Overtraining a myth?

[seriouslifter]

What is Overtraining? - YouTube


agree? Also what if your on cycle, cant you train more because you recover faster if eating enough?

[kitstreasure]

CT Fletcher!

"I command you to GROW!" "Which of you mothafvkcers is coming in second?!"

[kitstreasure]

Oh! and of course, "It's still yo' motha fvckin' set!"

[seriouslifter]

loll

[Times Roman]

Overtraining is NOT a myth

I was guilty of this sin probably for the first ten years I was lifting weights. I didn't understand that muscle only grows at rest. I always thought that by always having a pump, you could some how make that sticky and make it last. The truth is, for the first ten years, I got stronger, but not much bigger.

then something strange happened. I began to lose interest, and lowered my intensity, no longer working out every day. Not sure if it was just a genetic thing, I was resting more, or both, but I began to add weight to my frame for the first time! At the time, I didn't understand what or why it was happening. Looking back, some of it was genetic, but I'm sure the additional rest finally allowed muscular growth.

So with weight lifting, more is not always better!

[DSM4Life]

Hmmm lets think rational about this for a second. Should we take advise from someone who uses the word "motha ****in" 3 times in every sentence or listen to people who have dedicated their lives to science/medicine. I think I am going to go with the doctors....motha ****er.

[JWP806]

Hmmm lets think rational about this for a second. Should we take advise from someone who uses the word "motha ****in" 3 times in every sentence or listen to people who have dedicated their lives to science/medicine. I think I am going to go with the doctors....motha ****er.

Well this dude held several world records and is a beast. I'm always leaning more toward science but his training method works for some guys. I'm sure it has to do with his freaky genetics but there's no denying he is big and strong as hell.

Nearly everyone (if not everyone) who say his methods are bullshit are smaller than he is.

I believe you can overtrain but most people are too worried about it and as a result, many don't train enough because they are scared of overtraining.

Obviously don't train the same muscle everyday or train one muscle group for 2-3 hours at a time.

If you use a little common sense and listen to your body, you are going to be fine.

[Zodiac82]

Supermutant had a quote that said....theres no such thing as overtraining....just under-slepping and under-eating

-Release the Kracken!!!-

[gbrice75]

Well this dude held several world records and is a beast. I'm always leaning more toward science but his training method works for some guys. I'm sure it has to do with his freaky genetics but there's no denying he is big and strong as hell.

Nearly everyone (if not everyone) who say his methods are bullshit are smaller than he is.

I believe you can overtrain but most people are too worried about it and as a result, many don't train enough because they are scared of overtraining.

Obviously don't train the same muscle everyday or train one muscle group for 2-3 hours at a time.

If you use a little common sense and listen to your body, you are going to be fine.

Great post.

I don't think it's a myth, but I do think to a great degree it's vastly overblown hype, perpetuated by BB mags and companies trying to sell you supps (protein powders, PWO 'recovery' drinks, etc), as well as 'bro's' in the gym who push broscience.

Look no further than athletes. Cyclists ride miles and miles a day, every day. Do they have small legs? Hell no. How about Olympic gymnasts... considering the amount of time they have to put into their training hours and hours a day - do their bodies look weak and 'broken down'? No way.

Our bodies recover (most efficiently, not ONLY) at rest, so of course it's important. But you have to keep in mind that the rest required is directly proportionate to the 'damage' done. With regard to bodybuilding, damaging muscle tissue beyond what triggers the growth mechanism doesn't induce additional growth, it only (unnecessarily) increases the amount of time required to repair said damage, and as a result, opportunities to train again are missed. This is essentially the principle behind high frequency and or HST style training.

[basketballfan22]

Overtraining is NOT a myth

I was guilty of this sin probably for the first ten years I was lifting weights. I didn't understand that muscle only grows at rest. I always thought that by always having a pump, you could some how make that sticky and make it last. The truth is, for the first ten years, I got stronger, but not much bigger.

then something strange happened. I began to lose interest, and lowered my intensity, no longer working out every day. Not sure if it was just a genetic thing, I was resting more, or both, but I began to add weight to my frame for the first time! At the time, I didn't understand what or why it was happening. Looking back, some of it was genetic, but I'm sure the additional rest finally allowed muscular growth.

So with weight lifting, more is not always better!

Yep. When I started working out, I was running 4 miles before doing full-body workouts that lasted almost 3 hours. I promise you that I was overtraining. I started to develop Achille's tendonitis and was so fatigued that I just wanted to sleep and not eat. Needless to say, once I began shortening my workout (something I am still working at), I began to tack on more size.

[JWP806]

Yep. When I started working out, I was running 4 miles before doing full-body workouts that lasted almost 3 hours. I promise you that I was overtraining. I started to develop Achille's tendonitis and was so fatigued that I just wanted to sleep and not eat. Needless to say, once I began shortening my workout (something I am still working at), I began to tack on more size.

3.5 hours per day... That's clearly overtraining. There is no one here that would argue with that. Full body workouts are definitely going to lead to overtraining in my opinion. There's just no need for it.

I think that most of the controversy lies with people working out the same muscle groups multiple times per week or doing more sets during a session or per week than what you would think would be in the 'normal' (if there is such a thing) range.

How many days a week were you training?

Either way, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to get a very solid weightlifting session done in 1.25 hours. I often spend another 20 minutes doing cardio afterward but people who claim to spend 2-3 hours at the gym lifting make me laugh because they are more than likely doing more talking than anything else.

