how do you know if you overtrain?

[Mai_Tai]

I've been lifting for three years now hard and consistent, but I'm a college student so once a year, I'll slack for a week, maybe two. I've seen a 20lb increase in muscle, but I'm pretty sure that's just from natural body developmen too. I want to jack up! It seems the more sets I do per body part, the better results. I get sore, and I feel that's a way to get big.

If I cut my sets down, and I still work hard in each set, I don't get sore. So how do I bulk? Am I overtraining? I can post a workout routine if needed. Thanks.

MT

[TheMudMan]

Post your work out so we can see how many sets you do per body part and how many times you hit that body part each week.

Some signs of overtraining are:
Join Soreness
Injuries
Lost interest in training
Gaining fat
Losing weight (muscle)
Feel sick and tired

These are just some of the signs and just because you don't have them yet doesn't mean you're not overtraining.

[abstrack]

IMHO, Using D.O.M as a sign of growth or effective training is just plain out wrong. Just cause you dont get sore doesn't mean your not training right or effectively.

[TheMudMan]

IMHO, Using D.O.M as a sign of growth or effective training is just plain out wrong. Just cause you dont get sore doesn't mean your not training right or effectively.

Hey abstrack what does D.O.M stand for?

[abstrack]

Delayed Onset Muscle soreness

[TheMudMan]

Thanks!

You're right over the years I have seen that I'm not as sore anymore but still have put on quality muscle and shape. The only time I really get sore is if I change things up.

[abstrack]

A litlle soreness is ok, but the longer/harder/type of excercise and the intesity is the longer the recovery curve is. BY him thinking if I dont get sore I am not effectively training my muscles is wrong. Any type of resitence training is going to break down the tissues that your putting through stress.

[Mai_Tai]

Well I do'nt suffer from your list of symptoms, and I don't think I overtrain. And I do look to be a little sore, not "holly shit" I can't move. I just like to feel that light stretch.

Here's a sample simple workout:

Mon: Chest
Flat dumbell press 1 warmup, 5 additional sets aiming for 8 reps, 4 at last set.
Incline dumbell 4 sets, each for 8 reps, last at 4 reps
Decline barbell 4 sets 8 on all, 4 on last
Plyometric cables for incline flys. I tie the cables to benches equal distances and I do cross over flys on a incline bench 15x's, then I superset it with single hands and I punch a spotters hand while keeping my back on the bench 10x to 14x's. That is tough!
Tues Back:
Pullups 4 sets, 1-2 min rest between sets, as many as I can do each set, wide grip.
seated Pull down machine 4 sets all aimed at 10 reps
This next exercise gets alternated every week.
1 week I'll do seated rows 4 sets at 10 reps
next week I'll do bent rows 4 sets 10 rep
next week I'll do barbell rows with knee on bench. 4 sets, 8 reps
I'll do a light 3 sets of biceps this day to get blood in there. Very light, but low reps so not to tire them.
Wed Shoulders:
Mil press front 1 warmup, 4 sets, aimed at 6 reps, 4 on last
Arnold shoulder dumbel presses. I take them further and push with my palms facing my face until I pass my ears with the bottom of the dumbels. 4 sets 8 reps each, 4 on last.
Frontal raises with dumbels and plyometric cables tied to my wrists, 4 sets 10 reps on all.
Lateral raises with dumbels, straight armed, 10 reps on all
Rotater cuffs with plyometrics 4 sets 10 reps each
Shrugs, 7 sets front and back supersets 10 reps, 20 total per set
Thurs Arms
Biceps
Standing straight bar curl 1 warmup, 4 sets 8 reps, 6 on last
Reverse straight bar curl 4 sets 8 on all
Concentration curls, drop set, 3 sets on each arm (9 sets total since it's a drop set exercise)
Plyometric cable curls to my side to losen my arms up.
Triceps
Weighted dips across two benches, 4 sets, drop set of four plates 8 reps then drop a plate, 8 reps then drop a plate etc.
Skull crushers 4 sets, 6-8 reps
Straight bar cable push downs, 8 reps, aim for 6 on last
Reverse bar cable push downs same above
Friday Legs:
I'll cut this out, cause I need help on my fridays!

This thread is really freakin long! Sorry, but you asked for my routine. It works. For me that is.

MT

[RoNNy THe BuLL]

I think over-training and questioning whether or not you are is a little too over-rated. Simple enough it comes down to how your body feels, period. If you wake up and say, "Fuuuck, I gotta train today" then that's over-training. Stay at home bro. Something as simple as losing interest or considering it a chore isn't healthy at all.

