I did the same, haha. It’s part of the process. You don’t know your limits until you test them, but once you test them you gotta make USE of that data. Mistakes don’t frustrate me: failure to learn from mistakes drives me nuts.
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This is why I’ll now try scheduled deloads (change the stimulus for a week). Hopefully that’s adequate. A wiser man would deload properly, have that work, and not change a thing.
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I’ve personally find mental deloads very satisfying
I sometimes get the itch, but can’t seem to mentally justify it, especially with the already reduced work I’m doing right now.
As you know, underestimating your training max by 5% will surely not ruin a training cycle. Overestimating it by 5% will. This applies to your recovery needs, but in reverse. Assuming you need 4 days of rest when all you need is three will not ruin your progress but the opposite will.
I like to imagine a poorly constructed gas tank, that if you turn it too far towards “open” will pull the fire in causing a catastrophic explosion. Having it err towards closed too much means that the flame might go out, but it can always be lit with another match. Eventually the food will be cooked. And everyone will have their limbs.
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Fixed it for you
I used to have a similar time not really understanding that the guys I looked at in the magazines did not look that way year-round, and honestly they weren’t even trying to. You have to be able to assess the big picture, find where you can comfortably make progress when you are able to, and when you can lock things down and really push, obsessing about the finer details.
Trying to be so obsessive all the time will only lead to heartbreak and dissatisfaction in my opinion.
If all the writing and sharing that I’ve done on the site over the years has helped anyone, then it’s been worthwhile, because I was certainly fortunate to have support from some very knowledgeable and down to earth individuals when I was first starting out too.
S
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Week 5: day1
Sprints: 1x(50m,40m,30m), 2x20m
Pistols: 2x4/side!!!, 2x3/side-45lbs
1arm push-ups: 3x7/side, 1x6-r, 1x4-l
Rows: 2x(6/side-45lbs+30plank hip dips)
- felt a bit crap going in- mostly mental, felt a lot better after sprints, first 2 sets of pistols a LOT easier than expected- really smooth, the other 2sets really sucked and barely able to complete despite very long rests (over 4min), push-ups better than expected, rows sucked- left side slightly stronger??
Weekly checkin:
Pic
Weight: 93.0 (good digestion, low sodium)
@vision1 @dagill2 I’m struggling a bit mentally with my workouts. I’m getting more and more tempted to skip even though I’m or tired (ie want to do something else). I usually just push through but this morning it just felt too hard. Any tips to improve discipline? Can I go off program this week?
I’d push through if I was in a block meant to amass fatigue/in an overreaching block. If you’re not meant to be excessively fatigued, but you are, you should pay attention to that.
If you have a car and a fuel gauge that screams empty the question shouldn’t be, how do I get to my end-destination but where’s the nearest gas station.
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I don’t think I’m equipped to help you here, because my default frame of reference is an overweight 30 something who’s default reaction is to eat too much and train too little.
My thoughts are that you’re following @vision1 philosophy on training, so he should be giving you the advice on whether its appropriate to skip or modify the plan and, if it is appropriate, he should be coming up with the modifications because your instincts tend to lead you wrong on these things.
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What are you struggling with?
You seem to be making strength improvements
What do you want a break from? I’ve never needed discipline help so not sure what to tell you. A program that you don’t enjoy is probably not the right program for you. Do whatever you want, just make sure you take at least 3 days off.
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I just don’t feel like working out and want a little break from sticking to a program - “mental deload”
I’ll get back on next week
This can have less to do with the program and more with needing rest
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School starts next week and I’m quite stressed about that. Most days, I honestly just want to curl up in a ball and sleep all day
I would take the entire week off.
Curl up and sleep if that’s what you feel like.
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You know math.
Imagine a bunch of rays being emitted from the center of an xy-plane.
Each ray is some aspect of your life that contributes stress or takes energy. This can be despite the fact that it also is rewarding, there’s always a cost associated even to things that are a net-benefit.
On each of these rays there’ll be a point. The distance of the point to the origin illustrates how much of a stressor it is at the moment.
If you draw lines between all of these points you’ll get a geometric shape, the area of which is the full total of the stress you are currently under. When that area gets to be too large, it’s unsustainable. As a corollary, when a stressor disappears we can push the other points (exercise etc) further away from the origin. When other stressors (life, school) increase we have to reel back on others.
I’m guessing it’s too large.
Our bodies do all kinds of neat things to protect us. One thing that’s kind of cool is the effect of adenosine. If we exert ourselves, then we tend to release adenosine which binds to receptors and when that binding happens we become tired. We’re supposed to heed that signal then to recover.
Caffeine, I know you’re not a fan, binds to the same receptors making it so that the adenosine cannot bind. Thereby allowing us to overexert ourselves. To a point.
Sleep, rest and recover. School starts soon, you’ll do better if you aren’t feeling as you’re already feeling.
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I really like this model.
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It’s very good- unfortunately I have linear algebra ptsd 
That’s cause linear algebra sucks…
Calculus all the way.
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It’s the first math course I actually somewhat enjoyed
I have a hard time with visualizing shapes and geometric movement so all those vectors subspaces, change of basis, didn’t click
Econ applications of calculus don’t require all that geometry mumbo jumbo.
Proofs are cool though