How many times have you fallen into a rut that’s really derailed your progress and motivation to exercise? For the majority of us who are passionate and enthusiastic, there comes a point where we stop making progress and feel lethargic in the gym. So the question what is going on?

A few things, depending on your specific situation you may need to make a change to your exercise programs or you may actually make more gains by abstaining from exercise. Sound crazy? Not at all.

So, if you are working hard in the gym (and being honest with yourself is important) if you’re doing a lot of resistance training, perhaps lifting some heavy weights and have a lot of volume (a lot of reps, sets and different exercises) then you should actually be resting upon completion of your program. Yes, exercise is something that we do for life but that doesn’t mean we leave no rest periods in between routines. How long should that run? Well, the typical training routine should run for 3 weeks. More complex / advanced programs will run 6 weeks. Now, you will find programs that last a year but rest periods are built into these programs. They are simply segmented in to several 3-6 week periods before which you rest.

How long is rest? Typically you would rest for 1 week. So that means you work hard for 3-6 weeks, complete your program then take 1 week away from the gym. Relax during this time. For optimal results, think of sleep and rest as training. Your body requires nutrition and rest during this week so take that hour you would have spent in the gym and dedicate it to sleep or rest.

Without proper rest periods, you not only increase your chance of incurring an injury but you also put your body into a reverse state where you not only progress but begin to feel weaker, over train your muscles and begin to experience lethargy. A week of rest followed by a new program will change all of that. Please keep in mind that extreme over training which typically involved continuous exercise with very heavy weights, focused on the same body part or extremely high volume and several days a week can take up to 4 weeks to recover from so please train wisely and avoid anything overly extreme unless you are working with a professional and have built yourself up to that level – even still, always pay attention to your body. What works in theory does not always work in practice as we are all different in terms of fitness, health, nutrition, hours of sleep per night etc.

What else could the problem be? For those who are not participating in such activities, the answer is much more simple. You need to take a look at the amount of sleep you’re getting and take it up a notch (aim for 8, not 6) or look to your diet. Cutting out carbohydrate sources is typically the number one reason for people feeling lethargic and tired. Your body needs carbohydrates to function and produce energy. A well balanced diet is key but what many people do not realize is that focusing on ensuring you are not consuming a diet with a high GI index is crucial to feeling energetic and not crashing. GI index of course referring to insulin. The average food should be below 70 if you plan to be an energetic fitness enthusiast.

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