Let me first start by saying, I was first suggested this site in 08’ and have been on this site for every question I have and truly respect the community thank you for all you do. I have been in the gym awhile but logged my first program at the ripe age of 24. I work a production manual labor job in a warehouse and paint together being about 65 hours a week. I train atleast 5 hour’s a week. Despite logged nutrition and out of desperation two mag10 drinks a day I constantly am sore for usually in the 72-96 hour range. Am I just going to be sore forever? I have partners who receive little to no soreness any veterans have any insight? Thank you.
- How exactly are you training now, and how long have you been training this way?
- How much and of what are you eating?
- What are your recovery ptotocols?
Here are the only things you need to really concentrate on regarding recovery. The rest is pretty much window-dressing:
- Don’t train like an asshole - your training must match your schedule/stress levels.
- Diet- eat for performance. Develop great habits that will carry over to your entire life. If all you can do is “cut” and “bulk”, you have learned nothing useful. And in fact, are now part of the problem.
- Sleep - this is a no brainer but you get no points for being part of the Only 5 Hours Sleep Braggarts.
- Movement - if anyone is part of the Wendler Forum, you know the training program now consists of movement training that takes care of soreness and (basically everything else). For me, this was most significant change I’ve made in last 10 years.
So in conclusion, If you don’t have 2,3,4 at around 90% compliance, you better be smart with #1. This is where 99% of people fuck up: they got champagne training and shitty beer habits.
Thank you guys for replying as for the first response I pretty much followed picking four moves across a four day split and did two assistant moves for each. I do the explosive warm ups that were suggested by a gentleman who also did this program and got some tips from his group. I do a prowler and farmer carry day on the 5th day for conditioning, maybe I butchered the program or maybe I need to get a coach to re evaluate my form/tempo as Mr. Wendler mentioned. My diet is very much built around Frank McGrath “big on a budget” except I drink a lot of milk and eat about a pound of spinach a week on top of the diet. I’m in my second 531 and my recovery protocol is pretty much d asparic acid, zma, fish oil, and MAG-10 (2x daily) once at the warehouse and once intra work out
Some questions:
- How much sleep are you getting?
- Are you doing any recovery work (eg. Airdyne)?
- How many cycles have you ran and have you reset any TMs?
- How many reps are you getting in your + sets?
- How many reps are you leaving in the tank in the main work and assistance work?
- Are you doing daily mobility work?
I’ll sleep anywhere from 5-7 hours a night, I never really thought of active recovery because I’m so sore lol, it’s my second cycle I guess and I really don’t understand the “reset” pardon my ignorance and I noticed myself getting up to 14 reps in the 5 weeks and 6-8 in the 3 week and typically a double or triple in the 1 weeks but Did get stronger so I must have done something right lol. As far as leaving something in the tank I normally try to give 100% effort even if it’s less of a work load I try to stay intense and concious.
I answered all of the questions but it didn’t post this forum thing is frustrating to me okay let’s try again, I sleep around 5 to 7 hours a night, I never do active recovery unless manual labor counts I am either too sore or no time. This is I guess my second cycle and I don’t think I reset my tms I actually don’t know what that is pardon my ignorance.My reps were in the 14 range during the 5 week, 6-8 3 week and a double or triple on the one week I must have done something right because I got stronger but as for gas in the tank I pretty much always gave 100% effort regardless of workload I try to stay conscious of my intensity. Mobility would consist of rolling and trigger point ball and 10 minutes of stretching a day focused mostly on hips. When I re wrote that it wasn’t as good and I was frustrated sorry if I came off like a jerk
Stretch hard immediately post workout.
Then have the MAG-10 postworkout/straight after stretching
Get 8 hours sleep. One day a week try and get 10
Of the four things I listed, you are only doing/taking care of 1. That is diet.
All the answers are there. And the one thing that people need to realize that when you are training hard, you will get sore. But if you want to diminish the soreness, you have to take an active role in recovery. So you have the answers but are you willing to do the work?
I thank you again, I suppose if I’m going to take the time to eat right and train I need to research the movement program on this forum, I’ll start doing homework on that, my lifestyle will not allow 10 hours of sleep but I could maybe get 7 more consistently. I guess these are all goals I’ll need to work on… please don’t feel I’m not paying attention but is there anything I missed?
“…my lifestyle will not allow 10 hours of sleep but I could maybe get 7 more consistently. I guess these are all goals I’ll need to work on… please don’t feel I’m not paying attention but is there anything I missed?”
Yes, you still haven’t addressed the real issue. Read this over and over again and then realize what needs to change.
[quote]eatpray531 wrote:
I thank you again, I suppose if I’m going to take the time to eat right and train I need to research the movement program on this forum, I’ll start doing homework on that, my lifestyle will not allow 10 hours of sleep but I could maybe get 7 more consistently. I guess these are all goals I’ll need to work on… please don’t feel I’m not paying attention but is there anything I missed?[/quote]
Like i said ONE day a week ie weekend/day off try and get a really long sleep or even juts long afternoon nap
Unless youre like an ER surgeon on call 100+ hours a week you can get 7-8 hours every night.
“So in conclusion, If you don’t have 2,3,4 at around 90% compliance, you better be smart with #1. This is where 99% of people fuck up: they got champagne training and shitty beer habits.”
If you can only sleep x amount of hours and are having recovery issues then dial back the training. Agile 8 takes like ten minutes, yoga is cool, and both enhance mobility/stretch you out.
Consider moving to a template that has you lifting 3 days per week. Rather than adding another day of hard conditioning, split it up and perform conditioning 2-3 times per week after your strength work. You now have 4 days to devote to active and passive recovery rather than 2.
As you improve your recovery habits, you can consider moving back to a 4 day template.