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By Vince DelMonte
Author
of No Nonsense Muscle Building and Six Pack Abs Quest
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Almost anyone that's picked
up a set of weights has or will experience symptoms of over-training
at one point in there muscle building program. Over-training
can lead to serious injury, chronic fatigue, and even muscle
loss.
Over-training is very common
amongst athletes and particularly bodybuilders, since they
figure that training as much as possible is the fastest way
to massive muscle gains.
This couldn't be any further
from the truth however...
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Training too much, or at too high
of an intensity will lead to over-training.
Now this doesn't mean you don't have
to put plenty of effort in to see some decent results... Whether
you are a bodybuilder, athlete, or just someone that wants to add
some additional mass to your frame, you need to train hard and be
consistent-that's a given. In order to get the most out of your
genetics, you have to progressively overload the muscles by increasing
the weight and / or intensity of each weight training workout.
The problem is however, that many
of us increase the intensity of our workouts or get insufficient
amounts of rest, or even worse, a combination of both. The trick
is finding the right balance between workout volume and intensity,
and rest and recovery. And that is exactly what I'll cover in this
article.
The Effects of Over-Training on Bodybuilders
First, let's take a look at some of
the effects of over-training and how one can prevent over-training
from happening in the first place.
The Effects of Over-training on the Nervous System
Over-training effects both the sympathetic
and parasympathetic nervous systems in the following negative ways:
- Higher resting heart rate
- Weak appetite
- High blood pressure
- Weight loss
- Trouble sleeping
- Increased metabolic rate
- Irritability
- Early onset of fatigue
If you are experiencing more than
one of the symptoms outlined above, you may be in a state of over-training,
and should evaluate your routine as soon as possible.
The Effects of Over-training on Hormone Levels
Many studies have indicated that over-training
negatively effects the levels of hormones, as well as the hormone
response in the body. Since hormones play such an important role
in the muscle building process, this can have a detrimental effect
on your training progress.
Over-training has been show to:
- Decrease testosterone levels
- Decrease thyroxine levels
- Increase cortisol levels
The increase in cortisol levels along
with the decrease in testosterone levels is a deadly combination,
since this leads to protein tissue break down. This will ultimately
lead to a loss of muscle tissue.
The Effects of Over-training on the Immune System
Perhaps one of the most alarming repercussions
of over-training is it's negative impact on the immune system-you're
bodies first defense against harmful viruses and bacteria.
Over-training can drastically decrease
the levels of antibodies and lymphocytes in your body, making you
much more susceptible to illness. Simply put, this means that if
you are in a state of over-training, you are much more likely to
get sick. Since you will have to skip workouts while you are sick,
your muscle building progress will slow considerably.
The Effects of Over-training on the Metabolic System
Here is a list of how over-training
can effect the metabolic system. These symptoms are the ones that
are most commonly discussed, and are ones we can't ignore:
- Micro tears in the muscle
- Chronically depleted glycogen levels
- Slow, weak muscle contractions
- Depleted creatine phosphate stores
- Excessive accumulation of lactic
acid
- Extreme DOMS (delayed onset muscle
soreness)
- Tendon and connective tissue damage
So you must get the point by now...
Over-training effects the entire body, and can seriously impact
the results of your muscle building program.
Now let's take a look at the different
types of over-training, and what we can do to prevent it.
Is it Worse to Over-Train With Cardio or Weight Training?
Any form of over-training is a bad
thing, however, I've personally experienced both types of over-training
and can honestly say that over-training in the weight room is much
worse, and much more prevalent than over-training through cardiovascular
training.
Here are some of the reasons why:
In order to grow, muscles must fully
recover from their last workout, every workout. If you are over-training
and work the muscles before they have fully recovered, you will
break down the muscle tissue before it has rebuilt-making it impossible
to build muscle!
Over-training with weights makes you
more susceptible to nervous systems hormone and immune system issues,
which all pose serious health risks.
It can lead beginners down the wrong
path, perhaps wasting money on unnecessary supplements, or even
worse, steroids.
I personally believe that only competitive
athletes such as swimmers, runners and bikers run a serious risk
of reaching a state of cardiovascular over-training, since there
are often training for two or more hours daily.
