"Listen to your body" is great advice for people who tick two boxes; firstly knowing what they are listening for, and secondly know what to do depending on what they hear. This is complex and someone who has complete knowledge of their feedback mechanism for hunger and satiety, may be less in tune with the signals their body gives them about needing rest, for example. These are all things I'm trying to work on, and have improved on over recent years, however I'm not completely there by any means. That said, last night during training, I had no extra gear; the very thing I pride myself on. This is an early warning sign that my body needs a bit of a rest. A later warning sign would be feeling fatigued at lower intensities, rather than when trying to push. I responded by going to bed earlier last night, and taking my training down a notch today. I trained at 5pm in my own gym. The exercises I chose were in planes I haven't done much in the last few days so as not to overwork certain muscle groups or movement patterns.
Pin Press
2x2 30kg + 34kg chain
2x3 20kg + 34kg chain
Dumbbell Push Press
3x6 2x30, 2x30, 2x35kg
Seated Cable Row
3x10 80kg
Single Arm Bent Over Cable Row
2x10 Per Arm 20kg
Tricep Cable Pushdown
3x15 20kg
Equipment:
Back in my own gym means back on the Bulldog Gear power rack. This thing is like a Swiss Army knife, but a touch less dangerous. Click the image below to buy and use TH5 to save.
Food
At 7:30 am I had 2 rashers of bacon, 4 fried eggs and some blueberries.
At 1pm I had 1lb of mince with cheese, followed by a small orange.
At 7pm I had a rump steak, a sirloin steak and a lamb chop with a small chunk of stilton and one of cheddar. I followed this with mixed berries, Greek yoghurt and honey.
Tomorrow will tell how well my plan for extra recovery has gone. All being well I should be able to move with greater intent again, which I'm looking forward to. In my experience, complete rest often makes me feel worse that a well planned lighter day or active recovery day. I'll probably do a bit more of a mobility routine this evening to help me feel a little better still, and then resort to my nightly hot bath before bed.