question about overtraining

[mrdoggypoo]

(i posted this in another forum as well)

hey ive got a question/thought on overtraining...

now i mostly use a 5 day split when i lift, with each day devoted to a diff muscle group. i rotate between the weeks, one week ill do arms 2x, and then the next week maybe back or chest 2x. i like using this routine, and i use the weekends to rest, and let my body take a break, and i feel like im nowhere close to overtraining.


anyways, here is my question about overtraining......would it be ok to "overtrain" until you get to the point where your body tells you "back off" and then at that point gear down and go back to my normal routine. the reason i ask is, i am out of school right now, and I have all the time in the world. i mean if im at the gym and i want to throw in some bicep curls and ive already done them 2x that week, why not do it? with all the time i have right now, getting rest is definetly not a problem. furthermore, if i feel like my body starting to get really tired or telling me to stop, id like to think i would do just that.

i would like to use this one month I have off to shock my body into some growth, and work on weak spots and i was wondering if anyone else has had any success with this or not?

obviously, this would be a short term thing, because i know my body cant support the intentional overtraining for a long term period, and eventually this break from life that I have will have to come to an end and I wont have all the time in the world.

sorry for the long post, any thoughts appreciated.

[msm172021121]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

(i posted this in another forum as well)

hey ive got a question/thought on overtraining...

now i mostly use a 5 day split when i lift, with each day devoted to a diff muscle group. i rotate between the weeks, one week ill do arms 2x, and then the next week maybe back or chest 2x. i like using this routine, and i use the weekends to rest, and let my body take a break, and i feel like im nowhere close to overtraining.


anyways, here is my question about overtraining......would it be ok to "overtrain" until you get to the point where your body tells you "back off" and then at that point gear down and go back to my normal routine. the reason i ask is, i am out of school right now, and I have all the time in the world. i mean if im at the gym and i want to throw in some bicep curls and ive already done them 2x that week, why not do it? with all the time i have right now, getting rest is definetly not a problem. furthermore, if i feel like my body starting to get really tired or telling me to stop, id like to think i would do just that.

i would like to use this one month I have off to shock my body into some growth, and work on weak spots and i was wondering if anyone else has had any success with this or not?

obviously, this would be a short term thing, because i know my body cant support the intentional overtraining for a long term period, and eventually this break from life that I have will have to come to an end and I wont have all the time in the world.

sorry for the long post, any thoughts appreciated.

id like to hear your definition of overtraining. if your body hasnt "told you to stop", then you arent overtraining.

[dkemano42]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

(i posted this in another forum as well)

hey ive got a question/thought on overtraining...

now i mostly use a 5 day split when i lift, with each day devoted to a diff muscle group. i rotate between the weeks, one week ill do arms 2x, and then the next week maybe back or chest 2x. i like using this routine, and i use the weekends to rest, and let my body take a break, and i feel like im nowhere close to overtraining.

anyways, here is my question about overtraining......would it be ok to "overtrain" until you get to the point where your body tells you "back off" and then at that point gear down and go back to my normal routine. the reason i ask is, i am out of school right now, and I have all the time in the world. i mean if im at the gym and i want to throw in some bicep curls and ive already done them 2x that week, why not do it? with all the time i have right now, getting rest is definetly not a problem. furthermore, if i feel like my body starting to get really tired or telling me to stop, id like to think i would do just that.

i would like to use this one month I have off to shock my body into some growth, and work on weak spots and i was wondering if anyone else has had any success with this or not?

obviously, this would be a short term thing, because i know my body cant support the intentional overtraining for a long term period, and eventually this break from life that I have will have to come to an end and I wont have all the time in the world.

sorry for the long post, any thoughts appreciated.

Hey man,

The things about overtraining is once you get to that point then you have to take a few weeks off in order to really recover from it and get your body back into being able to lift again. So after saying this you don't wanna push yourself to where you overtrain. Doing body parts two times a week is ok long as you spread it out and not work them back to back, but going 3 times a week on some body parts is not really conductive to getting the muscles to grow..

