Am I over-training?

[Roid_Rookie]

Hi all,

I'm 47 yrs old, 5'8" at 182lbs and about 10%-12% body fat. I have been lifting since my freshman year of high school on and off. Recently I have been consistently back at it for a year and was able to get back to my normal "in shape" form. This is my first time I have used anabolics. I started taking Andropen 275 (20mg testosterone acetate, 90mg testosterone deconate, 45mg testosterone propionate, 45mg phenylpropionate, 75mg testosterone cypionate/1 ml) three pins of .5ml per week, so about 415mg per week. I am not interested in packing on much more size. I started it more to increase my libido, lose some body fat, feel better and make some moderate gains. I guess my goal is to stay in the higher range or just above TRT levels. That said, I will be transitioning to Test E one pin per week.

My workouts are currently two days on and one day off. Day 1, I work shoulders and biceps and Day 2, I do chest and triceps. Each workout is about 1 hour long and then I take a day of rest. Would this be too much at my age and not allowing enough recovery time? Should I add a day off rest between Day1 and Day 2 and just go ever other day?

[fit2bOld]

I dont see a leg workout in your routine. Training legs is the foundation that everything is built on. Maybe time to look at your training as whats missing? Exercise and nutrition are the most important elements.

I personally work all the muscles 1x a week ( chest, shoulders, back, legs)except for arms (bi's & tri's) get 2x as I've gotten older (50+) had to adjust for ability to recover.

Day 1. Chest
Day 2. Shoulders
Day 3. Arms
Day 4. off
Day 5. Back
Day 6. LEGS!!
Day 7. Arms
Day 8 off
I run this regardless of the day of the week and if I miss a day (life happens)I just pick up where i left off.

[magic32]

This should be moved the Workout Forum.

Nevertheless, how much or often one lifts is very subjective. The best determinants are your measurable results, and your body's response:

- Are the muscle groups sore when you re-train them, or fully recovered and ready for more?
- Are your lifts increasing in weight, or plateaued?
- Are you still making desirable changes (gains, losses, cuts, etc.)?
- Is bf diminishing, increasing, or staying the same?

Training should be goal-oriented, and based on biofeedback, not arbitrarily dictated by a popular program or split.

[kelkel]

Great answers above. I'll add this. Less is more as you age. Recovery is everything. Listen to your body and track its changes.

[Juced_porkchop]

I would never go more then 2 workotu in a row without takign a day off myself.

I go eod when going for mass.

[AXx]

There is an old saying (or new), You grow when you sleep (resting). Good luck man

[MuscleInk]

There is an old saying (or new), You grow when you sleep (resting). Good luck man

Exactly! This is pretty much the best time for growth!

I'm training 5 days on two days off now. It's hell but the purpose is to force a larger regrowth during the two days off. It's possible with endurance training but this routine won't work with hypertrophy/strength training.....which I'm switching to in September.

[liftology]

You just have to listen to your body. Its different for different people. Some can recover faster than others. I would recommend a 5 day split and see how your body reacts with 2 days off like Muscle Ink said.
Good luck!

[johnnylucifer]

If you are suspecting over training, then you might be. Me personally, doing chest/tri's right after a delts/bi's right would possibly overwork me on shoulders an bis. my shoulders would be getting a lot of attention for two straight days...in my opinion.

That's just me though. Shoulders and bis get alot of stimulation from chest and tricep exercises. Just speaking from my own personal experience. I do 2 sets of bis a week, that's it. Ya gotta figure what works for you though. Genetics are the chain to which we are all bound. Workout style, nutrition, age, also are big factors in what works for a given person.

It's all really a cruel joke. So much knowledge to tap into these days, but just might not be applicable to you.