Most of us run around life like we're mice being chased by a big ass cat. We get up, shower, go to work, go here, eat there, scramble for a parking spot at the gym, go home, do the dishes, wash the laundry, watch TV, and then try to go to sleep.

And then can't fall asleep.

Or we do sleep, but we're more tired when we wake up than when we went to sleep the night before.

All of this nonsense is avoidable and it's killing your progress.

My good friend, Margaret, teaches people how to relax. She left the rat race of the corporate world and started doing what matters: Helping people.

She's agreed to do a guest post here. But she doesn't know what to write about, since we're all kind of gym rats and she's not. But there is one commonality between us and her: We all perform better when we rest, relax, and recover.

So, I have a question for you: What would you like Margaret to write about?

Use the Comments section (down there) to leave your question. She'll pick one and write about it.

Alert, or at least long-term, readers of this site will note that I typically advocate a 2-way split, working out 3 times a week. My routine in the past has always looked something like this:

• Legs & Arms
• Chest & Back & Delts

I’d work the first on Monday and Friday, the second on Wednesday. The following week, I’d do the opposite.

I’ve been working out pretty heavy lately, using more sets and lower reps. I’ve also added really heavy partials with high reps (at least 20 per set at the end of a body part’s workout).

It’s been my experience that I’ve often not trained with enough volume because I’m trying to hit 2 or 3 body parts per workout. I’ve devised a new workout routine that allows me the rest I need to recover, the freedom to work a specific body part a second time in a week, and the space to work out more intensely per workout because I’m working fewer body parts per workout.

Here’s my new work out routine:

• Chest & Back, Monday
• Legs, Tuesday
• Delts & Arms, Wednesday
• Rest on Thursday
• Specialize on Friday (hit a lagging body part or something I want to really stress)

This routine allows me to follow my diet more closely, too. As you may remember, I suggest that people follow a nutrition plan pretty heavy on supplements and high protein, moderate carbs, and relatively high fat (for building phases); with the heavy eating, I want to give my body a rest every 4th day. So, Monday through Wednesday, I eat my “normal” heavy diet. Thursday, I pretty much fast.

Friday, I can go nuts on the supplementation while I blast the body part I want to crush.

Saturday and Sunday are pretty normal, except that I eat lighter because I’m not doing any weight training on those days.

In the next post, I’ll tell you about my back-relief supplementation plan. It’s given me the most pain relief I’ve had in years. Literally.

Wrist injury

Last month, I went on an excellent road trip vacation with my family (my wife and two boys — a 3 1/2 and 2 year old) up through central Oregon and back down the west coast. Absolutely stunning scenery!

We loaded up (and I’m not exaggerating) the Pilot — 2 bikes, bike trailer, stroller, porta crib, and enough food and clothing to last most sane people 6 months!

But we’re insane.

We spent the first week at a cabin on a ranch outside Ashland, OR. There was a ton to do there for the boys, and I could ride my mountain bike on some pretty hilly and rugged terrain. It was hotter than you-know-what, and even the flats felt like mountains.

That’s the prelude

So I picked the hottest day of our stay to explore. I climbed a bunch of hills to get where I was going (which, essentially, was “nowhere”). Then the trail disappeared. After a little trek up some ridiculous terrain, I became “the decider.” Bad idea!

I turned around. As I approached warp speed, I started to brake, but obviously not enough! I made a slight turn of the wheel, the tire dug in, the bike virtually stopped, but I didn’t. After slamming hands first into the gravel, I made two somersaults and landed on my shoulder.

After I picked the gravel from my palms and knees, brushed off a bit, I hopped back up on the bike. A little blood, but remarkably not much pain.

Until two days later. My right wrist had taken the brunt of the crash and was pretty sore. That was a month and a half ago. It is still sore.

Especially after I had the shots yesterday to burst the ganglia that had presented itself. Plus, apparently, I had broken my hand, but it had already healed. Now I’ve got this red (soon-to-be-purple) bruise on the back side of my arm where the hand meets the wrist.

The doctor said the treatment given works about 50 percent of the time. Let’s hope. Otherwise, my alternatives are to “live with it” or have surgery to remove it. I guess it’s like a cyst. Not a big deal, but man am I tired of surgeries! 3 on the knee and an emergency appendectomy are enough for this cowboy!

So, to the subject of this post.

How to Deal with Minor Injuries

First and foremost, the treatment I am about to describe is not to be construed as medical advice. I am not a doctor, just a guy whose had his share of minor injuries and is sharing his successes and failures with you. We’re talking sprains and strains, slight pulls, and the like. Not bone breaks, muscle tears, incessant bleeding or other soft tissue damage that might require surgery. Seek medical attention right away!

Then, treat your injury right away with RICE:

• Rest
• Ice
• Compression
• Elevation

I hate medication as much as the next guy, but I recommend that you also take a pain reliever like Motrin. It will take the edge off and reduce swelling. Obviously, don’t take a medication that you know you’re allergic to or have had adverse side effects in the past.!

I’ve found success by also keeping the joint immobile for a day or two. I ice the injury for 10-15 minutes every hour for as long as I’m awake. Of course, you may have some timing issues if you’re at work or have to drive somewhere, but if you’re home, ice as frequently as possible.

Then, after 2 days or so, start light exercise. Get the joint moving. Do whatever you can without pain. If you experience pain, stop. Ice some more.

After 3-5 days, you should be at 80 percent or so.

Dealing with Injury while Exercising

My particular wrist pain is exacerbated mostly by anything where a weight is pressing against the palm of my hand. Things like bench presses, military presses, and the like. But interestingly, you never notice this until you’re hurt, but supporting weight in things like squats and calf presses KILL!

So I work around it. Rather than grip the bar for the duration in the squat, I wrap my arms around the bar so that my hands aren’t gripping the bar at all. For calf presses, I did donkey presses instead of standing presses.

Things like that.

You have to continue treatment for as long as the injury persists, keep the joint flexible and strong, but without causing any undue pain.

Time doesn’t heal, but it sure helps!

If you follow this advice, I am hopeful that you can keep the minor injuries that you’re going to get to a minimum and allow you to continue to workout with minimal lost time.

I just wrote an article called “Fastest Way to Build Muscle” over at Muscle-Build.com. You’ll want to check it out. It’s more “3 Pillars” stuff! You cannot get away from a proper balance of training, diet, and recovery. It’s impossible. Don’t even try it. You will undermine your own goals if you try to disprove this time-tested strategy.

If you aren’t making the gains you want, look to exercise, nutrition, and recovery, and I guarantee you’ll find the source of your poor results.

Building muscle is like any other project you might undertake in life: It’s a process that requires specific steps be taken, in the right quantities and at the right times. Plus, there needs to be time for recuperation. Muscles that are broken down by hard training must be given the nutrients and the rest intervals they need in order to not only repair themselves but to grow bigger and stronger.

There really is no other way.

Build muscle like this

If you’re weight training, you want results. For many years, I struggled to gain weight and build the muscle I wanted (I deserved it, and so do you!). Check out How to Build Muscle Fast for a primer on the 3 things you need to know in order to build muscle faster than you ever imagined.

This isn’t rocket science. But it is hard. Follow the right plan and you’ll get to where you want to go. Just like using a map.

If you want everything laid out for you, try the Hardgainer’s Manifesto. I lived it, worked it, and wrote it. You can cut years off your development!