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Comment by amelius | Hacker News Reader

This also works the other way around. For example, when doing heavy weightlifting in the gym, the central nervous system takes a huge blow, and most people will certainly feel some mental fatigue the hours and possibly even the days after a workout session.

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Training near your 1-rep max is as much about training your nervous system as it is your musculoskeletal system.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golgi_tendon_reflex and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-golgi-tendon-reflex.htm

From a personal experience: my best days are when I get a good morning workout in. I feel energized the rest of the day. I think the sense of early accomplishment helps in a way.

There's workout, and then there's workout. Try squatting 405lbs or deadlifting 495lbs for reps (or whatever your limits are when it comes to maximum exertion). That stuff wears you out pretty good. I wouldn't recommend doing it in the morning. Cardio, light lifting, sure, but that doesn't really tax the CNS that much.

Correct. It's why it is hard to lift really hard past 45-60 minutes even if you are working different muscles. The CNS just wears down.

45 mins. is when i start hitting the wall. the muscles simply won't move!

Quite a few studies have shown, that unless you are 'chemically' enhanced, all work after about an hour does not do much more for strength or size.

What constitutes heavy lifting in this case? I find that in a regular gym workout, if I'm doing some sort of circuits with moderate weights, I'll fatigue physically by the third or fourth circuit as you would expect. However, if anything I tend to feel more alert and mentally capable after a workout, at least by the time I've got home, showered and changed.

Anecdotal: I experienced this doing stronglifts 5x5, which is a program that systematically keeps you lifting near your 5 rep max. Squats in particular seem to mess up my CNS. Moderate weight lifting is awesome for my mood and cognition, heavy weightlifting is destabilizing.

Did you end up changing your routine or did you stick to it? I started stronglifts 5x5 a few months ago and the weights are heavy enough now that I'm failing sets in most exercises each session. It's hard to get the motivation to keep going.

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