Antti
Level 10 Valued Member
Up until recently, not much. I think I went too deep into intensity/volume/frequency for too long that the best protocol is a complete rest from the barbell for a week. At the point I reached, any additional exercise was not feeling restorative, but merely more work. I have since included walking/yoga and bodyweight therapy. That coupled with the layoff from the barbell has all ready had a profound effect on my energy/mood. I will deadlift tomorrow, however, but will layoff heavy benching or any other movements with the barbell for a few weeks. I plan to test my bench press max in about 3 weeks, in which leading up to it I will perform Pavel's last minute peaking cycle for two weeks prior to testing. From DeLorme, to the Bear, to the ladder/PTTP routine, I've had no deloads or weeks off. This is about 3 months of work.I think I've put in enough heavy work, and my body needs this break. I have, however, been doing light calisthenic work at home, mainly for restorative measures and it has been working. This includes BW Squats/Pushups/Chinups and a yoga/flow/walking routine. I started the Health ROutine Forum post in the BW forum regarding this matter and am happy to say I have received a lot of very good input here at SF.
Nothing wrong with taking a rest, or visiting other modalities for a change, etc.
I think the more effective the training, or the bigger the training load, the more one has to spend time and effort on recovery. The exact measures are individual, but they are there. Sleep, food, relaxation, restorative exercise, stretching... There are plenty of factors at play.
Myself, I like the heat/cold therapy, if I can call it that. I go to the sauna, take cold showers, and for example sit buck naked outside when it's freezing. Of course, it may be more difficult to do in California and otherwise dependent on living conditions etc.
I think walking is a great choice. I always feel better after a walk. Cycling can work wonders as well, especially for your legs. Bodyweight squats are great as well, just resting and squatting for time has helped me in the past.
I don't do a lot of stretching or mobility exercises, especially bodyweight. But I'm happy with how I'm feeling - if I felt too stiff or immobile I would do something. And of course, this is subjective, someone with my limitations could feel like he direly needs some mobility work.
When it comes to barbell training and how it makes me feel, I think minimalist high intensity training has always felt great and left me with lots of energy and less stiff etc. In my case, it's the volume and the assistance exercises etc that make me stiff and sore. Doing something like 10-20 reps of just a powerlift a day with sufficiently heavy weights has felt great. I often feel better towards the ends of my cycles, when I'm starting to peak and give up on the volume and assistance.