If you are a body builder at any level then you know how difficult it is on the body.
Fatigue can easily become one of your largest enemies.
First, it is the initial fatiguing of the muscles as you attempt to develop them. Next, it is the long-term muscle fatigue as you break through physical boundaries. Finally, comes the mental fatigue that can cause your work ethic to falter.
Each has its own ways of ruining your achievements. The solution to each type of fatigue is to acknowledge it and then work to break through it. While that’s easier said than done, anyone can do it with the right amount of practice and effort.
Initial Fatigue
When we first start working out, some of our muscles simply are not capable of doing what we want them to do. This is especially true when we reach the limits of our reps and sets. It is always important to “listen” to the body and what it is trying to tell you.
You must be able to find ways to work past the fatigue that sets in during these set routines. Often, you will feel the muscles begin to shake slightly, and then there is a stall in the progression of the rep.
While it is important not to injure yourself, it is equally crucial to push yourself past the supposed boundaries of the workout. If you must give up on the rep, allow your body to reach its resting position. Give yourself time to recuperate and then try again.
Once you reach this mental blockade, it’s often the case that two or three reps is the standard. It is for the very reason that while you want to overcome the fatigue, you do not want to injure yourself.
Mid-Range Fatigue and Diet
Over the course of months, you can find that your body is not responding the way it ought to. Perhaps the initial month of workouts was great yet the following month it falters.
One of the most common causes for this is diet.
Avoid cutting out too many carbs or taking in too much dairy or processed fats.
While initially you may have enough reserves to power through workouts, the body may be losing nutrients due to extreme or abrupt diets.
This can cause the body not to perform as well as it otherwise could. Body building means needing carbohydrates and protein at a consistent level. You also need to be chalked full of many nutrients and nitrogen. If a diet is too restrictive or does not allow enough calories, you can begin to wane.
Remember that increased workouts means increased nutrients/macronutrients are needed. By loading the body with all the macronutrients it needs, you will be able to avoid the general drop-off in performance.
Mental Fatigue and Physical Plateaus
Plateauing is the great nemesis of the body builder.
A plateau essentially takes all the hard work you have done and marginalizes the reward.
There are many simple tricks of the trade that can help overcoming plateauing. However, one of the most overlooked aspects is to notice mental fatigue that leads to physical shortcomings.
Many bodybuilders will begin to grow far too accustomed to the routines they put themselves through. When this happens, form tends to falter or reps and sets tend to fall by the wayside. It can be difficult to keep up perfect form and progress sometimes.
However, you owes it to yourself to make sure performance does not flag.
Fatigue of the mind and body can be a real roadblock to success. Switching up the order of routines can help. Other times, using rest days to do activity-based workouts that work the same muscles can also aid to break up the monotony.