[basketballfan22]

3.5 hours per day... That's clearly overtraining. There is no one here that would argue with that. Full body workouts are definitely going to lead to overtraining in my opinion. There's just no need for it.

I think that most of the controversy lies with people working out the same muscle groups multiple times per week or doing more sets during a session or per week than what you would think would be in the 'normal' (if there is such a thing) range.

How many days a week were you training?

Either way, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to get a very solid weightlifting session done in 1.25 hours. I often spend another 20 minutes doing cardio afterward but people who claim to spend 2-3 hours at the gym lifting make me laugh because they are more than likely doing more talking than anything else.

This was 5 years ago when I first started lifting. I am extremely driven and can get a little obsessive about things (you should see me when I don't understand a mathematical proof); so when I started lifting, I made a deal with myself that I would only do it if I gave it my all. Needless to say, it lasted only a couple of months. I was lifting 5 days per week, and I was not talking much. Since then, I have made drastic improvements in my routine; but I still may be overdoing it slightly. I can sometimes get in and out in 60 - 75 minutes, but other times I can be in the gym for 90 - 100 minutes. This is with no cardio at the end either. I am still fighting the urge to stay in the gym, so hopefully I will bring it down a little more so I can have time to do cardio again. I think my history of overtraining has conditioned both my body and mind to thinking "I have not done enough" when I cut it more.

[austinite]

If overtraining was real my right hand would be dead.

[Times Roman]

If overtraining was real my right hand would be dead.

look who made a funny one!

HAR HAR HAR =)

[JD250]

^^^^ And my left..... seriously though, he wasn't exactly clear on what his definition of over training was so maybe he's right maybe he's wrong.... he didn't really give much explanation along with all the inspiration.

[tigerspawn]

Deja vu

[Java Man]

I started clicking like on the posts but stopped because I like them all. Over training is real imo but also very hard to do which both have been stated here already. I have done it, much like bbfan22 said I was obsessed when I first started working out. There is a point when a body not used to the constant abuse just says 'f!ck it!' And basically shuts down. I also think a seasoned athlete would be hard pissed if not impossible to cause such a shut down. I believe the overtrainers are beginners who read too many pro articles in magazines and try to do the same workouts. Please. These guys have built up to that point. You can't take a flabby couch potato and expect their body to respond favorably to Jay Cutlers workout routine.

[DCI]

Exactly what java man said ive seen people do the above thankfully ive mever done it due to me genuinely only having an hr or hr and a half to do training.

Like everything you have start off small and work your way into it

[marcus300]

Mike on overtraining

Overtraining, dear reader, is not something merely "kinda" or "sorta" negative - it is much worse than that. Overtraining is the worst training mistake a bodybuilder can make; it is precisely that which militates against the desired result. Overtraining, by definition, means performing any more exercise than is minimally required to trigger the growth mechanism into motion. Most bodybuilders today still operate on the notion that their purpose is to discover how many sets they can do, how much they can take or how long they can endure. And such is erroneous because bodybuilding is not aerobic. A bodybuilding workout is not an endurance contest! The actual, literal purpose of a bodybuilder is not to discover how many sets he can endure, but to intelligently do what nature requires merely to trigger the growth mechanism into motion, then get the hell out of the gym, go home, rest and GROW!

Mike Mentzer

[Euroholic]

Mike on overtraining

Overtraining, dear reader, is not something merely "kinda" or "sorta" negative - it is much worse than that. Overtraining is the worst training mistake a bodybuilder can make; it is precisely that which militates against the desired result. Overtraining, by definition, means performing any more exercise than is minimally required to trigger the growth mechanism into motion. Most bodybuilders today still operate on the notion that their purpose is to discover how many sets they can do, how much they can take or how long they can endure. And such is erroneous because bodybuilding is not aerobic. A bodybuilding workout is not an endurance contest! The actual, literal purpose of a bodybuilder is not to discover how many sets he can endure, but to intelligently do what nature requires merely to trigger the growth mechanism into motion, then get the hell out of the gym, go home, rest and GROW!

Mike Mentzer

Well said!!!!Were body builders not those long distance runners you see at the Olympics!!!

[PaxJax2]

Interesting

[Doom44]

Mike on overtraining

Overtraining, dear reader, is not something merely "kinda" or "sorta" negative - it is much worse than that. Overtraining is the worst training mistake a bodybuilder can make; it is precisely that which militates against the desired result. Overtraining, by definition, means performing any more exercise than is minimally required to trigger the growth mechanism into motion. Most bodybuilders today still operate on the notion that their purpose is to discover how many sets they can do, how much they can take or how long they can endure. And such is erroneous because bodybuilding is not aerobic. A bodybuilding workout is not an endurance contest! The actual, literal purpose of a bodybuilder is not to discover how many sets he can endure, but to intelligently do what nature requires merely to trigger the growth mechanism into motion, then get the hell out of the gym, go home, rest and GROW!

Mike Mentzer

Well said .

[belva]

Maybe I'm too late but still I like to add something...to whom who said that overtraining doesn't exist and that they don't feel it, well that's a bullshit. Maybe it might not reflect on the training but they can't figure out why they always catch a cold, have a running nose and why they don't have the desire to bone their gf anymore...well the reality is that overtraining does exist.