Let me paint the picture.

You stagger into the gym.

Eyes crusty.
​
CNS torched.
​
Legs made of overcooked ramen.
​
You're running on fumes, and your motivation is somewhere between “meh” and “leave me to die under the barbell.”

And yet—you showed up but some nerd keep preaching about violent consistency.

...But now the real question hits you like a plate-loaded prowler to the nut sack:

Do you go full berserker and risk imploding your spine?
Or do you pull back and live to fight another day?

Welcome to the fork in the metabolic road: Eustress vs. Distress.

The Smart Play: Eustress

Eustress is the sexy, science-backed zone where growth happens without turning your soul into chalk dust.

• Still train.
• But you scale.
• Drop volume.
• Dial down intensity if you have to at times
• Let your nervous system catch its darn breath.

This is the “train smarter, not dumber” path. Your HRV likes it. Your joints love it. And your long-term progress will thank you by not quitting on you at 37 and your adrenals will not be down by your socks.

I teach this concept in both the Flex Diet Cert and the Phys Flex Cert - recovery isn’t a cop-out—it’s a weapon.

The Rare Move: Distress

Sometimes… sometimes, it is time to snort pre-workout off the bathroom gym counter and drop the hammer.

Distress means you go anyway—through fire, fatigue, and psychological warfare.

• Your CNS is trashed? Suck it up buttercup.
• Your sleep was crap? Pull up your skirt Sally
• You’re emotionally broken? That bar still needs to move and does not give two hoots.

This can be a dark place. Use it wisely. Typically way less than 10% of the time.

Competitions.
PR attempts.
Mental demons that need slaying.

But don’t make this your default. You’re not Rocky in every montage home fry.

Let Me Get Nerdy for a Hot Second

• Central fatigue is real. It means your brain can’t even tell your muscles to work right.
• Low HRV? Red alert. You’re in a state where stress isn’t adapting—it’s accumulating.
• Distress mode too often? Say hello to injury, burnout, and weeks of Netflix rehab.

How to Know What to Do

Feeling like dog doo doo? Here’s your field manual:

• Cardio? Scale back intensity. Ditch the intervals. Move your blood, not your soul.
• Lifting? Drop to 3 sets or less. Lighter load only if have to do so. Nail the form. Pretend you’re training like a Jedi monk.
• Still not working? Walk out. Recovery starts now. That’s a win, not a failure.

Train like you give a darn about your future self.

Recovery Isn’t Passive—It’s a Skill

Eat. Sleep. Meditate. Read. Pet a dog. Slam electrolytes. Fix your protein. Train easy when needed.

Recovery isn’t what you do when you’re tired.
It’s what saves you from quitting forever.

TL;DR – Your Low Battery Cheat Sheet

• 80–90 + % of the time = Eustress zone. Show up, scale back, grow.
• < 10% of the time = go full psycho. Distress, conquer, collapse.

The key is that you must decide at some point during a session which do. If you are not sure, go with eustress. And keep in mind that if you go full distress, performance is what counts....and it will hurt.

The Long Game Is King

Anyone can redline for a few months.

The elite? They train for decades.

They know how to push.
They know how to pull back.
And they always show up again, and again, and again with Swiss clock work precision violent consistency.

Be that person.

The gym will still be there tomorrow.

The question is: will you?

Much love, smart training, and flexed nervous systems,
– Dr. Mike

P.S. If this feels like the kind of approach your clients need too… you know where to find me.

_____________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag
​​Mike T Nelson is a Ph.D. and not a physician or registered dietitian. The contents of this email should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.

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