Am I Overtraining?

[azguy9]

Without going into a huge long history of my working out (40 years) and eating, in the past 9 months I have become OCD on my physique.

I really like the Physique look not bodybuilder, so with that being said, I have strength trained 6 days a week for years, along with 6 one-hour cardios.

I have finally realized that wasn't working, especially the cardio.

I was way under-caloried, so I had f'd up my metabolism and hormones bigtime.

So now I'm trying to figure out a split to still put on lean mass to my upper body, but get the full benefit of it

Any suggestions on training splits for a 51 year old experienced lifter?

Hope to hear back from the veterans on this one please.

[Plateauplower]

Well I'm not sure if I qualify as a veteran in your opinion, but considering your post says nothing about what your doing during your sessions in regard to volume or intensity it would make it hard to know what your doing. Overtraining/inadequate recovery is individual, so you will need to determine what is enough and what is too much.

You could use whatever split you want. For 40 years of training you should have a pretty good handle on what works for you imo. I prefer full body training, but will use splits when I want more volume with lower frequency for the muscles being worked.

[drudixon]

You figured it out. Most overtraining is really undereating. Ditch the cardio, eat more, and follow any one of the splits on here. Phat is a good routine.

[NorthernMusicia]

You figured it out. Most overtraining is really undereating. Ditch the cardio, eat more, and follow any one of the splits on here. Phat is a good routine.

I would also add it's under recovering. For me at 55, I'm working out two times a week. I'm seeing gains I didn't see when I was doing more than that. I should add that it was tough to pull back like that. I felt like I wasn't doing enough, but it's my body that has to 'do' to recover and build. I had to learn to do my lifting and then be patient. Impatience drove me to do more to try and see better results, but it's a lot like planting a tree and fiddling with the roots every day. It's not going to make the tree grow faster, and you may damage it.

[JerryB]

My training splits in my fifties were no different than the training splits in my forties.

[PersonaNonGrata]

The cardio is excessive, but for the last 3 weeks i've been doing 6 days a week, and on 3 of those days i'm training twice a day, so 9 sessions/7 days.

Making the best progress for years.

Zero cardio though, and eating a LOT

[azguy9]

You figured it out. Most overtraining is really undereating. Ditch the cardio, eat more, and follow any one of the splits on here. Phat is a good routine.

I'm at a point of being afraid to eat more as I will gain even more fat around my lower midsection (obliques, lower abs, lower back), and I hate that!

Also, I am struggling as I like the shredded look over bulk, but know for my frame I need more mass on my upper body.

We are the same height (you and me) but I outweigh you by 10 pounds.

[drudixon]

I'm at a point of being afraid to eat more as I will gain even more fat around my lower midsection (obliques, lower abs, lower back), and I hate that!

Also, I am struggling as I like the shredded look over bulk, but know for my frame I need more mass on my upper body.

We are the same height (you and me) but I outweigh you by 10 pounds.

Cardio consumes way too much protein, and frankly you don't need it to stay lean. Just do a modest surplus and you'll be fine.

[Juggertha]

IMO, keep the cardio, increase the food intake.

[Jayjoe]

Eat more.
No cardio.
Do big compound lifts with barbells:
--deadlifts, squats, bench press, bent rows, military press.
Lift 3 times per week, NOT 6.

You wont look like a pro bodybuilder unless you use roids so dont worry about that.

[mtpockets]

you are not overtraining & probably never will





Why the hell is everyone so quick to dump cardio, especially the little the op is doing..

adjust your intake.

The heart is the most important muscle.

you can live without a bicep or quad, try it a day or so without a heart....


I know plenty of hikers and mountain bikers with great builds and they do that stuff daily.

[pondman]

You may find that you are the type of person that can develop mass on their legs, but have a hard time building mass on the chest and shoulders. If that is the case, you've just can to put more emphasis on you upper body. That's the way I am.

You haven't said what type of cardio you are doing. If it's balance it's not a problem. But if you are running 6 days per week, you'll have a problem maintaining muscle.

[azguy9]

It's amazing how many different approaches there are, and how each person will stick to their one.

I, personally think I damaged my metabolism for years, and am now confusing the s*#t out of it right now.

I am so afraid of carbs, as I feel my body does not assimilate them very well, but at the same time I look really flat. No fullness to my muscles at all.

With that being said, I hate, absolutely hate carrying an extra layer. Coming from a Track (javelin and decathlon) background, I like the lean, athletic look over bulky.

Gotta find what works for me.

[Dawginit]

It's amazing how many different approaches there are, and how each person will stick to their one.

I, personally think I damaged my metabolism for years, and am now confusing the s*#t out of it right now.

I am so afraid of carbs, as I feel my body does not assimilate them very well, but at the same time I look really flat. No fullness to my muscles at all.

With that being said, I hate, absolutely hate carrying an extra layer. Coming from a Track (javelin and decathlon) background, I like the lean, athletic look over bulky.

Gotta find what works for me.

I am also 51 years old and I ran three triathlons last year and thinned out. Now I am starting back to put the mass back on. Here is my advice for what its worth.

Recovery
I found that even though I don't necessarily feel older that my body responds better with more muscle recovery time for each body group. I work each major body group only once a week and that allows for more recovery time and more growth. I work them hard and work for mass, but I give them a full week for recovery.

Diet
Increase your calorie intake, but stay clean. Eat more protein. Lots more protein and you will put on more muscle. Stay away from processed foods and use your carbs smartly.

Training
Adjust your training for mass. More heavy weights as lower reps (4-6). Then you can adjust for the hypertrophy range of 8-12. You have to get stronger to put on more mass.

The last thing I would add is you may end up having to temporarily sacrifice a little body fat to gain more mass and then cut to take it off again. It's what the competitors do. I don't think it is necessary fro the physique you are looking for, but it has to be considered.

Best of luck.