What do you do when you want to do more in the gym, but be smart about it?
You’ve tried doing absolutely whatever you want for as long as you want. It was a blast in the moment but the next 4 days weren’t.
If you can’t train, you can’t make gains.
So how does the Extremist, working to stay in the extremes of Hard-Charge/Recharge and out of the middle of moderation?
Keep it in the Re-charge extreme and you’ll be fine. This means lower intensity for longer duration.
Four Options:
- Play
- Pump
- Skill
- Rest
Play
When was the last time you did something for the fun of it? Without something to achieve or improve?
Play engages the senses & reinvigorates the mind. Fun is probably what hooked you on your current form of training in the first place.
Play can be structured or unstructured. Both are valuable but one puts the achievers at ease. 😉
The beauty of play is that is has no point.
Use play when you’re feeling stressed, burnt out, or with a friend.
Get workouts + ideas for structured + unstructured play when you become a Deep Diver today. Enter your name & email to get the full Deep Dive.
Pump
Just like it sounds, a pump is about getting your muscles poppin’. Usually single-joint, light weight, high rep movements, pumps are for more than just bros.
Pumps have their place in hypertrophy, joint & tendon health. This helps you build durability as you train without piecing together strength, conditioning, mobility, and flexibility programs.
The key with pumps is light weights, high reps, + tempo.
I share 9+ different ways to Pick Your Own Pump, including %s, Rep Ranges, & Time Limits in the Deep Dive. Get in the know right now.
Skill
The purpose of working on a skill is to improve your motor patterns through neuromuscular control.
Master it slowly to perform it fast. If it’s sloppy slow, it will be sloppy fast. Sloppy muscle ups, cleans, push-ups, etc. limits… how many reps you can do, how much overall work you can do before fatiguing, and increases injury risk.
Strength is a skill
Pavel
Anything that wires your brain can be considered a skill.
The key for skill-work is to stop before you think you should.
Your nervous system fatigues long before your body wears out. Perform perfect reps. Stop before you fail. Rest. Repeat.
Deep Divers get specific work:rest ratios, ideas for skill work, & an offer with help picking your individual skill. Enter your email to access it now.
Recovery
Most people forget that you ONLY get gains in recovery. Training causes damage to drive an adaptation – muscle growth, strength, endurance, fat loss – but you get the gains AFTER you recover.
Use recovery when you want to speed up recovery, want to train hard again tomorrow, or want to work, but don’t want to think.
The key to recovery is that it’s restorative – it gives more than it takes from you.
In the Deep Dive you get the 3 Recovery Strategies + specifics of what to do for each. Click here to get those goods.
Recap
There are many ways to get after it without screwing yourself when you find yourself with an extra 30-60 minutes on your hands. I’ve shared four: Play, Pump, Skill, Recover.
Move + keep it low intensity to stay out of the middle of moderation.
What do you usually do when you have extra time at the gym? Share it in the comments below.