Do you ever show up to train and find things are just unexpectedly sore across a range of areas that dont normally limit training? I’m not talking about the typical aches and pains like the elbow on bench, or knees on squats. But stuff like where you cannot find a comfortable spot for the bar on your back. Your hands hurt trying to grip it for deadlifts. You really feel the pressure in your palms and wrists from supporting yourself on weighted dips. That sort of thing.
I had a range of these things pop up this week. In the grand scheme it isnt a big deal as I just take my medicine, do what I can and I’ll be back to normal by next week, but it did make me curious of where does this come from?
Is it just part of a generalized recovery response where maybe I’ve pushed it too hard and so am feeling that systemically?
Is it maybe that one thing is genuinely unexpectedly sore for some random reason and the rest is a psychological psychosomatic cascade?
Heh, definitely been there before. The way I think about it is as systemic sensitivity or central sensitization. While we usually think of soreness as a local tissue issue, pain and sensitivity are ultimately outputs of the brain and nervous system.
When you have a week where training load is high, or when sleep, nutrition, and psychological stress are compromised, the nervous system can respond by limiting performance (the so called “central governor”) and reducing the threshold for what is perceived as painful or uncomfortable.
Regarding your question on whether this is a systemic response or a psychosomatic cascade: it would be hard to separate the two. Once you notice one unusual sore spot, it is very natural for the brain to start “checking” for others. This can turn minor background noise into a significant signal.
As you might expect, the strategy here is to adjust training as needed and stay the course without spiraling. This is transient and will likely resolve as your total stress load stabilizes. If a specific movement is too sensitive, you can pivot to a variation that is more tolerable for a session or two, rather than suffering at an RPE 10 of discomfort.
Very interesting. I thought this was just for people with immune problems (as in overactive) or whatnot. If there is a longer-term disconnect, where the brain is trying to protect the body unnecessarily, could visualization or some other psychological intervention help?
It sounds like central nervous system fatigue. When your grip and skin sensitivity start to go, it’s usually a sign that your overall recovery hasn’t caught up with your volume. Take a deload week and you’ll probably feel the bar “light” again.
Not sure if there’s any good evidence here, though I suspect it’s highly individualized. Any low cost/low risk intervention would be reasonable to try IMO
It sounds like central nervous system fatigue. When your grip and skin sensitivity start to go, it’s usually a sign that your overall recovery hasn’t caught up with your volume. Take a deload week and you’ll probably feel the bar “light” again.
@morthy44 this is not central nervous system fatigue at all.