt similar to what you described several times before. Anyway, additional endurance training (easy jogging or cycling) couple of times per week has helped me a lot- it relaxes the body and muscles, calms the nervous system and thanks to the higher bloodflow in the body, it helps to recover faster.

Hi Janno,

Thanks for discussing this. It's definitely worth me experimenting with. There is a bit of a block in endurance training for me as i am asthmatic. Normally once my breath rate goes over a certain frequency i'm pretty much guaranteed to start having some asthma. Growing up, it made me simply avoid any long distance running, swimming etc. I got a good share of fast twitch muscles as far as i'm aware and gravitated towards activity that involved short explosive movement: javelin throwing, sprinting and basketball. Since about November i have been introducing jump rope as a warm up and i am starting to adapt to longer sessions of continuous rope work of about 15 minutes. I really enjoy it as it requires dexterity, something that running doesn't do for me (unless it's sprints). It also doesn't call on my lungs and trigger asthma so much. I cycle multiple times to clients throughout the city everyday (have done consistently for years) and i've started using these 20min intervals to keep a steady pace in order to generate some more cardio work. Definitely feeling much better. Not sure whether it's due to focussing on one element per week and the stretch courses or a more gathered and focussed attitude since opening this post. Probably both. I am eating really well and resting better so i will continue to do what is working and see how goes.

Thanks, 

Antony

On 2/14/2017 at 3:21 PM, Leo Trinidad said:

Hi Antony,

I felt the same thing when I first started GST at 28y/o (32y/o now). It will pass and the body always adapts. As Winter said, maybe the next step is to fix your nutrition. Janno's advise in adding cardio also helps facilitate recovery. You are definitely not alone on this one. Please keep us posted.

Hi Leo,

Thanks for the pointers and good to hear that you have been through what i am talking about. So important for me to hear that someone can relate to it and has come through it. It cultivates some perseverance in me. So far things have been going well (see my previous 2 posts) for the last 4 weeks. I plan to carry on with the current rhythm as it is and see how it goes.

Thanks again, Antony

On 2/16/2017 at 0:49 AM, Chad Moffitt said:

Hi Antony,

In terms of fatigue are you saying that it's a problem just at the gym, or outside the gym too?  We all respond differently since we all have different bodies but I'll chime in with what's going on for me:

Variations in my diet have changed my over all energy and focus levels a lot.  For me greatly reducing carbohydrates and increasing fats has massively increased my mental focus and energy levels.  Secondly I'm experimenting with how long before going to the gym to eat.  I gym at lunch time, and I find that if I eat too close to the gym I totally tank and have no energy, but if I'm too hungry I also do terribly in terms of energy.

Dunno if there's anything in there for you, but that's me :-)

 

Hi Chad,

I have been experimenting with fat intake over the last 4 weeks and have reduced carb loads. It seems to have made a huge difference. I have also successfully killed most sugars in my diet and the craving too. I have regular almond milk/rice milk which has natural sugars and about 4 dates a day. Increasing fats has massively helped with killing the craving. No chocolate, no caffeine too as they just overly stimulate me. This is helping me stay in a more rested state in general.

As for timing eating, i definitely feel much better and more up for a workout the emptier my body is. I have a morning shake and a pint of water and about 1 hour later i start my workout. Feels good.

Cheers, Antony

On 2/19/2017 at 11:00 PM, Edward Henigin said:

Antony - what are you doing on non-GB days? I've added in 2 days a week of masters swimming (had to check my ego at the door, got my ass whupped by 60-yo ladies when I started) and I feel like that's been beneficial for building both muscle mass and endurance. There might be something appropriate for you to do on non-GB days to recover & improve yourself.

Hi Edward,

Thanks for the suggestion. I spoke about endurance stuff in an earlier post but it is something i'm playing around with. Actually noticed on my workout this morning how much i struggled with hollow body hold, whereas last week it felt much easier. This weekend i had quite a sedentary time as i was sleep deprived on thursday and friday and wanted to be completely recovered for a good session today. I wonder whether not moving around enough worked against me in this case?

Antony

10 hours ago, Antony Stanley-Clarke said:

It's definitely worth me experimenting with. There is a bit of a block in endurance training for me as i am asthmatic. Normally once my breath rate goes over a certain frequency i'm pretty much guaranteed to start having some asthma. Growing up, it made me simply avoid any long distance running, swimming etc. I got a good share of fast twitch muscles as far as i'm aware and gravitated towards activity that involved short explosive movement: javelin throwing, sprinting and basketball.

Hi Antony,

Just to elaborate littlebit more my previous comment...

I'm a fast twich muscles guy as well and I believe your problem (and mine as well) is related with that. I was naturally fast already in kindegarden and at school sprinting, discus throwing and shotput were quite good even without much training. Later on, muscle and strenght training has been relatively easy to me as well. At the same time, due to my friends and family, I've always been tilted more towards endurance sports (mountain biking, running, orienteering, etc). That's the place where the fast twich muscles are not so good thing anymore- developing endurance is a very slow process, and it's extremely easy to overdo things (due to the natural explosiveness, I have always some extra gas in the tank for final sprint, even if I'm extremely tired, and this is where silly things just happen). Sometimes I'm experiencing littlebit similar feeling with bodyweight training. Again, thanks to fast twitch muscles, it's easy for me to achieve close to maximum muscle contractions in every exercise, but maintaining this for some period (exercises like hollow body hold) or long sets like 5x15 puts an extra stress also to cardiovascular system. After strength training, I feel that my muscles stay on some weird elevated alertness level for longer period (which of course feels good), but if the next stength training happens earlier than the elevated level fades away, I'm stepping into negative cycle and within 1-2 weeks getting constantly tired. This is where endurance training sessions between GB sessions is helping a lot, and I don't mean the type of training where you are breathing heavily. I've found the best relaxing and recovery effect to be on such sessions where I'm breathing through my nose (ensures that I'm not pushing too hard).