DK

[mrdoggypoo]

Originally Posted by dkemano42

Hey man,

The things about overtraining is once you get to that point then you have to take a few weeks off in order to really recover from it and get your body back into being able to lift again. So after saying this you don't wanna push yourself to where you overtrain. Doing body parts two times a week is ok long as you spread it out and not work them back to back, but going 3 times a week on some body parts is not really conductive to getting the muscles to grow..

DK

yeah, i know for the long run its not conductive to getting muscles to grow. but what im talking about is shocking the muscle for a few weeks, and obviously i wouldnt train back on a tues and then again on a wed. and if i were to do a bodypart 3x a week, i wouldnt devote 3 whole days of 12+ sets to it. i meant something like.....say i did 10 sets of bis on sunday, then do like 8-10 more on wed at end of say a leg workout and then hit them one last time on a friday, 8-10 more sets again at end of lift (like a shoulder lift). and id only do this for like 3 weeks, and then i would go back to my normal split of each bodypart once/week.

[Appetite]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

i feel like im nowhere close to overtraining

would it be ok to "overtrain" until you get to the point where your body tells you "back off" and then at that point gear down and go back to my normal routine.

Its been said but if you don't feel like your over training then your not overtraining. Just do what your body tells you and don't listen to people who say 5 days is to much, might be for them but obviously not for you.

I think this would be fine. When your body needs to rest it'll let you know.

[in10city]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

(i posted this in another forum as well)

hey ive got a question/thought on overtraining...

now i mostly use a 5 day split when i lift, with each day devoted to a diff muscle group. i rotate between the weeks, one week ill do arms 2x, and then the next week maybe back or chest 2x. i like using this routine, and i use the weekends to rest, and let my body take a break, and i feel like im nowhere close to overtraining.


anyways, here is my question about overtraining......would it be ok to "overtrain" until you get to the point where your body tells you "back off" and then at that point gear down and go back to my normal routine. the reason i ask is, i am out of school right now, and I have all the time in the world. i mean if im at the gym and i want to throw in some bicep curls and ive already done them 2x that week, why not do it? with all the time i have right now, getting rest is definetly not a problem. furthermore, if i feel like my body starting to get really tired or telling me to stop, id like to think i would do just that.

i would like to use this one month I have off to shock my body into some growth, and work on weak spots and i was wondering if anyone else has had any success with this or not?

obviously, this would be a short term thing, because i know my body cant support the intentional overtraining for a long term period, and eventually this break from life that I have will have to come to an end and I wont have all the time in the world.

sorry for the long post, any thoughts appreciated.

What you are referring to is more like planned overreaching and has been used successfully by many, including myself - but it has also wrecked others, including myself. The concept does have some merit for very advanced trainers but the devil is in the details of execution as I've ended up on both sides of the fence.

Another example would be Poliquin's Super Accumulation Program.

[Tyrbolift]

OP, this is an excellent strategy. Do it once and it's kind of like adding a little super nitro to your gas tank for a jump to growth or overcoming a plateau. It's amazing how well it can work, if used now and then, as you suggested. I recommend it.

However, I've found it best to go towards a more high rep, lower weight usage for that additional workout. Too much heavy hitting will tear a ligament and set you back more than if you'd just taken a day off.

[mrdoggypoo]

Originally Posted by Tyrbolift

OP, this is an excellent strategy. Do it once and it's kind of like adding a little super nitro to your gas tank for a jump to growth or overcoming a plateau. It's amazing how well it can work, if used now and then, as you suggested. I recommend it.

However, I've found it best to go towards a more high rep, lower weight usage for that additional workout. Too much heavy hitting will tear a ligament and set you back more than if you'd just taken a day off.

oh definitely id go lighter/higher rep. the last week i want is a dumb injury.

thanks for the input everyone,much appreciated.

[ChAoSandPAIN]

Someone needs to inform Ivan Soitsov (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...num=1&ct=image) and the rest of the Bulgarian Oly weightlifting team that they're overtraining!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Should I check under my bed for the overtraining boogeyman before I go to sleep at night? Do you guys? Is lifting the bed skirt on a non-back day going to lead to overtraining?

