[Seth Keena]

Hi Zero,

Thanks for writing in.

How are you tracking progress in the various facets (types of strength, aerobic threshold, power at thresholds, etc) ? Is this tracking showing your overall progress? These trackings need to be comprehensive and relevant to what you’re doing and where you plan to go with y0ur training in order to serve planning ahead and determining effectiveness and rested states.

Given the grinding efforts often found with blue-collar work, I almost always see short and high-intensity workout stimulus to bring greatest efficacy to athletes such as you. Trick is to do these workouts when you are freshest and keep them focused and short. Examples are, a couple heavy lower lifts coupled with a couple upper exercises for just 3-4 sets of 3-5reps, very high recruitment. These workouts are best done after a rest day.

If you get tired you should rest enough so you feel some energy and ‘spring’ come back to your muscles. If you’re finding 3weeks of training makes you so tired you take a few days off, overall intensity sounds generally correct as most conventional coaching and plans fit a 3week build before a 1week light-load/recovery week (7days!) before returning to another 3week build. A fine and important point to this is the 1week of light-load needs to be long enough you actually recovery significantly. With you working, it’s likely you’re not doing anything but easy walks, stretching and extremely small amount of strength during the light-week.

-Seth