How Long Does CNS Fatigue Actually Last? The Timeline, From the Data
“Give it 48 hours.” It’s the most repeated number in strength training — repeated in gyms, on forums, in programmes, and by coaches who mean well. Heavy lifting “fries your CNS,” and the CNS apparently needs two days to reboot. The advice lands on the right answer through the wrong mechanism. Which matters, because if you recover on a timeline you can actually measure, you recover differently. This post is the third in a short series on central fatigue. The primer on what CNS fatigue is and how HRV catches it gives you the framework. The myth put on trial handles whether heavy lifting “fries” anything at all. This one answers the question both of those raise but don’t settle: how long does it actually take to recover, hour by hour? ...
