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(dr_janitor @ Mar. 20 2007,15:59)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I just got done two weeks 5's and I am exhausted, my joints are sore, I just don't want to do to much, including work...
I haven't been sleeping all that well the past week and according to my fiancee, I've been tossing and turning a lot. I even nailed her in the back of the head with my fist and apparently consoled her...but I don't recall that happening. Which brings me to some questions...
I really enjoy doing the 5's, and I feel like I can still add a bit of weight to my lifts over the next couple of weeks.
Is taking a couple of more days off okay to do before I head back to finish the next two weeks? Or should I just consider my first HST cycle done and start my SD?
If taking a couple of days off is okay, I was wondering if I'm trying to increase the weight, should I decrease my 3 x 5 to 2 x 5 and maybe supplement with a set of 10 at my 10 rep max or something to keep the volume increasing?
Thanks</div>
Wow, from my x-perience, I'd say you're showing all the classic signs of overtraining. Sleeplessness is first on that list, at least for me, assuming you're not sick or anything.
At this point, I would definitely take a few days off, but instead of working the classic HST routine, I would spend a few weeks working on strength.
If you feel you can add weight, I would make the workouts less frequent (2x/week), and do 2 sets or even 1 set of 5, and continue until your strength plateaus.
Ordinarily, I think the HST principles mandate you continue the 5's for as long as you can handle them to optimize hypertrophy, and I think you've reached your limit.
That said, you've probably built a whole lot of latent strength, so now might be a good time to drop the volume significantly, and up the poundage until you peak...then decondition. The less frequent workouts & sets will allow you accomplish this without burning you out.
Slapz