[Diablomeister]

Originally Posted by ChAoSandPAIN

Someone needs to inform Ivan Soitsov (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...num=1&ct=image) and the rest of the Bulgarian Oly weightlifting team that they're overtraining!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Should I check under my bed for the overtraining boogeyman before I go to sleep at night? Do you guys? Is lifting the bed skirt on a non-back day going to lead to overtraining?

yes, those guys have an awesome job

[ChAoSandPAIN]

That they do. That the OP is jacked as **** and worried that he's overtraining is odd to me. Bodybuilding must suck, what with all the worrying and fretting that seems to be involved in that sport.

[JasonDB]

Originally Posted by ChAoSandPAIN

That they do. That the OP is jacked as **** and worried that he's overtraining is odd to me. Bodybuilding must suck, what with all the worrying and fretting that seems to be involved in that sport.

As I said in another thread we post in, I am convinced overtraining is a psychosomatic phenomenon. Natural guys in the 40's and 50's obtained size and strength levels still almost unheard of among natural bodybuilders and many of them did frequint full body splits that would be considered gross overtraining, yet it never occured to any of them that they might be. It is the same with all of the olympic and professional athletes. Becuase no one has told them or warned them about overtraining, they rarely experience it on their insane training splits.

On the other hand you get into the bodybuilding world where gym culture, broscience and magazines continually warn us of the dangers of overtraining, and everyone knows someone who has overtrained. Before long, most of these younger guys start to worry if they are overtraining, get it in their head that they are at risk of it and "BAM!" they experience "symptoms", when they are doing around 1/5th or less of the workload it actually takes to overtrain. Their lifts start going down, they become lethargic etc. It is psychosomatic as a result of a fad in popular gym culture. Thank you Mike Menzer.

[mrdoggypoo]

Originally Posted by JasonDB

As I said in another thread we post in, I am convinced overtraining is a psychosomatic phenomenon. Natural guys in the 40's and 50's obtained size and strength levels still almost unheard of among natural bodybuilders and many of them did frequint full body splits that would be considered gross overtraining, yet it never occured to any of them that they might be. It is the same with all of the olympic and professional athletes. Becuase no one has told them or warned them about overtraining, they rarely experience it on their insane training splits.

On the other hand you get into the bodybuilding world where gym culture, broscience and magazines continually warn us of the dangers of overtraining, and everyone knows someone who has overtrained. Before long, most of these younger guys start to worry if they are overtraining, get it in their head that they are at risk of it and "BAM!" they experience "symptoms", when they are doing around 1/5th or less of the workload it actually takes to overtrain. Their lifts start going down, they become lethargic etc. It is psychosomatic as a result of a fad in popular gym culture. Thank you Mike Menzer.

haha, ill be honest, this made me laugh. i really hope i dont come across as a 'bro', if so, someone please slap me. im definetly not a 'mentzer' type, i lift pretty high volume, ~14sets/bodypart (8-12 rep range). i guess my original post was more of a thought outloud and i didnt so much want "approval to overtrain", but just wanted to know if anyone else had any success with upping the volume and getting through plateau.

im just an ordinary guy trying to get bigger. please lord help me if im a bro.

[JasonDB]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

haha, ill be honest, this made me laugh. i really hope i dont come across as a 'bro', if so, someone please slap me. im definetly not a 'mentzer' type, i lift pretty high volume, ~14sets/bodypart (8-12 rep range). i guess my original post was more of a thought outloud and i didnt so much want "approval to overtrain", but just wanted to know if anyone else had any success with upping the volume and getting through plateau.

im just an ordinary guy trying to get bigger. please lord help me if im a bro.

I've found increasing my frequincy of training on core lifts I wished to bring up (such as deadlift) by training them as often as 5x a week to increase my strength, which in turn leads to more hypertrophy. Increasing the volume, rather than frequincy, tends to be helpful for hypertrophy if you can increase the volume without greatly increasing the time of your workouts, meaning adding sets while reducing rest time for the same reps and weighs.