This explains why I hit that massive wall three weeks out from my last show. I was smashing the cardio and barely eating, but my body just stopped changing and I felt like a frozen zombie. It’s wild how your own body basically sabotages your fat loss just to "save" you. We all think we can just outwork the metabolism, but if your rT3 is spiking because you're redlining your CNS, no amount of extra work is going to fix that flat look. Definitely makes a huge case for actually taking those recovery days seriously instead of just grinding until the wheels fall off. Groundbreaking stuff for anyone stuck in a plateau.
Exactly, that "frozen zombie" feeling is the absolute worst. You’re doing everything right on paper, but your body just pulls the emergency brake and refuses to budge. It’s crazy how we’re taught to just "push harder" when that’s actually the exact thing making the rT3 skyrocket. I’ve seen so many guys get even softer and more watery because they added an extra hour of cardio instead of just taking a damn nap.
It really changes how you look at a deload or a refeed week. It's not "slacking off," it’s literally resetting the thermostat so your body stops thinking it's starving to death. Once that stress signal drops, the weight usually just falls off again. It’s a total mental mind game to back off when you're three weeks out, but man, the difference in how you pop on stage is night and day compared to just grinding yourself into dust.
man i felt this in my soul lol. last year i kept adding cardio thinking i could outrun my metabolism and just ended up flat and watery. the rT3 spike is no joke. honestly if u find yourself hitting that wall again check out sites if they have some T3 and other stuff that can help kickstart things when your body tries to shut down on u.
ngl the "grind until the wheels fall off" mentality is so hard to break. we think more work = better results but sometimes the body just says no. definitely gonna prioritize recovery more this time around. my go-to for support supplements to keep the hormones from crashing too hard during the final push.
facts. people dont realize that "overreaching" is a real thing and it makes u look like garbage on stage. recovery is literally just as important as the training. if youre struggling with that flat look near the end maybe look into some better gear options- i usually get mine from shops and it makes a huge difference in holding onto muscle when calories are low.
lol i remember being 3 weeks out and literally staring at a wall for 20 mins bc i was so braindead. its crazy how much the cns controls everything. thanks for sharing this- it’s a good reminder that rest is actually part of the job.
Totally relate—there’s nothing worse than feeling like your body’s straight up punishing you for overdoing it. Recovery days are underrated AF.
The whole rT3 spike thing blew my mind when I first read about it. Makes sense why “more cardio” wasn’t doing squat.
Hitting a wall like that is brutal. Took me way too long to realize the grind isn’t always the answer.
I’ve started taking planned deloads before shows and it actually keeps me sharper and leaner—crazy how much of a difference it makes.
Feels good to hear someone else explain the zombie-flat look. My last prep was exactly that.
The CNS fatigue part is so real. You can’t just ignore it and hope it fixes itself overnight.
Honestly, respecting recovery is just smart strategy, not laziness. People sleep on it way too much.
