Omens Of Overtraining - UK-Muscle Body Building Community

meera · 15-02-2006, 11:12 AM

It'seasy to get overzealous where the gym is concerned. After all,when months of forward motion have made us look better than we ever have in our lives, why wouldn't we push ahead like gangbusters and press the envelope with the intensity or duration of our training. More is better, right? Wrong!

Overtraining is an insiduous after-effect of eagerness. It can ruin or undo months of good work within weeks. But don't worry, while overtraining can look like it has devoured and digested your hard-earned muscle, you can get it back if you change the way you approach your workouts.

MUSCLE RESILIENCY

Muscle is incredibly resilient. Once muscle hypertrophy occurs and a muscle becomes a particular size, it has the capacity to return to that size based on muscle memory. Deep within each muscle cell is an imprint of what it has been in the past. When training, diet and rest resumesin a combination that promotes rather than discourages muscle growth, muscle can return to its past state. But what are the causes of overtraining and muscle atrophy?

LINEAR TRAINING CAUSES BURNOUT

We've all read the adage "continually make changes in your workouts to continue making progress". The body responds to non-linear type assertion rather than linear ones. Non-linear assertions in training simply mean that we are not on the course of a straight line in the way we build upon our training. So while when one week you would start with squats for 4 sets and 8 reps, leg press for 4 sets and 6 reps and leg extensions for 5 sets and 10 reps,if you were to continue buidling on that, week by week, simplyby pi8lling sets and repsupon each exercise, in the same format, not only would you eventually have no place to go, your body would quicky ascertain that you are on a linear path and would head you off at he pass up the road. This is why it is advisable to train a non-linear fashion, employing heavy and light days, changing hte format of workouts, varying reps, rest times, the number of sets and the weight used.

INCORRECT OR TOO FREQUENT TRAINING

The point is, among the many things that can go wrong and can cause the condition of overtraining, typically it's too frequent training, incorrect form and plain old overdoing things.

Too frequent training is the most common cause of all, and it's usually as a result of trying to force a minimum of two workouts on each body part, whether they are rested or not.

ADDITIONAL CAUSES OF OVERTRAINING

Often, low intensity type stressors can cause us to burn out much faster physiologically, mentally or emotionally when they interact with anything already weak within our programs. they may not affect us in the short term, but over time they do. These common stressors can interact or interfere with our training habits to create a climate ripe for overtraining, injury or burnout.

SIGNS OF OVERTRAINING

We're all in a hurry to get wherever it is we're set to go and bodybuilding goals canbe a pressing matter. But no matter how much we may want to rush the process of training and growing, we can oly do so much on any given day. We cannot continue to up the stakes without some form of consequence and typically it is overtraining.

Here is a list of signs that you can use to determine if you are on the verge of overtraining:

Psychological
Fatigue
Reduced mental concentration
Insomnia or sleep disorders
Irritability
Depression
Decreased performance or capacity
Delayed recovery from training (it takes twice as long these days)
Intolerance to training (nothing works, no pumps etc)

Physiological
Elevated morning resting pulse rate
Mild ongoing pain in legs/joints
Washed out feeling; drained/twitchy, fidgety
Increase in injuries
Chronic muscle soreness
Weight loss
Dehydration
Frequent minor infections
Appetite loss
Loss of sexual function/desire

PRESCRIPTION

If may not be easy to do, but you need time off and some changes in your overall program in order to get yourself out on an overtrained state. Take a minimum of four weeks of rest, doing only low levels of exercise. that means full body light circuit training three days per week.

You'll also want to correct your nutritional program and address any deficiencies. The best thing to do is to have a professional go over your diet and assess whether you're getting enough vitamins, minerals, calories and balance in your diet.

After four weeks, you can assess whether you are ready to return to a normal schedule. The best remedy for that is a gradual return to your former, sane schedule. That means doing some cross-training to keep your mind and body fresh and prevent burnout. Do some resistance training and cardio and engage in some fun physical activities outside the gym. this blend of cardio, training and sporting activities will convince your body it is not going to be deluged again soon enough.

