[b said:
Quote[/b] ]After weeks of heavy training I feel the 1-2 weeks of rest really does my body and mind a lot of good. When I begin training again, my muscles are primed for growth, pains and aches are gone, and my motivation and focus is up at 110%.
We're different animals. When I don't train, my motivation goes down. I don't feel primed. After ceasing training, I still sweat a lot, but it is stinky sweat. I don't feel like training anymore.
Exercise releases endorphins, induces fat burning, increases glycogen storage. It also improves blood pressure and circulation. These are systemic effects. Exercise also improves kinetic response, and can improve mental focus, posture, disposition, and balance.
The body builds up a level of conditioning, but I think HST looks at this adaptive response as detrimental toward an ultimate goal of hypertrophy.
A high level of conditioning can bring about a great sense of well-being. I love this.
Proteus is thinking more along my lines. I was thinking about yoga, stretching, and low impact cardio, whereas he is considering staggering or overlapping bodyparts.
My training is not limited to the gym. I wanted to keep up all the other good stuff I love to do.
From my understanding of HST, neither approach would fit. Doing squats, deads, pullovers would all affect the whole system, as would yoga or sports activities.