How to spot the signs of overtraining
When you are doing your bodybuilding training correctly you will notice increased muscle growth and increases in strength, but above all you will feel fit and healthy and you will be eager to get the gym and do your next workout. However, if you are overtraining then everything will begin to go downhill quickly.
What is overtraining?
Put very simply, overtraining is when you are working your body too hard and not giving it enough time to recover. Very often this can also be made worse by not giving you body the correct bodybuilding nutrition in order to speed up recovery between weight training sessions.
A Real Bodybuilding Overtraining Example
About 3 years ago I started a new 12 week bodybuilding program that consisted of 4 weight sessions a week with cardio sessions every other day. The weight sessions involved about 1 ½ hours in the gym and the cardio was 45 minutes per session.
My previous routines were never more than 8 weeks in length, for 3 days a week, and for about an hour in the gym at a time. After my routine was finished I would take 1 to 2 weeks off before starting a completely new routine.
For the first 6 or 7 weeks of my 12 week body building routine I felt great, I saw some good gains with increased muscle mass, some good fat loss and some really good improvements in my strength.
As I approached my 8th week I started to see my strength drop and I wasn’t hitting any of my previous week’s targets. I also started to experience tendonitis in my wrists from the constant weight lifting so I went out a bought some special wrists straps so I could keep training.
I was determined to hit my 12 weeks target so I carried on. Even though the signs were already there that I was overtraining, I chose to ignore them and carry on.
Big mistake! I remember sleeping through my alarm clock several times over the following weeks and being late for work. I even nodded off a couple of times when sat at my desk.
Eventually I came down with bad flu and ended up off work for a whole week, but the after affects meant that I had over a month off from exercise altogether.
Have a Break if you are Overtraining
If you start to experience any combination of the signs of overtraining; including fatigue, tiredness, injuries, aches and pains, coughs and colds, and big drops in strength and performance at the gym then take some time off.
You will benefit greatly from doing this and will give your body a chance to re-charge its batteries. Check your bodybuilding program and ensure that you aren’t training too often and for too long. With any signs of overtraining it’s also worth checking your diet to make sure you are getting enough of the correct nutrition to feed your muscle growth.
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Tagged with: bodybuilding nutrition • Muscle Building Tips • overtraining • post workout recovery • prevent overtraining • relieving stress • tendonitis • workout schedule
Filed under: Muscle Building Nutrition • Muscle Building Tips
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