Im wondering if the educated posters on this thread have consistently trained beyond 90%. I found this thread while trying to research for myself how to recover from CNS fatigue due to what just happened in the gym these last 2 days. Friday (yesterday) would normally be my deadlift/posterior chain day.
I went into the gym prepared to deadlift or die just like any other Friday and what happened had me beyond pissed off at myself (we are talking seeing blood red). Keep in mind I’ve only been lifting seriously for about a year and a half guys don’t bash on the low numbers here. So I warmed up the same as usual, up to 405 before hitting it heavy.
Previous PR was 465 for a 1RM but felt extremely good that day and decided what the hell lets go for 475. It came up easily enough I knew 485 would be a grinder but I could get it. 485 came to my knees before getting stuck (my weakness is off the floor, strongest point of the lift for me is the top half). After hitting failure with 485 I dropped the weight back to 475, no go, 430, no go, 405 (usually pulls pretty fast and is currently a 6RM)…wouldn’t budge.
I’ve heard about CNS fatigue before but never experienced it however when 405 wouldn’t budge I started wondering if this could potentially be CNS fatigue so I ended the workout there and decided to get a full nights rest and attempt a 5x5 the next day (today). Currently I’m using 430 for my 5x5 however today I could barely pull 385 (WTF!!!)
In conclusion despite what the the scientist say I believe CNS fatigue is very real after pulling above 90% for an extended period of time. From the research I’ve read on the topic so far it looks like the only thing I can do (as well as any one else reading this thread who is experiencing the same thing) to recover and continue pulling heavy is to rest, maybe deload the big 3 for a week and good nutrion.
[quote]ferebeescott211 wrote:
Im wondering if the educated posters on this thread have consistently trained beyond 90%. I found this thread while trying to research for myself how to recover from CNS fatigue due to what just happened in the gym these last 2 days. Friday (yesterday) would normally be my deadlift/posterior chain day.
I went into the gym prepared to deadlift or die just like any other Friday and what happened had me beyond pissed off at myself (we are talking seeing blood red). Keep in mind I’ve only been lifting seriously for about a year and a half guys don’t bash on the low numbers here. So I warmed up the same as usual, up to 405 before hitting it heavy.
Previous PR was 465 for a 1RM but felt extremely good that day and decided what the hell lets go for 475. It came up easily enough I knew 485 would be a grinder but I could get it. 485 came to my knees before getting stuck (my weakness is off the floor, strongest point of the lift for me is the top half). After hitting failure with 485 I dropped the weight back to 475, no go, 430, no go, 405 (usually pulls pretty fast and is currently a 6RM)…wouldn’t budge.
I’ve heard about CNS fatigue before but never experienced it however when 405 wouldn’t budge I started wondering if this could potentially be CNS fatigue so I ended the workout there and decided to get a full nights rest and attempt a 5x5 the next day (today). Currently I’m using 430 for my 5x5 however today I could barely pull 385 (WTF!!!)
In conclusion despite what the the scientist say I believe CNS fatigue is very real after pulling above 90% for an extended period of time. From the research I’ve read on the topic so far it looks like the only thing I can do (as well as any one else reading this thread who is experiencing the same thing) to recover and continue pulling heavy is to rest, maybe deload the big 3 for a week and good nutrion.
Any other experienced opinions out there?[/quote]
Perhaps you were just too tired after attempting a max single on a very demanding exercise?
I just don’t believe that the condition is correctly named. There is no evidence that the etiology of the state is purely neurological in nature, much less, specifically occurring in the brain and spinal cord. Considering the fact that synaptic fatigue can occur systemically throughout the cns, pns and at the neuromuscular junctions, we must also assume that this phenomenon, if neurological in nature, must occur throughout the entire nervous system. This is so not because we have evidence to suggest so, but because we do not have evidence to suggest otherwise. This same statement could be made for any other system of the body one may believe is the cause.
I think that most of those who find the phrase off putting do so because it is definitely stated as “CNS Fatigue” or “CNS Burnout” when we actually don’t know that it occurs in the CNS. It is purely speculation but is stated as fact. In medicine, such conditions are referred to by the symptoms they cause or by the one who discovered the condition and called a syndrome rather than by the anatomical or physiological basis of the disease. This is obviously so since we don’t know what caused the condition in the first place and thus cannot possibly describe its’ origins in the title of it! Therefore, the more seldomly used names such as “over training” or “under recovering” seem much more appropriate. \
Edit: I just had a thought that no one has brought up in this thread which may or may not be relevant. When a contractile and/or supportive anatomical structure is in danger of being injured due to a load, a neurological inhibitory response is applied to the nerves innervating the surrounding tissues to stop the injury from occurring. When a person who has accumulated a large amount of fatigue from which they must recover, it is possible that these wide spread inhibitory responses could cause them to feel very weak. This is just a thought; however. I’ll have to look and see if I can find any supporting information.