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Found this great article on Bodybuilding.com today... This dude knows where its at...

by Mark Bell Apr 18, 2013
QI've been doing strength work and I fear my CNS is fried. How would I know, and if it is, what should I do
about it?
Fry your central nervous system (CNS) in coconut oil, you little ******, and go back to collecting stamps! Training your body beyond its limits is not a disease, it's good for you. What do you think happens to your body when it gets acclimated to intense workouts? Growth!

The ability to push harder, further, and to simply be better than you were the day before is crucial for continued progress. Do not worry about your "CNS." The very reason for training is to get jacked, strong, or conditioned in a way that makes you feel accomplished. Strength is never a weakness. There's nothing wrong with intensity.

I get [ticked] off when I hear dudes talking about overworking themselves. My suspicions heighten when I hear these same guys talk about what chick they tried to get with or how drunk or high they got Friday night. Where are the actual hard brothers at? The wussification of wife-beater wearing, cell-phone carrying Nancys at the gym leads me to believe that overtraining is somewhat of a myth made up by people who are straight-up scurred of hard work.

Training Over ///
Starting today, let's look into the "flashy thingy" (your standard neuralyzer) from Men in Black and forget that lame term "overtraining." Rather, let's call it "training over."



Now, you're no longer a victim—overtraining didn't just happen because of your dumb ***. Instead, you engaged in training over your body's normal capacity to create a new stimulus on purpose.

In my not so humble opinion, people use "CNS fatigue" and "overtraining" as excuses. Training over our normal work capacity is done purposefully to toughen up. There's no such thing as overtraining—only being underprepared for the task you're about to perform.

How to Avoid Being a Wimp ///
If you don't want to feel like a wet blanket, licked stamp, hump, wuss, wimp, pansy, or bag of ****, then you need to take care of your body. You're about to get your heavy on; that means you need to take into account this new stimulus of [beastliness]. Here's how to do it:


Only lift weights 4-5 times per week. This isn't rocket-science—be intelligent about your training.
Get in shape. Work toward being better conditioned. Push your rep work, push challenging super sets, or push and pull a weighted sled 2-3 times per week. Do some form of cardio work to increase that heart rate.
Stay limber. Do at least some type of mobility work 2-3 times per week. A little goes a long way. For some, just 30-40 minutes per week can be plenty.
Sleep 7-8 hours each night. If you have trouble getting in a full night's dose of sleep, you may need to hit up a power nap 2-3 times per week.
Eat. Follow some type of diet plan that allows you to perform well in the gym while minimizing or losing body fat. Use the simple principle of getting in one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
You may need to use a form of a whey protein to achieve this level. I personally like hydrolyzed forms of whey—they mix easily and seem to digest well. You should also eat about half that amount in slow-digesting carbs and healthy fats. Eat most carbs post workout. Consume healthy fats from fish, grass-fed beef, grass-fed milk, cheese, and butter. Supplement with fish oil and coconut oil. Post-workout nutrition is huge for your recovery, so choose a meal that has fast-acting carbs and whey protein.

Pick a training system that allows you to get acclimated. The Cube, 5-3-1, and Westside programs are all excellent choices because once you get the hang of them, they can help you gain strength quickly without getting hurt. Each of these systems supports hypertrophy/muscle-building training, and they're flexible protocols.


Make sure you stay hydrated for your training sessions. Drink water and electrolytes.
Break the rules. Arnold said it best: "What is the point of being on this Earth if you are going to be like everyone else?" Don't drink booze or stay out late—that **** ain't cool. Know what is cool? Working toward some big goals and then reaching them. How awesome would it be to have jacked 20-inch arms hanging off your body and a 500-pound raw bench? Now that is a lot cooler then getting drunk every Friday night!
Do not worry about the negative. Just put in the work and be positive. Don't allow others to put you down or tell you that you're doing too much. Don't allow coaches or so-called "experts" to put out your fire and limit your intensity. Believe in yourself and believe in your cause. You can always backtrack and make adjustments if you find yourself "training over."

The Core

What is the most widely recognized muscle besides the biceps? The six pac abs. Or the eight pac for the really ambitious and genetically fortunate. This is the most widely trained muscle, especially by women, but there are also really few people with great abs. Why? Because conventional ab work does not work. Here are some ways to train your abdominal muscles and actually make a difference.

