THE IMPORTANCE OF REST AND RECOVERY FOR GAINS

Everybody loves to be hardcore right? We all hear those who brag "Yeah I train 7 days a week, etc etc." Well that's fine and dandy, but unless you have the recovery of a mutant, you're selling yourself short of gains. There is no way you can maintain 100% intensity without rest days/periods. If you can train 7 days a week for long periods of time, without any brak whatsoever, I definitely question your intensity.

There is also a reason why all the pros and top level guys and girls take breaks and/or reduce volume for periods of time. Even though rest and nutrition are there, the body eventually needs some sort of break. Not only do the muscles take a beating from prolonged periods of intense training, but so do joints, tendons, the central nervous system, etc. I am in this for the long haul, so I have to be smart about my training. Would I rather take it back a notch for a couple of weeks to allow my body to heal, and set myself up for a rebound of gains, or continue to blast my body until I'm injured and/or my central nervous system is wrecked and gains halt? It's a no brainer to me.

I have been extremely hard at it since March. I just started my new training called Fortitude 6 weeks ago. In the E-book, Scott Stevenson (the founder who is a renowned coach, bodybuilder, and doctor) explains how Intensive Cruises, or periods of deloading or tapering training will be a necessity. As I entered my 6th week, I definitely began feeling feeling the need for a break...I was more fatigued, my joints ached, my drive was there but I could sense it slipping, etc. Even though I was still intense in the gym and making progress, I could feel I was on the verge of a regression. Consequently, I listened to the system and my body, and will be implementing a cruise phase for 2 weeks. I will not stop training, but the volume will be reduced. Intensity will be as high as ever, but the purpose of the Intensive Cruise is to taper volume and loads to allow the body to recover, all while maintaining strength for when I come back full force. As a matter of fact, my lifts actually went up yesterday!

Increasing cals slightly this week in the form of fats. Carbs will stay where they are for now.

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