I have been trying some high intensity routines for a few weeks now. So limited sets, going as hard as I can. The results are good in terms of being able to see a visible difference and I am slowly building weight lifted. The downside is that even when leaving several days between sessions, I am still feeling over trained. For example, my workout mid-last week was 1 set each of deadlift, bench, DB row, shoulder press, curl and crunch – so six sets in total. I was feeling drained and had tight muscles all the day of the session, slept little for the next couple of nights and took four days to recover. I trained again today and already feel terrible.
My questions are: does HIT simply overtax the central nervous system of some people? Are there people it isn’t suitable for? I am 52 now, so I wondered if age was a factor. I’m frustrated because I can see a difference and feel good in the workout, but afterwards it doesn’t feel right.
Thanks
Stephen
Answer:
Yes, Stephan it can be easy sometimes to get into a situation of over training when your intensity is high. I don't agree with long periods of no training in between workouts. I feel that regular, consistent training has more healthful benefits than a few "Killer" workouts that leave you on your ass for a long period of time. To me that just doesn't make sense anymore. (Yes, I did do that once upon a time) Why not do some easier training (meaning not to complete failure) for periods of time and when you feel up to it go to failure on exercises that don't completely kick your butt. Whether or not it is taxing your "Central Nervous System", I'll leave for others to discuss. I feel over the years that the newer HIT types have invented buzz words and the science that surrounds the use of these words and have made HIT too inflexible. Whatever way of training you use you have to keep things simple and don't be afraid to adjust your workouts. As you age you may not be able to go to "death's door" in your workouts. That doesn't mean that you can't have great sessions in the gym. You can, and you can enjoy it too. Best of luck!
Jim
Stephen
HIT places tremendous stress on both the central nervous system and the muscular skeletal system ..If you are feeling so drained after the workouts back down the intensity a bit .. At you age maybe it is just taking you longer to recover. Most people do not have the ability to train with a high level of intensity every workout. HIT style training is also very demanding mentally - essentially asking your body for a perosnal best each time in the workout room. All of this takes a toll on the body from an energy standpoint. Try to get adequate rest , make sure you are eating enough calories and drinking enough water ... Add an extra day of rest if you feel drained. At your age I might add some exercises and back the intensity down a bit, or train hard one workout and cut it back the next - maybe trying to to kill it every workout ...Hope this helps and good luck !!!
Sunir
Hey Stephen,
If you can feel and see a difference in your workouts then you're doing something right. You didn't say what you do outside of the gym as far as job or hobbies. At 52 your recovery isn't going to be what it was at 22. But beyond that age has nothing to do with whether HIt will work or not. If you work hard enough you will see results. Don't go to the gym unless you are completely recovered. How many days that is will vary depending on what you have going on and how hard you work in the gym. For some people it can be as many as 10-14 days. With HIT, if you're training as hard you can, you're not going to want to go to the gym within 3-4 days. But if you're seeing results and adding a little weight slowly, you're doing something right. Something might be amiss with your nutrition. Without knowing some factors of your training it's hard to pinpoint. Good luck.
Patrick
