Overtraining

Mikey851

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I think I'm right in assuming that everyone including me wants immediate results from lifting. Of course that never happens. I have tried all different types of training programs with varying intensity and varying frequency through the week. Along the way when I hit plateaus I constantly find myself wondering if I may be overtraining and that's why I'm not gaining quickly enough so I back off; all of these articles on the internet insist that overtraining will lead to lack of gains because you don't have sufficient rest.

The only time I have ever seen good results in the gym is when I workout with alot of intensity and high frequency. I'm not saying that I do chest multiple days in a row or anything, just go to the gym 5 days per week and have a nice intense workout.

My question to you guys is if you think overtraining has been overexaggerated? It seems to me like the more work you put in the more gains you will experience.
 
lennoxchi

lennoxchi

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I think I'm right in assuming that everyone including me wants immediate results from lifting. Of course that never happens. I have tried all different types of training programs with varying intensity and varying frequency through the week. Along the way when I hit plateaus I constantly find myself wondering if I may be overtraining and that's why I'm not gaining quickly enough so I back off; all of these articles on the internet insist that overtraining will lead to lack of gains because you don't have sufficient rest.

The only time I have ever seen good results in the gym is when I workout with alot of intensity and high frequency. I'm not saying that I do chest multiple days in a row or anything, just go to the gym 5 days per week and have a nice intense workout.

My question to you guys is if you think overtraining has been overexaggerated? It seems to me like the more work you put in the more gains you will experience.
i know for a fact that it is real. now heres the thing, it is different for everybody. you could experience this in going 5 days a week or 4 whereas i might experience this by going 6 days a day for extended periods of time. it normally (for me) takes a while to get to that point. trust and listen to you're body. sometimes i get up in the morning to go to the gym and feel like i haven't slept in weeks, i go back to bed and listen to my body. take a day off or go in and do light cardio somedays, it's ok
 
Type O Hero

Type O Hero

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I wish it were like that. If I could, I'd be in the gym 7 days per week for 2-3 hours, but unfortunately that's not the case. And I don't think overtraining has been exaggerated because more often than not I see people doing too much rather than too little. I think it can be agreed upon that most people on these forums have an avid love for weight training so it would make sense that the common problem would be too much over too little.

My philosophy is to find what works best for you. If you find a training method that's working for you, by all means, stick with it! The thing is, a lot of people will try to emulate another bodybuilder's training methods to the letter, which is where a lot of problems come in. For instance, if I tried to follow a workout that a 220lbs mesomorph-type bodybuilder was doing, I would probably find myself overtraining while it may be working out very well for that guy.

Something that has worked for me is higher frequency, high intensity and lower volume. I work each major muscle group twice per week at lower volumes and keep that up until I start leveling off or start feeling fatigued all the time - when this happens I know it's time to break. Here's what I'm talking about... http://anabolicminds.com/forum/training-forum/146913-compounds-over-isolation.html


Keep your central nervous system (CNS) in mind as well. Most of the time it's the CNS that gives out to cause overtraining. Keep your CNS happy and your muscles will be happy. There are plenty of articles about this so just use Google or the search button.
 
ShockCollar

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i feel the same way my man.

i feel like if i work out arms chest and back mon/wed/fri with legs and abs on tues/thurs and save saturday for cardio and calisthenics, i get much better results than training one muscle group once a week.

i hope this thread plays out and some good answers flow in, like the ones above. i feel like im missing out on optimal potential for gains by worrying about overtraining.


bump.
 

Mikey851

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Thanks for the replies everyone. From your responses I can tell that it is something you all have thought about. I do agree that overtraining is a real thing and I believe I have experienced CNS overtraining before for sure. I just feel like I spend a little too much time worrying about it when I need to just listen to my body like you guys said.
 

Mikey851

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which means heavy weights less volume.
Oh yeah, I definately agree with you here. Here's my current routine.

Workout A
Squats 3 sets of 5
Bench 3 sets of 5; 1 set of 10
Bent over rows 3 sets of 10
Dips 3 sets to failure
Ab work 3 sets to failure

Workout B
Squats 3 sets of 5
Overhead Press 3 sets of 5; 1 set of 10
Deadlift 1 set of 5
Pullups/Chin ups 3 sets to failure
Weighted Back Extensions 3 sets of 10

I alternate workout A and B on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do 30 minutes of moderate cardio in the morning. Also, on wednesday and friday I do about 30 minutes of isolation exercises for lagging muscles.

That puts me in the gym for 5 days a week, lifting under an hour each session and three of those sessions per week are comprised of heavy, low volume, compound lifts. That is quite a few times at the gym per week, but I just tend to do better if I go often.
 

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