One of the toughest challenges for bodybuilders is to take time of from the gym and give their bodies a break. But in interviews with six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates in FLEX, Yates often mentioned he wouldn’t train if his body didn’t feel ready. (Yates also kept a training diary that tracked how he felt after every grueling workout.)
That may be the best way to go, according to researchers from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. They reported that how you feel may be related to hormone levels. Scientists from the University of Tampa recruited 35 highly resistance-trained subjects to participate in a high-volume resistance training session consisting of three sets of 10–12-repetition maximum loads for each of the following exercises: full squats, bench presses, deadlifts, pullups, bentover rows, dips, shoulder presses, barbell curls, and triceps extensions. Rest periods were one minute between sets and two minutes between exercises. After the workout was completed, the scientists took blood samples (creatine kinase [CK], cortisol, and testosterone) and had the lifters fill out a questionnaire 48 hours after their workout to gauge their “perceived recovery.”
At 48 hours post-exercise, when creatine kinase levels peaked, there was a low, direct relationship with free-testosterone levels snd the lifters’ perceived recovery.
All the lifters perceived muscle soreness increased after their workout for their legs, chest, and arms, but the interesting aspect is that the higher levels of creatine kinase (a marker of muscle damage) correlated with low mood states. Also, at 48 hours post-exercise, when creatine kinase levels peaked, there was a low, direct relationship with free-testosterone levels and the lifters’ perceived recovery.
The bottom line is that if you don’t have access to blood work or chemical assays to monitor whether you are “overtraining” or not, simple mood state may not be too far of from your biochemical levels.
Use a training journal to monitor your subjective feelings about training so that you can keep progressing. – FLEX
