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This week's fitness Friday is going to be about the hotly debated issue of over training..
First.. What is over training? Over training is, in short.. When you push your body past the point of exercise doing good or helping... To the point where you're actually doing more harm than good. Now the point at which you would be at risk for over training is debatable and varies based on many different things such as...
*your fitness level
*how hard you actually work(I'm looking at the people who are texting while occupying gym equipment, here..)
*your body type. The three basic male body types have different pros and cons to them.. The ability to gain mass easily and recover quickly are traits of endomorphs and mesomorphs .
*your nutrition plays a large part in this. Supplements can help you.. Get a clean whey. Don't get a brand that's known for nitro spiking..
These are just some of the factors that play a part in deciding when you would be "over training".
There are signs to watch for and be conscious of.. Your body will tell you when you've reached the point where you need to slow down. Some of these signs are...
*unquenchable thirst. Pretty self explanatory.
*soreness and fatigue. This is beyond doms or typical soreness from training. It's typical to be sore for 48-72 hours. But If you're sore well beyond that, you might back it down a bit.
*insomnia. From the nervous system overload. A general rule of thumb is to get 7-10 hours of sleep if you can, to aid in growing and recovery. (i know.. I wish I could get 10 hours of sleep too)
*Depression. Yes you read that right.. But this is mostly associated with people with body image issues. I'll be honest and say that recently I was pushing 2 a days. And i started feeling doom and gloom.. I needed to step back. So i took a 4 day weekend and stepped back to 1 a day.
*Personality changes. This is another tricky one. It "can" be a sign.. But imho when you're really pushing hard and training with a purpose and focus, in my opinion you become more aggressive.. But if irritability starts becoming an issue as well.. You may need to step back.
*Injuries increase, or you're constantly aggravating previous injuries. This can also be a case where you need to focus on stretching and working on that trouble area. But new injuries and getting sick more often.. Can be signs that you're dragging yourself through the mud.
*Loss of motivation, having to drag yourself into the gym..
*Lower self esteem, this I couple with the depression type symptoms
*Reaching plateaus quickly and frequently, this can also be a result from poor training techniques. People don't realize that the first year that you train, your body will respond to the stimuli very well. This is why it's important to develop good training habits and techniques. That way once that period is over, you will have the building blocks to continue your growth and development.
Some articles and people I've talked to suggest that 3-5 hours is a good amount of time to be training.. And in my experience, there's no reason to be in the gym for longer than 45 minutes to an hour per day. But this is going to be determined by how you train. If you do a set, then wait 2 minutes to do your next.. You could be in the gym a while. But even between my heaviest sets, my wait time is 30-45 seconds.. It keeps intensity up, and you get done and get out.
Obviously if you are over training...i'd suggest stepping back and taking a few days down. Get some quality grub in, and think about something like a massage.. Do some light cardio if you have to be in the gym...
I hope this article helps someone. And thanx @pc747 for letting me write another article..
Any questions comments, please leave em below..
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