For some people, it's very hard not to follow their set schedule, but when your mentality starts to switch over, it's your body telling your brain that I've been doing too much of this too often, let's take a break. So listen to your body, and like Hal Johnson and Joanne McCloud, have a "Body Break".

[Vibrantred94gt]

I agree with the Bull. Listen to your body. I am just coming off a cycle and towards the end I started to dread the workouts, I was tired all day at work, and on my days off I would just have NO motivation to do anything. So, I took a couple days off here and they. I basicly gave each bodypart a week off at one point or another. And the body parts I did work, I cut the sets back.

Now, mind you I had been lifting Heavy to failure for 3 months...max effort every time I hit the gym,.... my body was telling me I needed to slow it up. I have now started to cut up, lighter weights, higher reps, lots of cardio, and some xenadrine, and I am finally starting to get my drive back.

You should check into periodization, I bought a book all about it and kind of diregarded it, but now plan on reading it and utilizing its advice. Good luck.

[HOLLYWOOD]

if you want to bulk up y dont you put a leg workout in there ?

[MMC78]

Insomnia, loss of appetite, loss of libido, irratibility, more acne, trouble concentrating.

If I have 3 or more of those symptoms, I'm probably overtraining. I'll take a week off to recover. Your mileage may vary.

[clockworks]

For some people, it's very hard not to follow their set schedule.

yes, yes it is...
sometimes i >want< to take a 2 day break, instead of my normal one day off, but i simply can't do it...=( i feel like i'm wasting my suppliments.

i'm seriously gunna do it this time.

-- clocky baby

[HOLLYWOOD]

i feel the same way bro !

[GetPsycho]

Overtraining occurs when the muscles and the nervous system are not given enough time to recover between workout periods. If this happens long enough, progress will decrease and you will eventually experience loss of performance, muscular strength, and maybe even muscle mass.

Muscle Recovery

Each muscle group requires a minimum of 48-72 hours to fully recover from a workout, and recovery time depends on the intensity of your training sessions and varies from one individual to the next. The harder you train a muscle group, the longer it needs to recover. The larger muscle groups such as Back, Chest, Quads, and Hamstrings generally require more time to recover than the smaller muscle groups like the Biceps, Triceps, and Calves. Keep in mind that when you work your Back, you are indirectly working your Biceps and rear Delts and they will also need adequate recovery. Similarly, when you are working your Chest, you are also working your Triceps and front Delts.

Nervous System Recovery

When you are weight training, your nervous system gets stressed. The greater the training intensity, the more stress you place on your nervous system. As a result, your progress or the quality of your training sessions will greatly depend on how refreshed your nervous system is. When you workout hard four days in a row, do you feel as good and as strong on the fourth day as you did on the first day? Probably not. This is because the nervous system is fatigued, and for this reason, I generally recommend that people not workout three days in a row. For the same reason, it is not recommended that your workout sessions last more than 45-60 minutes. After an hour, low reps are generally a waste of time since your nervous system is too tired and you will not be able to recruit your fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Log your Workouts

Everybody's ability to recover is different and may depend on several factors such as amount of sleep, volume of training, training intensity, nutrition, supplements, drugs, etc. The best way to know if you are overtraining is to log your workouts and keep track of your progress. Your performance for each workout should be better than the last workout, providing that the routine is still the same. If you increase your weight or merely do one extra repetition, then you have made progress.

Keep in mind that your muscles will adapt to a particular routine after having performed it 6 times. If you keep doing the same routine, you won't necessarily be overtraining, but you will plateau and your progress will suffer. On the other hand, changing your routine too frequently will make it extremely difficult to monitor your progress.

Overtraining Signs

The key is to keep track of your workouts, and listen to your body. If you experience any of the following symptoms, chances are you may be overtraining:

Emotional Signs:
* Inability to relax, nervousness
* Depression
* Desire to quit training or skip training sessions
* Drop in academic or job performance
Physical Signs:
* Continued muscle soreness
* Loss of appetite
* Decrease in body weight
* Have difficulty sleeping at night
* Unable to complete a training session
* Sudden gradual increase in resting heart rate and/or blood pressure
* Lowered general resistance to colds and flus
* Swelling of the lymph nodes
* Unexplained drop in athletic performance

Conclusion

The best way to treat overtraining is to avoid it. However, if you suspect you are overtraining, you should decrease the intensity and duration of your training sessions. If you are into severe overtraining, you might have to suspend training for several days or even weeks to allow your body to recover.

No matter how anxious you are to get to the gym, the muscle or strength building process is a long one and will not be accelerated by training more. Too much training will hinder your progress and performance, and too little training will not bring about the results you are looking for. Train smart and listen to your body; the rest will take care of itself.