Source: Body Fitness - Dec 2005

15-02-2006, 11:12 AM	#1 (permalink)
meera CEE...mmmmmm Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: London, UK Posts: 299	Omens Of Overtraining It'seasy to get overzealous where the gym is concerned. After all,when months of forward motion have made us look better than we ever have in our lives, why wouldn't we push ahead like gangbusters and press the envelope with the intensity or duration of our training. More is better, right? Wrong! Overtraining is an insiduous after-effect of eagerness. It can ruin or undo months of good work within weeks. But don't worry, while overtraining can look like it has devoured and digested your hard-earned muscle, you can get it back if you change the way you approach your workouts. MUSCLE RESILIENCY Muscle is incredibly resilient. Once muscle hypertrophy occurs and a muscle becomes a particular size, it has the capacity to return to that size based on muscle memory. Deep within each muscle cell is an imprint of what it has been in the past. When training, diet and rest resumesin a combination that promotes rather than discourages muscle growth, muscle can return to its past state. But what are the causes of overtraining and muscle atrophy? LINEAR TRAINING CAUSES BURNOUT We've all read the adage "continually make changes in your workouts to continue making progress". The body responds to non-linear type assertion rather than linear ones. Non-linear assertions in training simply mean that we are not on the course of a straight line in the way we build upon our training. So while when one week you would start with squats for 4 sets and 8 reps, leg press for 4 sets and 6 reps and leg extensions for 5 sets and 10 reps,if you were to continue buidling on that, week by week, simplyby pi8lling sets and repsupon each exercise, in the same format, not only would you eventually have no place to go, your body would quicky ascertain that you are on a linear path and would head you off at he pass up the road. This is why it is advisable to train a non-linear fashion, employing heavy and light days, changing hte format of workouts, varying reps, rest times, the number of sets and the weight used. INCORRECT OR TOO FREQUENT TRAINING The point is, among the many things that can go wrong and can cause the condition of overtraining, typically it's too frequent training, incorrect form and plain old overdoing things. Too frequent training is the most common cause of all, and it's usually as a result of trying to force a minimum of two workouts on each body part, whether they are rested or not. ADDITIONAL CAUSES OF OVERTRAINING Often, low intensity type stressors can cause us to burn out much faster physiologically, mentally or emotionally when they interact with anything already weak within our programs. they may not affect us in the short term, but over time they do. These common stressors can interact or interfere with our training habits to create a climate ripe for overtraining, injury or burnout. SIGNS OF OVERTRAINING We're all in a hurry to get wherever it is we're set to go and bodybuilding goals canbe a pressing matter. But no matter how much we may want to rush the process of training and growing, we can oly do so much on any given day. We cannot continue to up the stakes without some form of consequence and typically it is overtraining. Here is a list of signs that you can use to determine if you are on the verge of overtraining: Psychological Fatigue Reduced mental concentration Insomnia or sleep disorders Irritability Depression Decreased performance or capacity Delayed recovery from training (it takes twice as long these days) Intolerance to training (nothing works, no pumps etc) Physiological Elevated morning resting pulse rate Mild ongoing pain in legs/joints Washed out feeling; drained/twitchy, fidgety Increase in injuries Chronic muscle soreness Weight loss Dehydration Frequent minor infections Appetite loss Loss of sexual function/desire PRESCRIPTION If may not be easy to do, but you need time off and some changes in your overall program in order to get yourself out on an overtrained state. Take a minimum of four weeks of rest, doing only low levels of exercise. that means full body light circuit training three days per week. You'll also want to correct your nutritional program and address any deficiencies. The best thing to do is to have a professional go over your diet and assess whether you're getting enough vitamins, minerals, calories and balance in your diet. After four weeks, you can assess whether you are ready to return to a normal schedule. The best remedy for that is a gradual return to your former, sane schedule. That means doing some cross-training to keep your mind and body fresh and prevent burnout. Do some resistance training and cardio and engage in some fun physical activities outside the gym. this blend of cardio, training and sporting activities will convince your body it is not going to be deluged again soon enough. Source: Body Fitness - Dec 2005 __________________ Ain't noone in this world like a Bruce....