How do you determine time needed to recover from overtraining?

[matt_217]

Hello Rip,

In Practical Programming you give a wonderful explanation of what overtraining is, so I completely understand it. I am currently 6'0 203 (started at 169). I was 208 when I was feeling my best.

I was supposed to start the Texas Method after exhausting all efforts in the novice program, however, I am incredibly beaten down. I have lost my appetite a bit, can't sleep, and feel restless. This is because I didn't eat and sleep my usual amount the last week and a half of my novice progression - I lost 5 pounds.

My final full set of the novice program in squats was 385x5, 365x5, 365x5. I really didn't have the energy to do that last workout, I could feel the fatigue in my warm up sets, but I mustered up the energy to finish it.

It has been 5 days since that last workout, I have not worked out because I feel too run down and overtrained. I do not want to lose too much progress, but I don't want to continue overtraining and have it end up being even worse.

I think this is more of a volume-type of overtraining rather than being nervous system based, since I am not lifting that much weight.

Could you please give me advice on what to do from here? I don't want to go back to the novice program because I've already de-loaded two times on squats and deadlifts (three times on bench and press). The end of the novice program really was exhausting.

And I don't think starting the Texas method would be good for me at this point because the large amount of volume on that first Monday. I know you can't cover every single situation in Practical Programming, but what is my best path to recovery here? How could I implement a safe way of coming back with high weight low volume?

How does someone determine what is best for them and how much time to take off?

Thank you very much, your organization/work has been the greatest self-improvement tool I've ever utilized.

Matt

[Mark Rippetoe]

I was supposed to start the Texas Method after exhausting all efforts in the novice program, however, I am incredibly beaten down. I have lost my appetite a bit, can't sleep, and feel restless. This is because I didn't eat and sleep my usual amount the last week and a half of my novice progression - I lost 5 pounds.

What would it take to fix this?

[Giri Kotte]

What would it take to fix this?

Cut back the load a little, catch up on sleep and diet?

[madmaxaus]

Overtrained?

Under recovered.

[Scaldrew]

I know the answer to this, but I'll let matt reply as you asked him and not me. I'm sort of in the same situation, though, where I'm stuck in this rut of hurrying to get my food in and only hitting the sack (ladies) past midnight. This means I wake up later in the day and have to hurry to get food in and can only go to bed tired past midnight again. How do I make it out of this mentally exhausting cycle of hurried recovery, Coach? Is it just a case of "doing it" like with studying for exams? My lifts are slowly starting to suffer and I'm just pooped all the time and feel agitated without provocation.

[matt_217]

What would it take to fix this?

I know, to eat and sleep as much as I can. Which I have been doing these past 5 off days. In terms of programming, do you recommend that I just go straight into the Texas Method at this point?

[Mark Rippetoe]

If you are absolutely sure that eating and sleeping correctly will not enable you to get more progress out of the novive approach.

[Matt Reynolds]

Have you microloaded the novice progression? Also, are you in a place where food/nutrition and sleep are now back to normal. Texas Method certainly isn't easier to recover from than LP, its just that the "overload event" as a whole is a week long, rather than a single workout and 1-2 days after.

With Texas Method, you have to be as serious about your recovery as you are about your training. High quality calories and plenty of sleep are an absolute necessity.

I think if I were you, I'd reset one more time on LP. What are you doing for the pulls? Are you alternating deadlifts, chins, and PCs?

You likely would be able to run LP up to a 405x5, 385 2x5 squat, which would be fantastic.

Then back off 10% to around 350 for your first Monday 5x5 on TM. You should be able to run Texas method up into the low 400s for 5x5, and more than likely 450-ish for 1x5 on Friday.

[matt_217]

Have you microloaded the novice progression? Also, are you in a place where food/nutrition and sleep are now back to normal. Texas Method certainly isn't easier to recover from than LP, its just that the "overload event" as a whole is a week long, rather than a single workout and 1-2 days after.

With Texas Method, you have to be as serious about your recovery as you are about your training. High quality calories and plenty of sleep are an absolute necessity.

I think if I were you, I'd reset one more time on LP. What are you doing for the pulls? Are you alternating deadlifts, chins, and PCs?

You likely would be able to run LP up to a 405x5, 385 2x5 squat, which would be fantastic.

Then back off 10% to around 350 for your first Monday 5x5 on TM. You should be able to run Texas method up into the low 400s for 5x5, and more than likely 450-ish for 1x5 on Friday.

Thank you for the great response. Today is Wednesday, so its been an entire 7 days of not lifting and I still feel run down and fatigued, however I don't feel restless anymore and I can sleep/eat again fine. I am going to take today off I think and on Friday do one set of 340 for 5 reps to see how I feel.

I'm glad you told me that the Texas Method isn't easier to recover from than LP, I was thinking that since progress is in week intervals instead of 48 hour intervals that it would be easier to recover from. I now realize that was not the right way to think about it.

I am alternating deadlifts and power cleans. I do chin ups every bench press day, and I think those really knocked the shit out of me because of that week I had of bad recovery.

Also, I was only taking creatine and a protein shake here and there. Now I am going to really emphasize drinking more shakes and start using BCAA powder. Perhaps I will use beta alanine and HMB as well (I read the new article on supplements).