what do you guys consider over training?

[BLAZE K]

im reading what some of u guys have to say and it seems like i overtrain everyday. I like to work out till i cant lift so for example today i did 2 warmup sets on bench, 3 12X(reps) of dumbdell bench, 3 12X incline dumbdell, 3 12X incline flies, 6 12X regular flies(3 on machine 3 on cables), 3 12X cable decline flies, 3 12X barbell incline, and 3 12X barbell incline.

TOday my workout didnt go to well though. I can usually finish all these with weight i feel is the most i can do with it but today as i went into the flies i just couldnt push anymore and i dramatically decreased the weights because even a little less wouldn't help. I usually do about these many exercises for every muscle i work out and also i posted before today when i left the gym my chest wasnt tight and hard as it usually is when i work out a muscle. is this over training?

[ascendant]

im reading what some of u guys have to say and it seems like i overtrain everyday. I like to work out till i cant lift so for example today i did 2 warmup sets on bench, 3 12X(reps) of dumbdell bench, 3 12X incline dumbdell, 3 12X incline flies, 6 12X regular flies(3 on machine 3 on cables), 3 12X cable decline flies, 3 12X barbell incline, and 3 12X barbell incline.

TOday my workout didnt go to well though. I can usually finish all these with weight i feel is the most i can do with it but today as i went into the flies i just couldnt push anymore and i dramatically decreased the weights because even a little less wouldn't help. I usually do about these many exercises for every muscle i work out and also i posted before today when i left the gym my chest wasnt tight and hard as it usually is when i work out a muscle. is this over training?

you are ridiculously overtraining. most people do between 12-15 sets for chest, you're doing 23. if you're training intensely enough, you wouldn't be able to make it past more than 15 sets max. you need to up your intensity and decrease your volume.

reason your workout didn't do too well is because with a routine like this, you're breaking down muscle rather than building it up. you need to drop those sets down. your body can only adapt to so much, and once you go past that point, which you unquestionably have, it will start literally breaking certain muscle fibers down to preserve others. it's much more complicated than that of course, but i'm giving it to you in a nutshell.

keep your sets for larger bodyparts between 12-15 and smaller bodyparts between 10-13. if you feel you're not getting enough from that amount, you need to push harder, train to failure, do drop sets, or other training methods that don't involve increasing volume. as of right now however, considering all your muscles are severely overtrained, i'd take a week off and start fresh from there.

[TADOLFI]

you are overtraining.

I agree.

If you can't get to the point that you cut back on the sets - Cut back on your time in the gym.
Try 45 minutes for your workout and see where that puts you.

You'll be surprised at the difference within a month if you cut back.

Patience will help you grow.

[BLAZE K]

ive always done this much ever since i started working out... i guess i gotta change alot but i feel that if i dont do all those exercises i feel that i dont touch every part of my chest.. i think today i did more then usual because i felt i wasnt doing anything because i felt so weak after my 3rd excercise but even thuogh very similar i usually do something like this
dumbell flat bench- 10-12X 3 sets
dumbell incline -10-12X 3 sets
incline cable flies- ""
machine flies-""
cable decline-""
and cable chest lift(iunno what its actually called)-""
so this is 18 sets im doing for chest day? what should i do to cut it down where should i cut some sets ?

[TADOLFI]

My 2 cents....cut out the cable exercises.
I don't think you need them for a basic "get bigger" routine.
More of the barbell/dumbell work for at least a month.

I would try dumbell flat/dumbell incline/incline barbell/machine flies 3 x 8 or 3 x 10.
If you go to 8 and get your weight up on the exercises it may help you motivate yourself to a new level.
I know quite a few people that work out and get "mental" blocks regarding how much weight, how many reps, how many sets.

Three things I always recommend:
1) Have a plan - A plan regarding the workout time, intensity and order of exercises. This helps you visualize results and gives you many small obtainable goals throughout the workout.
2) Use proper Form
3) Get enough rest to recover properly - If you don't "feel" you're ready to train the same body parts after two days, go to three days.