overtraining

[krs41]

i am currently in week three of my cycle (test cyp(500)/deca(475) per week) and i have a few questions. i felt really dizzy today for a few hours. is that a normal side? also, i have been feeling drained. i know its only my third week and i havent peaked yet, but is this common?

i started an arm workout last week using supersets so my workout schedule is like so...

mon - bi/tri/forearm
tue - chest/shoulder
wed - leg
thursday - bi/tri/forearm
friday - chest/shoulder
sat - leg
sunday - rest

the reason for the bi/tri/fore on same day is the workout of supersets. i used to do back and bis and then chest/tri another day. being in my third week of the cycle, i didnt know if overtraining was as much as an issue. i used to go 5 on two off, but being on the cycle i went to 6 days a week. if this isnt good or i am overtraining, what is a good alternative? i have to keep bi/tri/fore on same day....

thanks guys,

chris

 

[Beelzebub]

looks like too much to me. each bodypart once a week is enough, and you get proper rest that way.

 

[CDB]

looks like too much to me. each bodypart once a week is enough, and you get proper rest that way.

Here's something that works for me when I want to switch up workouts for a cycle of PH/AAS. Start with a base workout, a full body routine you could do three times a week. Try to get an equal number of push pulls. Once you have a good full body routine that's easily divisible between push and pull, and to a lesser extent body parts, it's easy as hell to modify it. You can split it up among two or more days, add exercises to increase the volume, leavemore space between working each body part, etc. For example my current workout is this:

Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Lat Pulldown
Clean and Press
EZ Bar Curl
Triceps Extension
Calf Raise
Dead Lift/Squat (whatever I think is best at the time)
Crunches

Now if you just seperate the push and pull exercises and do them on seperate days you've got a nice six day a week routine with one rest day. Add some complimentary exercises and you increase the volume. Leave a day in between the push pull split and you can get a lower or higher volume, but less frequent workout. Basically, when starting from a good full body routine you can modify it to suit almost any need and any split routine design you want.

 

[bobthebuilder]

definitely overtraining, keep it at every bodypart once a week.

 

[max silver]

I've been having very good success with an upper/lower split lately, hitting each bodypart twice in a day span. Key for me has been keeping overall volume somewhat lower due to the increased frequency, hitting major bodyparts with about 6 sets each workout, and smaller bodyparts with 3 sets or so. I'm 3 weeks in working out in this fashion, and have no overtraining signs as of yet.

 

[LittleChina]

Just out our curiousity and for my own information later in my life when I am ready myself (obviously not yet). I too had a question on a rough basis of what would and wouldn't be overtraining when one is on cycle.

For example I heard that a natural bodybuilder should only workout 3-4 times a weak and each workout be under 1 hour, which is roughly 3 hours a week, if he was to go beyond this he risks going into overtrainning. I then heard for a Steroid using bodybuilder, he would work out 6 days a week and each workout could be near 2 hours and this could be done up to twice a day. The amount of hours he could log in would be around 12-22 hours a week? Obviously fast recovery times are one of the best perks about steroid use, and one of the greatest draws to people who love to work hard, and the emphasis is on the word "work".

From your guys' experience when on cycle how much more time can you spend training until you feel you could be overtraining? It would be yet more great knowledge to learn about for later in my own life, when I am fully grown (if not yet) and set knowlege wise.

 

[Matthew D]

I would say that the book might be overstating things alittle.. I wouldn't try it if it were me.. rest is where you build your muscles and the stress from lifting is where you tear them down. Now the thing is that gear allows you to recover quicker because of increased protein synthesis.. so that would be aided by rest after LIFTING HEAVY.. and still not that long, I won't go over 1.5 hours at the gym ever..

 

[rhinochaser48]

I've been having very good success with an upper/lower split lately, hitting each bodypart twice in a day span. Key for me has been keeping overall volume somewhat lower due to the increased frequency, hitting major bodyparts with about 6 sets each workout, and smaller bodyparts with 3 sets or so. I'm 3 weeks in working out in this fashion, and have no overtraining signs as of yet.

This is the real secret most don't seem to understand.

Ideal training is simply a balance between volume and frequency. Adjustments need to be made accordingly on the intensity of the routine.

Whenever I begin to feel burned out, I switch back to an upper/lower split for a week or so. During that week I'll hit each body part twice, only do 1 or 2 worksets per movement, and stick to the basic compound movements.

Just do enough to keep yourself from deconditioning. Like a day of heavy triples followed by a speed day later in the week composed of 6 rep sets using a 12 rep max.

 

[LittleChina]

I would say that the book might be overstating things alittle.. I wouldn't try it if it were me.. rest is where you build your muscles and the stress from lifting is where you tear them down. Now the thing is that gear allows you to recover quicker because of increased protein synthesis.. so that would be aided by rest after LIFTING HEAVY.. and still not that long, I won't go over 1.5 hours at the gym ever..

Thank you for the excellent response, makes sense.

The numbers I heard previously seemed a bit overestimated.

 

[exnihilo]

Westside style training is the shizzle. The trick to doing WS style training is getting your volume of extra workouts down - but it works great!

A lot of people will notice a nice jump in strength after they've been training once a week for a couple of weeks. This is because they have recovered from overreaching... But if you only train a bodypart once a week most people will stall after a couple months. Elite level athletes use loading/deloading cycles, and gradually increase the volume over time. You would do well to emulate this practice, with periods of loading (overreaching) and deloading, if continual progress is what you're after.

 

[SwoleT]

mon - bi/tri/forearm
tue - chest/shoulder
wed - leg
thursday - bi/tri/forearm
friday - chest/shoulder
sat - leg
sunday - rest

I dont see that u work out back? Chest and shoulders twice a week on the same day seem like too much and so does legs esp if your lifting heavy...