iron addict
New member
Here is an excerpt from and email to a trainee that was trying to understand CNS fatigue.
The easiest analogy to understand CNS as related to strength gains is looking at CNS output like a battery. When you push extremely hard in the gym you drain the battery so to speak and it must have time to “recharge” before hitting it again. How depleted it gets is relative to the intensity and overall workload. Intensity, in this context is defined as training to very high percentages of momentary capacity such as sets to failure and beyond. This type of work is extremely hard on CNS, but you can overwhelm it just as easily by doing lots of workload at lower intensity levels.
The problem is some people have AWESOME CNS capacity and recovery. They can do a LOT at high levels of intensity and recover very quickly. They can do it, so others believe they should be able to also. These are not your average lifters. Most people have average CNS capacity and recovery. The key is balance between workload, intensity, and frequency of sessions.
To answer your question, yes, you can absolutely CRUSH CNS output in a couple of sessions or even one. It is cumulative for the most part, but enough can and usually is done by hard headed people to dampen CNS output to the point that strength gains are just not going to happen. Muscle recovers fairly fast for most people, CNS does not. I structure most people’s routines with a rest day between every session and it does wonders for allowing maximal CNS output. People that train 5-7 days a week usually have extremely good genetics, are chemically assisted, or are not interested in getting any stronger as they already have a great strength base. Or they are like the zillions of guys in gyms everywhere that show up 6 days a week and NEVER grow.
IA
The easiest analogy to understand CNS as related to strength gains is looking at CNS output like a battery. When you push extremely hard in the gym you drain the battery so to speak and it must have time to “recharge” before hitting it again. How depleted it gets is relative to the intensity and overall workload. Intensity, in this context is defined as training to very high percentages of momentary capacity such as sets to failure and beyond. This type of work is extremely hard on CNS, but you can overwhelm it just as easily by doing lots of workload at lower intensity levels.
The problem is some people have AWESOME CNS capacity and recovery. They can do a LOT at high levels of intensity and recover very quickly. They can do it, so others believe they should be able to also. These are not your average lifters. Most people have average CNS capacity and recovery. The key is balance between workload, intensity, and frequency of sessions.
To answer your question, yes, you can absolutely CRUSH CNS output in a couple of sessions or even one. It is cumulative for the most part, but enough can and usually is done by hard headed people to dampen CNS output to the point that strength gains are just not going to happen. Muscle recovers fairly fast for most people, CNS does not. I structure most people’s routines with a rest day between every session and it does wonders for allowing maximal CNS output. People that train 5-7 days a week usually have extremely good genetics, are chemically assisted, or are not interested in getting any stronger as they already have a great strength base. Or they are like the zillions of guys in gyms everywhere that show up 6 days a week and NEVER grow.
IA
