The Myth of Overtraining

[StoneMuscle]

It seems that whenever somebody submits a summary of their workouts there will inevatibly be someone that cautions against overtraining.

Overtraining hangs over our heads like the Sword of Damocles.

But has anybody actually suffered from Overtraining Syndrome with most or all the associated symptoms, summarized here FYI

Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
Mild leg soreness, general achiness
Pain in muscles and joints
Sudden drop in performance
Insomnia
Headaches
Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)
Decrease in training capacity / intensity
Moodiness and irritability
Depression
Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
Decreased appetite
Increased incidence of injuries.

Is overtraining simply not that easy to "contract"?

[deapee]

I think a lot of people suffer from overtraining. I think most of the time though, it's not from a workout routine...it's from lack of eating and lack of sleep. I see programs all the time where I KNOW for sure that a muscle group is being overstressed. There is a big difference between overstressing a muscle group and the state of overtraining...although I'm sure a lot of people walk a fine line. Obviously lifting your chest one day, triceps the next, then shoulders the next is going to overstress your triceps. Will that lead to overtraining? More than likely that's not going to happen. Are the triceps overstressed? Probably...and they probably won't grow until the problem is corrected, steroids aside.

[AutumnalPark]

Most elite athletes hover about the boundaries of overtraining, and do get those symptoms at times. But not usually experienced by the average person.

[darkcloud007]

When I did football in High School, we would practice 3 hours after school, and then sometimes I would go to the gym and lift after. I sometimes did this 6 times per week.

Occasionally, at the gym I would feel terrible, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not lift the weight I normally do (even on Sunday when we didn't have practice that day). My muscles did not want to work and I'd get frustrated.

At the time I thought it was just a bad day. But now I think it was overtraining. I would also get colds that would last two weeks (we had to practice sick or basically get kicked off the team lol).

After football, the only time I've ever felt this way at the gym was due to diet (not eating enough or over eating before a workout).

So I think you have to work pretty hard to overtrain. I've lifted six times per week for 1.5 hours each session and did not feel overtrained (different body parts each day though).