The Bell Curve

I'm starting to think that I am on the "tail end" of the bell curve when it comes to exercise recovery.  If I do more than two high-intensity workouts per week, I'm cooked.  Yet I know that many people are capable of more exercise than this.

One group I marvel at is professional wrestlers.  These guys are constantly traveling, lifting heavy weights, and taking punishment in the ring (yes, I know it's not all real).  To have the physical constitution to do this month after month, year after year, is amazing to me.  You'll notice that there are really only a handful of guys who can do this over the long-term.  The rest come and go as their bodies get broken down.

This huge difference in recovery abilites is what makes most exercise prescriptions invalid.  If the prescription is to exercise hard 3 times per week, this will be too much some, and maybe too little for others.  Most people don't want to hear a message like this, because it's more complex and begs more questions.  For those who do well on 3 times per week, the whole process seems simple, and they are likely to wonder why others don't succeed with such an easy blueprint.