My Two Pence on Overtraining

[DeadliftsHitMySpot]

Hey guys and gals, I just thought I would take some time out to give my thoughts on a topic which seems to have many beginners, intermediates and even professionals confused to some degree or another...."OVERTRAINING"

This article I feel is more designed for a beginner information level as I still believe myself to be a beginner in many ways.....

MY BACK GROUND
(*Warning this may bore you*)
Well I've been bodybuilding now for 3-4 years so am by no means experienced or an expert and have so much to learn as am sure we all do...However like I said training 3-4 years, I must have tried 101 different "better" ways to train, from routines designed on the internet, fitness magazines to ones I've designed myself. The first 6-8 months of my training was purely for fitness, I played football (soccer) I smoked, drank regularly and ate what I wanted without caring and wanted to change. It then became more serious to me and since I have given all that crap up and my life now evolves around getting the best out of myself as a bodybuilder. I first weighed myself when I started 3 years ago at 142lbs at 6 ft 1 with like 8% body fat, I now weigh 238lbs with 12% body fat (admit steroids have helped along the way) however I believe them to be pretty acceptable gains within a short period of time.
I currently train 8 days out of 10 training each muscle group twice in that peroid...now to a lot of people some wud consider this overtraining and some wouldn't, I feel stronger everyday I hit the gym and if I don't I review my routine and adapt....

Lats/Biceps, Chest/Triceps, Delts/Traps, Legs, Rest

Anyways before I bore you if I already haven't let's move on.....

DOES OVERTRAINING EXIST?
Yes of course overtraining exist, people that say it doesn't well in my opinion might as well give up or look long and hard in the mirror because they are living in a land of nod!

Overtraining has a major impact on strength gains, muscle mass gains, fat loss etc....So many people have come upto me in recent times and struggled to understand why they have been stuck bench pressing the same weight they were a year ago. Well my answer is always the same, to be honest there is only one person that can answer that, YOU and only YOU, do you eat enough to gain size and strength, do you feel recovered before training again, what are your goals, training methods, sleep patterns and variation of exercises, all of this I believe plays a major role in bodybuilding and so much more.

However I once read an article and a certain statement stuck out to me which I believe is why many people can be so confused on the subject, along with not being able to understand there own bodies.....

" You may overtrain in the short term on high volume, but after 3-4 weeks of it your body will adapt and you will start noticing big time strength gains & noticible muscle gains. The problem is during the first 3-4 weeks you may lose some strength while your body adapts and you will be sore and feel like crap... so everyone just quits after a few weeks before their body has time to adapt. If you'd stick with it you'd find that it is very effective. Everyone is so phobic about overtraining... but experts in exercise physiology cannot even accurately describe what overtraining is and there is some debate as to whether or not it even exists. Overtraining is a nice term to toss around to the lay person by trainers who simply don't know what the heck is going on when a client is not growing so they just use the default answer of 'overtraining'. Start thinking outside the box and you might just start growing."

Now I don't know what you opinions on this are and it would be nice to here them....

 

[str8rippinau]

This is really interesting thanks for the post.

This is an issue for me atm. Iv just started my first cycle. I trained for two years naturally 3 days per week split, hitting every body part, focusing on lifting heavy for low reps and working to failure.

In that time i really havent grown that much. Im stronger and have put on decent muscle mass, but in terms of the results i was/am looking for, they never really came.

A friend of mine has recommended i start a 5 day split. This is really hard, because i feel i havent recovered by the time the next day comes along. However, if i stick to it for a few weeks maybe i will adapt.

Im a complete amateur myself, but one thing i have learned is that the body seems to adapt to what ever you put it through. When i was cutting, i use to do interval cardio until i thought i was going to pass out. The next session i could push that little bit further. The body adjusts itself. Its just the people that continuously tell me not to over train that are holding me back from giving this a good hard crack. Seen as though im on the juice now, though, im going to try it.

 

[Welter]

A friend of mine has recommended i start a 5 day split. This is really hard, because i feel i havent recovered by the time the next day comes along. However, if i stick to it for a few weeks maybe i will adapt.

Curious what kind of 5 day split?

I posted mine in another thread and i feel the way its spaced out it should be plenty of time between each muscle group. I am very mildly concerned over two items, i am afraid i could possibly over-train my arms but my arms are big enough for my liking and very defined. The second concern is my split goes back then next day legs. I do deads on my back day then follow-up next day with legs.

The only other thing that

 

[str8rippinau]

Here is mine atm. I work 12 hour days on Wednesday and Thursday, so they are my days off.

Friday: Legs
Saturday: Chest/Abs
Sunday: Shoulders/Traps
Monday: Back
Tuesday: Arms

 

[DeadliftsHitMySpot]

Here is mine atm. I work 12 hour days on Wednesday and Thursday, so they are my days off.

Friday: Legs
Saturday: Chest/Abs
Sunday: Shoulders/Traps
Monday: Back
Tuesday: Arms

You said that you lift heavy and to failure for those 3 years, well personally I don't believe that's the best system to build hyperthropy (muscle mass) try lowering the weight until your squeezing 10 reps out.

I would also possibly recommend swapping sundays and monday over to allow a little more rest for that anterior delt buddy, thatll be taking a hammering there unless you don't feel great effects from it.

 

[Welter]

You said that you lift heavy and to failure for those 3 years, well personally I don't believe that's the best system to build hyperthropy (muscle mass) try lowering the weight until your squeezing 10 reps out.

Many here will vehemently disagree with you.

I would also possibly recommend swapping sundays and monday over to allow a little more rest for that anterior delt buddy, thatll be taking a hammering there unless you don't feel great effects from it.

Agree 100% give the shoulders a little recovery time before you work them. When your doing chest your still hitting the shoulders pretty hard.

 

[DeadliftsHitMySpot]

Many here will vehemently disagree with you.



Agree 100% give the shoulders a little recovery time before you work them. When your doing chest your still hitting the shoulders pretty hard.

Yea I would expect many to disagree I was just giving an opinion on what I feel has worked best for me, I do agree heavy low reps is great for strength to then build muscle mass.

 

[str8rippinau]

Ok guys ill swap those two days around, makes sense.

In terms of reps i aim to get a weight that i will fail with around the 6-8 rep mark.

 

[Pinnacle@Rep]

Ok guys ill swap those two days around, makes sense.

In terms of reps i aim to get a weight that i will fail with around the 6-8 rep mark.

That is a perfect mark! 6-8 rep failure zone! Everything works different for everybody. I know guys who weigh over 300 lbs and hit every muscle group in the body twice a week on a mass building level. And of course the famous once a week level. Try different stuff (for months) and keep notes or a ledger of weight gain and muscle measurements like around your chest, arms, thigh, calve. Workout a certain routine/way, keep notes on how you were eating and try to keep as many things the same for every different trial. After about 2-3 years compare the difference in them and decide. I know it sounds like a long time but this is a long time-invested game. I did so many different workout routines for so many years but always give every routine at least 3 months. I have my favorite routine that works best for me and if I told you what routine it is you and everybody here would say it was no way that it is a good one but it works for me and what I want.
Good luck.