overtraining=overrated

I've been watching a few old videos and now reading up on some bodybuilders from the 50's, 60's, 70's..these guys achieved awesome bodies, by doing things that today we would be flamed for or told we are overtraining....for example lou ferrigino was a nyc iron worker who worked 8 hours a day and spent anywhere from 4-6 HOURS IN THE GYM:scratch: ...others were school teachers, laborers and various other jobs the required alot of extra attention and all of these guys were just getting started an hour into their training...Thats crazzy to me, i don't advocate this by any means but what i'm saying that if you take in plenty of calories and get proper rest, overtraining shouldnt be in your vocabulary, also if your workout happens to be closer to 2 hours it's not the end of the world and you don't have to take it easy the rest of the week..i personally think ppl are afraid to train hard so its their back door out :rant: ... sorry just wanted to get that out

in the words of ronnie coleman "everybody wanna be a bodybuilder, but don't nobody wanna lift no heavy ass weight"

I believe overtraining is a bit overrated. I made some of my best gains around 16-17yrs. old using a split like this:

Mon-Chest, Biceps
Tues-Legs, Calves
Wed-Shoulders, Triceps, Forearms
Thurs-Back
Repeat Friday through Monday, then finally taking one day off and repeating the cycle again.

So basically it was 8 days straight of training with only 1 off. It worked great for me, but definitely won't work for everyone. Something to try out for those of you who are trying different things and learning about your body.

also i belive waiting till all ur soreness is gone to train again is bull, if im alittle sore, then go to the gym, after my warmup set im stretched out, n feel even better now that ive stretched my muscles n am working them, idk maybe its me bu tli lvoe working out alittle sore, after u feel great, if u train like i do , each bodypart twice a week ur gonna be alittle sore sometimes

Works at first, but remember:

1) the bigger you are/get, the MORE TIME you need to heal. When I was 175 I could workout chest on Monday and do it again Thursday, as my chest wasn't much of a chest! Now that I am 255, the chest needs a LOT MORE rest time!


2) the pros who say they do 20 sets of something really don't, and they also are on about 5 grams of shit a week, so they do heal a bit quicker. GH and gear up the ass will do that to you.

~SC~

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SwoleCat

Works at first, but remember:

1) the bigger you are/get, the MORE TIME you need to heal. When I was 175 I could workout chest on Monday and do it again Thursday, as my chest wasn't much of a chest! Now that I am 255, the chest needs a LOT MORE rest time!


2) the pros who say they do 20 sets of something really don't, and they also are on about 5 grams of shit a week, so they do heal a bit quicker. GH and gear up the ass will do that to you.

~SC~

---

i def. agree..and i DO believe in overtraining i just think ppl are too worried about it and focus too hard on if they might be overtraining, rather then focusing on the training itself

i believe u can overtrain quite easily, if u dont leave enough days between workouts, but i dont believe what some people say which is u can overtrain on a single day by doing high volume.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JamesC

i believe u can overtrain quite easily, if u dont leave enough days between workouts, but i dont believe what some people say which is u can overtrain on a single day by doing high volume.

---

This is pretty much what I believe. I think a high volume session will not really lead to overtraining, but I believe it won't necessarily lead to any more gain either...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Flexor

This is pretty much what I believe. I think a high volume session will not really lead to overtraining, but I believe it won't necessarily lead to any more gain either...

---

Yeh i agree, but i do love to do a lot of sets of some exercises sometimes or a drop set or something, to get a really good burn and pump, it may not actually do anything more, but mentally it does the trick.

I Have Noticed That Guys Who Don't Talk And Are UnEducated Think That Working Out All The Time Builds Muscle...Which It Does, And It Will Throw You Head On Into A Pleateu That Will Kill Future Goals...Work It Hard And Read Swole's "Obvious" Training Reminder... Overtraining May Not Seem So Bad At First But Just Wait...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bigpup101

i def. agree..and i DO believe in overtraining i just think ppl are too worried about it and focus too hard on if they might be overtraining, rather then focusing on the training itself

---

ditto...

One thing you guys failed to mention also..... overtraing WILL LEAD TO INJURIES!!! i learned this the hard way two years ago in the summer.... I worked my chest and shoulders twice a week becuase i always wanted them to looked pump'd with my shirt off on the beach:1laugh: ... i was 18 hey live and learn:wg:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daytrader

One thing you guys failed to mention also..... overtraing WILL LEAD TO INJURIES!!! i learned this the hard way two years ago in the summer.... I worked my chest and shoulders twice a week becuase i always wanted them to looked pump'd with my shirt off on the beach:1laugh: ... i was 18 hey live and learn:wg:

---

Woops failed to mention i pulled my pec-shoulder tiein and had to lay off the weights for a month

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daytrader

One thing you guys failed to mention also..... overtraing WILL LEAD TO INJURIES!!! i learned this the hard way two years ago in the summer.... I worked my chest and shoulders twice a week becuase i always wanted them to looked pump'd with my shirt off on the beach:1laugh: ... i was 18 hey live and learn:wg:

---

I bumped my chest and shoulder workout to twice a week and I'm getting better gains. Just goes to show everybody is different.

overtraining is quite real, i have experienced it more than once. but i don't think you should really worry about it until you get to that point, unless you are working near your 1rm in compound heavy movements or doing the olympic movements, both of which will exhaust your cns unbelievably fast if you aren't careful.

As long as you recover from your last workout and can show improvement, unless you are cutting bodyfat, in your next workout, you can use any of the various training methods mentioned here. Performing more work (reps, set, lbs, etc) is the key to muscle growth.

there are a few things to remember, those guys were prolly making up the some of the stuff they reported doing, and also when a camera is around, im sure they did extra to look even more hardcore.. now to over training, in the beginngin, some of my best arm growth came from doing the same exercises over and over thru a week.. almost everyday.. would it work now? prolly not, my body is much smarter than then. like SC mentioned, it works in the beginning, bc its new, anything new usually works well. i personally believe over training comes mainly rom dieting... when yoru calories are low, idont sleep half as well, and im not gettin what i need as far as nutrients.. so my body cant handle nearly as much as normal. i also think that a huge part of overtraining is mental.. i get mentally tired more thani do physically, and i need breaks more bc of that, not bc of my body. and my final thought is this, if the pros actually trained the way they bragged, imagine how they would have looked if they actually trained the way most do today... and ronnies sessions last barely over an hr...

i typically only do one body part a week, but like some on here have said, if my volume gets high as hell in a workout, i dont worry that im overtraining. as much as it hurts i love the workouts, i love taking myself to the threshold of up-chucking . if i feel like i can do a couple of extra sets i will do them. more than anything i want to continue to grow and improve, but i love to train and thats why im doing it in the first place, i just cant see stopping myself anywhere short of my maximum effort every single time i step in the gym.

I don't believe you even have to worry about overtraining unless you can feel the effects, for example tiredness, lack of determination and focus and failure to achieve a good pump or fight off fatigue. Overtraining is something that you know you have when you've got it, you feel stale. So unless you feel something affecting your whole body or you seem to be getting injured more, I don't believe there is a problem.

High intensity sessions + Suitable rest period = sustainable growth

High intensity sessions + Inadequate rest period = unsustainable growth + cumulative overtraining that will build up