The bottom line is that it is much
easier for the average person to over-train while weight training
than while cardiovascular training, and I think the effects can
be more serious.
How do I Determine if I'm Over-training?
Determining if you're currently over-training
is fairly simple. If you're in tune with your body, you can often
see the signs of over-training before they get serious. If you are
losing interest in workouts, are having trouble sleeping, and feel
weak and irritable, you may be in a state of over-training and should
take a week or more off.
If you are experiencing two or more
of the symptoms outlined earlier in the article, this should raise
a red flag.
Another variable you can use to determine
if you are over-training is by tracking the performance of your
workouts.
Has your physical performance improved
compared to your last workout?
For example, let's say last workout
you were able to perform 8 pull-ups using your body-weight, but
were only able to perform 6 pull-ups the following week. This means
that you have not "out done" your previous workout, have
not fully recovered, and therefore are likely over-training. You
nave to re-asses your program and make modifications so that you
see progress every workout.
How Can I Prevent Over-training?
n order to avoid over-training, you
need to take a multi-facited approach. Determining the correct training
volume and intensity, eating the right foods, and getting the right
amount of rest and recovery must all be taken in to consideration.
Now let's take a look at each of those factors in more detail.
Correct Training Volume
Determining the correct training volume
can be difficult, especially when you are first starting out. You
have to determine how much weight to lift, how many repetitions
and set to perform for every single workout.
You need to use your own judgment
in this case, based on your recovery ability and your recovery methods.
Remember that the goal is that you improve every single workout,
and if this isn't happening, you have to decrease the intensity
of your workouts.
This is where many people go wrong
though. You begin your workout and realize that you have not fully
recovered. You can either continue to train at a lower intensity
than the previous workout, or skip the workout entirely.
As hard as it may be, skipping the
workout is the right way to go. Just turn around and go home! Your
body is telling you that it needs more rest, and you must listen
to it!
There is no point in training at a
lower intensity, further breaking down the muscle tissue. By doing
this you will increase your risk of injury, and make it harder for
your body to fully recovery for your next training session.
Proper Nutrition
Your diet plays a huge role in your
muscle building program. It helps regulate hormone levels, provides
energy, and provides the raw building blocks that are used to create
new tissue.
Here are some dietary recommendations
that will limit the chance of over-training:
- Do not skip breakfast. This is
one of the most important meals of the day. Skipping breakfast
is very catabolic, and can promote muscle loss.
- Never let yourself get hungry.
If you're trying to build muscle mass, you have to constantly
feed your body quality foods so that it never has the chance catabolize
muscle tissue.
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- Unless you are trying to
build muscle and lose fat, make sure you have eaten prior
to your training session and are not hungry.
- Have the largest meal of
the day within an hour after your workout. Do this every
single workout!
- Consider taking proven supplements
like creatine, and antioxidants to increase performance
and fight free radicals.
- Eat every 2-3 hours to ensure
that your body remains in an anabolic state.
- Keep glycogen levels at full
capacity to inhibit muscle tissue breakdown.
Rest & Recovery
Rest and recovery is essential
when it comes to avoiding over-training. Make sure that you
get at least 7 hours of sleep each night, and that you are
on a consistent schedule. As for recovery time, it's important
that you have days off between weight training workouts. Try
to have one rest day between weight training workouts, and
never train the same muscle groups on consecutive days.
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About
The Author
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Vince DelMonte is the author
of Your Six Pack Quest found by clicking
here and No Nonsense Muscle Building (click
here for that).
Vince knows what it takes
to build muscle, lose weight and overcome muscle unfriendly
genes in the shortest time possible. He was so skinny growing
up, he earned the nickname Skinny Vinny.
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Over the course of six
months, Vince gained over 41 pounds of rock-hard muscle
and climbed the scale from a scrawny 149 pounds to
a muscular 190 pounds without drugs, without a lot
of supplements and training only three days per week.
After entering the world
of competitive fitness modeling he became the Canadian
Fitness Model Champion in his third show ever! His
transformation even caught the attention of the International
fitness magazine Maximum Fitness which featured a
2 page spread of his transformation story.
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Vince has an Honors Degree
in Kinesiology and has been a Personal Trainer for five
years. He now shares this information with anybody who is
serious about building muscle - especially skinny guys who
can't gain muscle weight.
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