Start with a warm up.

Next pick three or four ab exercises that you are feeling for that day.

Start by performing a set amount of reps (around 10-15) with each exercise with no rest in between exercises, but don't rush either. Walk from one to the next and you should be taking the right amount of time for your abs to recover.

Do two to three rotations of 10-15 reps and then finish off with a rotation where you max out each exercise.

Stretch it out and get ready to have some sore abs tomorrow.

Its important that you struggle to finish the 10-15 reps each set, if you don't then you need to pick a harder exercise.

Good ab exercises to choose from:

1. Hanging leg raise.

Start in a pull up position but instead of pulling your body up just raise your strait legs to connect your knees to your hands.

2. Not-hanging leg raise.

Same as above but use one of those fancy machines that support you by your elbows instead of hanging.

3. Weighted decline sit up.

Seems obvious.

4.  Weighted decline oblique twist.

Hold the weight at your chest and keep your body parallel to the ground as you twist the weight from side to side slowly and painfully.  (good pain)

5. Ab roll-out.

Sit on your knees and grab a roller. Keep your back flat, only bend at the waist and shoulders as you roll out till your face is almost on the ground. Roll back up.

6. Plank shoulder touch.

Start in plank position and slowly raise your hand to the opposite shoulder while keeping your body steady.

5 Exercises NOT to do.

What exercise is simultaneously the most useless, the worst for your back, and the most popular (especially among women)?

Problem exercise 1: The sit up. 

Simple science, you must put a lot of strain on a muscle for it to adapt and grow. Most people are told to do countless sits ups in hopes of spot reducing their stomach fat and getting those "ripped abs, but in reality they are not training for ripped abs, they are training for endurance muscles which does NOT make your muscles grow. If you are doing anything more than 15 reps your muscles will not grow much at all. 

Solution: Skip those sit ups, spot reducing is a myth and while it may be cool to be able to do 100 sit ups in a minute, it is useless in real life. Instead try doing low rep, high resistance exercises shooting for 10-15 reps such as suspended leg raises and weighted decline crunches (hold just your shoulders off the bench for a few seconds and slowly release). 

Problem exercise 2: Behind the head shoulder press. 

Bad for your shoulders. Don't do it!

Solution: Military style in front of the head press. Much better on the shoulders. 

Problem exercise 3: Dumbbell upright row.

This exercise can cause nerves in your shoulders to pinch. Shoulders are the most easily injured part of the body when weight lifting so you should stay away from anything that might hurt it. 

Solution: Do other shoulder movements instead. Good shoulder movements include most types of pressing (both dumbbell and barbell) and bent over flies for the back of the deltoid. 

Problem Exercise 4: Strait arm flies. 

These are hard on the rotator cuff. 

Solution: Skip them! Do other shoulder exercises, these are useless anyway. 

Problem exercise 5: Squats.

Yes, I said squats, the best workout you can do. The problem arises when you use improper form. Improper form on the squat can be bad on knees, back, shoulders, and ever stunt your growth. 

Solution: Do bodyweight squats until you have the from nailed, and never use more weight than you can handle. 

5 exercises everyone should do.

In order of importance:
(Squat and bench press are equally important.)
1.5 Squat.
This is the king of all the exercises. It works your entire lower half which makes up 60 precent of your muscle mass (on average) along with your abdominal muscles and core.  Definite must.
1.5 Bench Press.
This is the king of the upper body exercises. It works your chest and arms and is the best way to add size to your chest.
3. Dead Lift.
This is the most effective bulking exercise you can do. It works more muscles than any other movement, compound or iso. Its especially targets the hamstrings, gluteus, and lower back. It also will give you a grip strong enough to squeeze water out of rocks.
4. Pull Up/Chin Up.
This is the best calorie burning upper body exercise you can perform. Because you are using your body weight it makes all the little muscles in your back work, instead of just the main big ones. Rotate wide fly pull ups and narrower chin ups to work both your back and your biceps effectively.
5. Dip.
Another body weight exercise, but this time you are pushing instead of pulling. Combined with the pull up it is great practice for the muscle up, which is a killer. It works lower pectorals, triceps, and deltoids from a different angle than bench press.

These exercises effectively work your entire body. I love them all (except the squat, I hate the squat) and even if these are the only exercises you do, you will be strong.