I have long known that due to my stress from either uni commitments, private life or work, that it actually prohibits my muscle gain. On the other hand, my primary reason for going to gym was to reduce stress ‘peaks’.

Stress Management
To make it easier to explain, if i am stressed that means that the brain is pretty much too busy focusing on how stressed i am instead of building up my strength after my fitness training. No matter how much training i do, if i go stressed that means it’ll effect my sleeping pattern, which then reduces my metabolic rate. Muscle growth usually happens when i am resting, which is why a right amount of sleep is so important.

When i have an exam or essays due next week and need to prepare for them, i do either maintain my fitness routine or add another day of week to actually put a downward pressure on my stress level. If i don’t go to gym because of other commitments, my stress level spikes dramatically which then leads to pattern of poor micro-tasking and organising skills. Even if i am pressed for time, i will still spend at least 30min in training to keep myself awake and energised. Otherwise i’ll feel fatigued from research and studying that often leads to procrastination.

I would not expect my fitness performance to improve especially in resistance training when i am in ‘priority mode’. In fact, i’d expect it to stagnate as i want most of my energy devoted to placing a plug in my stress level and soften the ’spikes’ caused by a sudden exam preparation time.

Also, i would not be dedicated to eating properly in times of stress. Usually quick snacks and off back to work. That of coarse will effect my fitness.

Growth
Once the ‘priority mode’ has gone passed, then my stress level would plummet as i have less activities to keep myself busy. Mentally, i would feel much more at ease and relaxed with more time to spend for recreational activities. That’s when i do start feeling muscle growth with drastic improvement. I do add more weights in resistance training every week which obviously shows i am performing better than previous week.