Recovery After Training Burnout

ThePedsFather

ThePedsFather

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Right now, I’m in the experimental phase of building my own training plan. After several years of working with a coach, I’ve come to realize that no one can feel and understand my body better than I can. It might seem obvious, but it took personal experience for me to truly understand it.

Initially, my request to the coach was simple: I just wanted to follow instructions and stick to the plan. But over time, that led me to overtraining and burnout. I ended up needing a full month of complete rest, followed by a few months of light training, before I regained the motivation to return to the gym.

Recovery Phase​

My recovery plan — both physical and psychological — looked like this:
  • Stage 1: One month of light workouts twice a week: one upper body day, one lower body day.
  • Then, I started introducing progressive loading cycle: 60%, 70%, and 80% of my usual training volume (for example, if squatting 120 kg for 10 reps is 100%,).
Cycle lasted 3 weeks (2 workouts per week: one upper, one lower), gradually increasing the load. I repeated this cycle three times (totaling 9 weeks), and after reaching 80%, I maintained that intensity for another two weeks with the same frequency.

Current Plan​

At this stage, my goal is not to increase working weights, but to add a third training session each week. I’ve moved to a 3-day training schedule, alternating focus between upper and lower body. The cycle now lasts two weeks, where in one week I train lower body twice, and the next week upper body twice.

Example schedule:

Week 1:
  • Day 1 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Day 2 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Day 3 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Rest
Week 2:
  • Day 1 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Day 2 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Day 3 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Rest
Then the cycle repeats.

Final Thoughts​

At the moment, this feels like the most optimal approach for me. The volume is solid, and at the same time, I’m not overloading my central nervous system. I continue to monitor how I feel and adjust the plan as needed, but so far, this structure is working really well.

As for PEDs, since the beginning of my recovery I’ve stopped everything except testosterone cypionate solo (TRT dose of 125mg per week).

If you’ve experienced burnout, tell us how you dealt with it and what your recovery plan looked like 🤝.
 
I think most people follow different training programs. These are the programs that Joe Weider and many bodybuilding magazines used to promote, which advocated for massive volumes and intensity during workouts. For some people, such approaches really work. However, for most people who don't have excellent genetics, they often end up overtraining. Your program, although simple, is effective for a large number of people, allowing them to spend minimal time in the gym while achieving maximum results. I understand your program, as I train in a similar way myself.
 
Most importantly, nutrition, sleep, minimal stress, and set yourself a task and a goal, regularity and at the heart of it all is discipline.
Also
Change the program every 6-8 weeks, because after this period, there is less stress for the muscles, and therefore there will be less progress, but it is already suitable for new and experienced people who have progress on the spot.
 
ThePedsFather said:
Right now, I’m in the experimental phase of building my own training plan. After several years of working with a coach, I’ve come to realize that no one can feel and understand my body better than I can. It might seem obvious, but it took personal experience for me to truly understand it.

Initially, my request to the coach was simple: I just wanted to follow instructions and stick to the plan. But over time, that led me to overtraining and burnout. I ended up needing a full month of complete rest, followed by a few months of light training, before I regained the motivation to return to the gym.

Recovery Phase​

My recovery plan — both physical and psychological — looked like this:
  • Stage 1: One month of light workouts twice a week: one upper body day, one lower body day.
  • Then, I started introducing progressive loading cycle: 60%, 70%, and 80% of my usual training volume (for example, if squatting 120 kg for 10 reps is 100%,).
Cycle lasted 3 weeks (2 workouts per week: one upper, one lower), gradually increasing the load. I repeated this cycle three times (totaling 9 weeks), and after reaching 80%, I maintained that intensity for another two weeks with the same frequency.

Current Plan​

At this stage, my goal is not to increase working weights, but to add a third training session each week. I’ve moved to a 3-day training schedule, alternating focus between upper and lower body. The cycle now lasts two weeks, where in one week I train lower body twice, and the next week upper body twice.

Example schedule:

Week 1:
  • Day 1 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Day 2 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Day 3 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Rest
Week 2:
  • Day 1 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Day 2 – Lower Body
  • Rest
  • Day 3 – Upper Body
  • Rest
  • Rest
Then the cycle repeats.

Final Thoughts​

At the moment, this feels like the most optimal approach for me. The volume is solid, and at the same time, I’m not overloading my central nervous system. I continue to monitor how I feel and adjust the plan as needed, but so far, this structure is working really well.

As for PEDs, since the beginning of my recovery I’ve stopped everything except testosterone cypionate solo (TRT dose of 125mg per week).

If you’ve experienced burnout, tell us how you dealt with it and what your recovery plan looked like 🤝.
Click to expand...
This really resonates with my own coaching experience. I used to pay €150/month!!! for a well-structured plan, but it didn’t align with the physique I was aiming for. The coach pushed me toward a bulky, puffy look which just wasn’t me. I’m after that hard, full, dense look not bloaty type of physique.

Now I’m fully self-coaching after completing a personal training course. I handle everything myself: training, recovery, health monitoring and with some help from AI tools, I’ve been seeing incredible improvements in both my physique and overall performance.
 
lisanovskyi said:
Most importantly, nutrition, sleep, minimal stress, and set yourself a task and a goal, regularity and at the heart of it all is discipline.
Also
Change the program every 6-8 weeks, because after this period, there is less stress for the muscles, and therefore there will be less progress, but it is already suitable for new and experienced people who have progress on the spot.
Click to expand...
Sleep and recovery are always the most important aspects of the training process. If you're recovering properly, you can train 5-6 times a week and handle a large volume of work. But if your body isn’t able to recover, it’s better to reduce the number of workouts to 2-3 per week and decrease the volume to allow your nervous system to recover properly and maintain good immunity. One indicator of good recovery is the increase in strength performance, as well as other factors like resting heart rate.
 
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