If you’re a veteran gymgoer, you probably know what it’s like to feel fatigued.
You’re drained, achy, and lethargic. The weights feel oppressively heavy. You’d rather go home and take a nap than train.
Look around online for an answer as to what causes this, and one of the first explanations you’ll likely find is something called central nervous system (CNS) fatigue, aka “neural fatigue.”
The reason you feel so down, the goo-roo will explain, is your nervous system has become overtaxed and needs a break, not unlike a barrel of a gun that has overheated from intensive firing and needs to cool off.
To resolve the problem, the solution offered is always some form of more rest and less stress, like taking a few days off or deloading or the like, and to avoid such issues in the future, suggestions usually include training less frequently or intensely, taking special supplements, and sleeping or eating more.
In fact, some fitness folks claim that minimizing CNS fatigue is a vitally important (and often overlooked) aspect of getting jacked—and especially for us natural weightlifters—and promote low-volume training plans as optimal for maximizing overall long-term results.
How reasonable is all of this? Is your body really so fragile that it can only manage a handful of productive weightlifting workouts per week? Is CNS fatigue even real?
To answer these questions and more, I invited Menno Henselmans back on the podcast to break it all down.
In case you’re not familiar with him, Menno is a bodybuilding coach, writer, and published scientist who’s also on the Scientific Advisory Board of my sports nutrition company, Legion Athletics.
In this interview, Menno discusses the different types of fatigue, what CNS fatigue really is, how much can result from training, how to deload properly (and why), and more.
Let’s get to it!
Time Stamps:
5:50 – What is fatigue?
9:40 – How can you tell the difference between mental and physical fatigue?
20:17 – Is there any way to achieve an ongoing deficit?
25:26 – How long can CNS fatigue last?
37:27 – What is your recommended method of deload?
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
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Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
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We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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Some popular pre-workouts are all-natural. Some contain the right mix of high-quality ingredients. Some provide clinically effective doses. But only Pulse checks each of these boxes.
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Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
This product doesn’t just “contain natural ingredients”—every ingredient is naturally sourced from plants and animals. This product contains no artificial or synthetic sweeteners or flavors of any kind.
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