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Am I overtraining???

mrhankey87

mrhankey87

Member
Hi there! For the whole year I've been training 5 days a week, each workout being quite long (1.5hr), wednesday and sunday being my rest days.

Pretty much hypertrophy only, always in between 8-12 reps, always 4 sets + final drop set for each exercise, short rest periods, sometimes also supersets. I recently started cutting and I'm not recuperating as easily, probably because of the caloric deficit.

I always wake up already tired and sore, even if I regularly sleep 7-8hrs.

Here's an example of my 5-day split:

CHEST/SHOULDERS/TRIS/ABS
BACK/BICEPS/REAR DELTS
REST
LEGS/CALVES
CHEST/SHOULDERS/TRIS/ABS
BACK/BICEPS/REAR DELTS
REST

So it's basically a PPLPP. An example of one of my workouts would be:

- Chinup 4x8
- Standing barbell curl 4x8 + dropset
- T-bar row 4x10
- Seated dumbbell curls 4x10 + dropset
- Lat pulldown superset straight arm pushdown 4x12 + 4x12
- Cable preacher curls superset concentration curls 4x12 + 4x12
- Rear delt cable flies 5x15 + dropset

The amount of exercises I do is not much, but perhaps too many sets are making the workouts too long?

Thanks for your time!
 
Too many drop sets no wonder you're sore. You shouldn't be doing them all year non stop either. How long you been lifting?
 
APC80 said:
Too many drop sets no wonder you're sore. You shouldn't be doing them all year non stop either. How long you been lifting?
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I should clarify, drop set is only at the end of the last set. Also, I just started implementing supersets now that I'm cutting.

I usually take a deload week after every 6 weeks, that's been helping, but still I wonder if in general 1.5hr x 5 days a week is too much for a natty...
 
mrhankey87 said:
I should clarify, drop set is only at the end of the last set. Also, I just started implementing supersets now that I'm cutting.

I usually take a deload week after every 6 weeks, that's been helping, but still I wonder if in general 1.5hr x 5 days a week is too much for a natty...
Click to expand...

Don't think there's a point to drop sets when cutting it'll just make recovery harder. Lower volume, up intensity and cut out some of the extra isolation exercises. You will get more sore and tired when in a calorie deficit as well.
 
I love performing drop sets. Seriously LOVE them.

Though I haven't programmed them in for almost 2 years now. I found it to hinder growth for myself at the time. I can't say how much but it is one of a select few changes I made right when I started making better progress.

I'm more muscular now than ever, I do 90 minute lifts just like yourself 6 days a week. Supersets like yourself as well and I used to always finish a lift on a drop set.

I vote you remove the drop-set for the sake of hypertrophy, because you are cutting and recovery is an issue. On a gaining phase I would re-introduce it then if you like them
 
mrhankey87 said:
...now that I'm cutting.
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Hmmm, to me it is hard to gain strength and or mass when cutting also. I always had to kinda get my priorities in line doing this. I know we want to get cut and still not lose strength or even add mass, but that is hard to do. Maybe just get into some lighter work reducing a day or so and some time off the 1.5, (maybe just under and hour for a bit, 'til you get real hungry to lift again!?) and just watch your muscles become more defined as you cut!?
It sounds like less beating on yourself "might" be a welcome change for a little bit!? What does your intuition tell you?
 
On a caloric deficit????

Drop your volume by 40-60 percent. No drop sets. Train in the 6-10 rep range and stick mostly with compounds.
 
UPDATE: Just did back & biceps but removed all the drop sets (I kept the supersets). Already a big difference - my CNS is not as fried during the workout and I can foresee recovering a bit more easily this way.

Until now I used to do drop sets because I hate cardio, therefore I thought if I could make my workout a bit more aerobic (dropset/superset/shorter rests) it would have benefitted my cut. Used to do dropsets especially on arms since they're a bit behind the rest of the body, so I thought they added "something" - but if my mental/physical recovery suffers from those, not much sense to keep doing them.
 
Up your protein and lower your carbs and keep your cals the same (current deficit). Also gove your body timento adapt to the reduction of calories, in 2-3 weeks youll feel your recovery time will improve all else being equal
 
During a cut you would want to manage fatigue while keeping the the volume high to preserve muscle. Drop sets , unless training specifically for metabolite stimulation, carry a high amount of fatigue for the volume that comes along for the ride.
 
Kaiyas_daddy said:
Up your protein and lower your carbs and keep your cals the same (current deficit). Also gove your body timento adapt to the reduction of calories, in 2-3 weeks youll feel your recovery time will improve all else being equal
Click to expand...

My diet is on point - this is training specific. But thanks!
 
Personal opinion is that's way too much training. No way I could handle that. 4 days/week at 1 hour max is perfect for me.
 
flyAA said:
Personal opinion is that's way too much training. No way I could handle that. 4 days/week at 1 hour max is perfect for me.
Click to expand...

How do you manage to do multi frequency with just 1hr 4 days a week? Or you just don't do it? Perhaps you just focus on compounds mainly?

I thought about doing 4 times a week, but that would be monofrequency:

- CHEST/SHOULDERS/ABS
- BICEPS/TRICEPS/REAR DELTS
- LEGS/CALVES
- BACK/BICEPS/ABS
 
mrhankey87 said:
How do you manage to do multi frequency with just 1hr 4 days a week? Or you just don't do it? Perhaps you just focus on compounds mainly?

I thought about doing 4 times a week, but that would be monofrequency:

- CHEST/SHOULDERS/ABS
- BICEPS/TRICEPS/REAR DELTS
- LEGS/CALVES
- BACK/BICEPS/ABS
Click to expand...

Due to my job and not being able to hit the gym at set days each week I have to work out when I can. It usually is every other day between chest/back and arms, then shoulds/legs/abs. Sometimes shoulds and legs get split up. Sometimes I do abs with legs, sometimes with legs. I just have to do what I can.

I'm not big on hitting muscle groups more than once in 6 days. As my mentor, who is an extremely well-respected gym owner/trainer taught me, if you do chest every Monday you're not doing chest once a week, you're doing it twice. You start hitting chest every 2-3 days and that's 3 times a week. It's just too much for me. I can't recover and get lots of aches/pains.

I know its not really in fashion these days, but once every 5-7 days per muscle group is ideal for me.
 
flyAA said:
Due to my job and not being able to hit the gym at set days each week I have to work out when I can. It usually is every other day between chest/back and arms, then shoulds/legs/abs. Sometimes shoulds and legs get split up. Sometimes I do abs with legs, sometimes with legs. I just have to do what I can.

I'm not big on hitting muscle groups more than once in 6 days. As my mentor, who is an extremely well-respected gym owner/trainer taught me, if you do chest every Monday you're not doing chest once a week, you're doing it twice. You start hitting chest every 2-3 days and that's 3 times a week. It's just too much for me. I can't recover and get lots of aches/pains.

I know its not really in fashion these days, but once every 5-7 days per muscle group is ideal for me.
Click to expand...
I know what you're trying to say about the chest workouts two times per week if you're hitting it every Monday, but following that logic means that you're working chest twice one week and then not at all the next week. Hitting chest every Monday gives you about about 52 workouts in 52 weeks, or one a week, obviously. It's once every seven days, or once per week, not twice per week.
 
I have to add, my job is very sedentary (I work from home) so basically all my energy is spent at the gym, not anywhere else
 
Your cortisol is already elevated due to the intensity of your routine adding a caloric deficit is going to bump cortisol even more I'd ditch most if not all drop sets and do 3x12
 
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