When I first started getting into working out in general, I was always under the impression that going to the gym everyday is what was going to produce results. I wanted to build more muscle, specifically aiming for my legs to be bigger and stronger. At this time, I was still a full time equestrian too, so I was doing physical activity for about 4 hours daily. I never considered even allowing myself a rest day.

As I dove more into bodybuilding, I started to incorporate rest days, but still hit the gym 5-6 days a week. I remember to this day the training split I followed too. I would do a leg day, an arm day, a full body workout, and then right back into another leg day before considering a rest day. I was convinced that this was the only way I would make progress.

After doing my own thing for a while, I did invest in hiring a coach in which I still at this point was over training. In fact, I was doing not only 5 days a week in the gym, but cardio on top of that as well. At first, my body made great changes, but then progress slowed down, eventually coming to a screeching halt. Rather than incorporating rest days, and reducing allostatic load, I was pushed harder. I still wasn’t seeing the results when instructed to do this either. My food was then reduced even more, which actually still didn’t provide a change.

I did end up discontinuing with that coach, as I felt like this wasn’t the approach that I needed. I worked with various coaches after that, learning from them on what was best for my body. I continuously ran into the same problem time and time again. Food would be lowered, and workouts/ output would be increased. It wasn’t until I had Shawn work with me and actually focus more on rest/ recovery. He reduced my training days to 4 to 5 days a week with cardio ultimately being just steps. My body responded better than ever before. I started to notice over the years more muscle development and having overall a lot more energy than previously. Body fat came off so much easier than ever before.

Can you train too much? You absolutely can! You’ve got to allow your body to actually rest and recover. Sure you can still get steps in on a rest day, but you have to seriously allow the body time to relax and recover. That and feeding yourself the proper amount of calories/ macros is what produces results. I am only working out 2-3 days a week right now and I am more lean than I have been ever before in an improvement season.

Getting more time in the gym doesn’t mean better. More isn’t always better. More times than not,  taking a step back and actually relaxing/ enjoying life for a moment produces a better result. You’re not stressing about making time for the gym that day, or how you are going to make everything fit into your schedule. Rather, you are in a relaxed state, allowing for proper recovery. You are allowing tissue to repair and grow.

Training 3-4 days a week in the gym is substantial, and plenty to achieve your goals. Your body will respond a lot faster, and you will even notice weight loss being a much easier task than before. Again, this is all because of reducing allostatic load, thus reducing constant inflammation, creating an environment that your body can actually develop and thrive in.

Knowing when to push and when to pull back is extremely important in this sport. It will allow you to not only make that much more progress, but also allow for longevity in this sport.

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