Q&A: Mental Stress and Workout Frequency

Question: Does mental stress affect workout recovery? If so, if reducing stress is not possible should people prone to psychological stress reduce workout frequency?

Answer: A high level of mental stress can negatively affect sleep, hormones, and immune function which can hamper recovery from and adaptation to training; however, exercise has been shown to reduce stress and improve people’s ability to cope with it so it may benefit someone under a lot of stress to exercise more frequently rather than cutting back. Over the years I’ve trained a lot of people in high-stress professions – doctors, lawyers, law enforcement officers, fire fighters, teachers, etc. – and many of them listed stress-relief as one of their reasons for exercising and expressed feeling less stressed during and after their workouts.

High Intensity Training can help reduce psychological stress and improve your ability to cope with it.

Last Saturday a client called me shortly after his workout to thank me, saying he’d been having a particularly stressful week and felt much better after his workout (a modification of the bodyweight 3×3 from Project Kratos). Another client with a stressful job made a similar comment the week before, saying he loves his workouts despite the intensity because of how he feels afterwards. I think the reason for this is a properly performed high intensity workout requires such intense concentration and focus that it tends to drive thoughts of anything else out of your mind for a while, including whatever is worrying you or causing you stress.

If you are worried about overtraining and don’t want to add another workout or feel you must reduce your workout volume and frequency you can substitute another activity that occupies your mind. Read books. Hike, climb, kayak, cycle, or just go for a walk. Spend more time with friends and less time with the people who cause you stress. Study a martial art. Go to the pistol or rifle range and spend an afternoon shooting. Learn or practice playing a musical instrument.

I am not a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or an expert on stress management, so the following is just an opinion and speculation based on my experience. Your mileage may vary.

Although there may be exceptions, for most people I think it is possible to reduce stress and/or learn to handle it better. History is full of examples of people who remained relatively calm and collected and just dealt with extremely stressful situations, and much of what modern humans living in industrialized nations consider stressful is nothing compared to what most of the humans who have ever lived had to cope with daily just to survive. I’ve had my share of stressful situations, some of which I handled very poorly and some of which I handled very well. In retrospect the difference had less to do with the specifics of the situations and more with how I chose to think about and react to them. Accept that bad things happen, that it is pointless and counterproductive to worry or stress out over things outside of your control. Instead, focus on what you do have control over and what you can do and keep moving forward. Fix what you can, learn to cope with what you can’t.

If you’re so stressed out you think you need to reduce your workout volume and frequency to avoid overtraining then being overtrained is the least of your worries. Your priority should be doing what you can to reduce stress and improve your ability to cope with it, and since exercise benefits this it would be a mistake to cut back.

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  • ops30 Aug 4, 2015 @ 14:22

    “In retrospect the difference had less to do with the specifics of the situations and more with how I chose to think about and react to them. Accept that bad things happen, that it is pointless and counterproductive to worry or stress out over things outside of your control. Instead, focus on what you do have control over and what you can do and keep moving forward. Fix what you can, learn to cope with what you can’t.”

    Solid advice Drew. Now, if I can just follow through…

    P.S. – still rockin’ the Kratos routine 2x a week. Just performed one of the workouts at a mountain cabin with only suspension straps and my bodyweight. Your leveling system for adjusting resistance is pure gold. Thank you again.

    • Drew Baye Aug 5, 2015 @ 14:16

      Hey Ops,

      There’s a quote by the stoic philosopher Epictetus that goes, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” Years ago I dated a photographer who had a sign that paraphrased this in her studio near her darkroom, which said something like, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” I think it helps to remember these at all times, whether the things that happen to you are good or bad.

      Glad the leveling system is working well for you. Since the last update I’ve made a few more tweaks to it and will be posting something soon.

  • Donnie Hunt Aug 4, 2015 @ 14:24

    Great article Drew. I have found for myself, a strength training workout to be very mind clearing. This feeling often last for hours post workout. I seem to sleep extra well the evening of a workout day. Also seems to bring out my creative side post workout.

    I’ve found some lower intensity, manual labor to be very mind clearing/soothing.

    • Drew Baye Aug 5, 2015 @ 14:35

      Hey Donnie,

      This is something I’ve heard over and over from clients over the years, especially the ones who come to work out at the end of their work day.

  • Lifter Aug 4, 2015 @ 18:44

    Strangely enough, I have found–repeatedly–when my mental stress was at its peak, I had some of my best workouts. The reason being I was able to vent on each exercise. Training having been such a staunch part of my life, it’s simply “what I do”. So when something affects me mentally, I use that to my best advantage. Obviously this doesn’t apply to everyone.

    • Drew Baye Aug 5, 2015 @ 14:37

      Hey Lifter,

      Some people “take it out” on the workout, others work out to get their mind off their worries and stress. Provided that “taking it out” on the workout doesn’t result in compromised form either way is fine.

  • Trace Aug 5, 2015 @ 12:22

    You are absolutely correct. I would add one more point. Those who engage in conventional exercise or activity programs that encourage frequent workouts at lower intensities are the people who might be more inclined to ask the lead-in question because they are not getting the full benefit of proper exercise while also having to use up way too much of their valuable time. I would be stressed out too.

    • Drew Baye Aug 5, 2015 @ 14:40

      Hey Trace,

      Yes, this could be the issue as well. I assume most of the people who read and ask questions here are following some kind of high intensity training program but that is not always the case.

      While any physical activity that preoccupies the mind can help relieve stress, the much greater concentration and focus required for a proper high intensity workout makes it much more effective for this purpose.