Overtraining vs. under-recovery

[SteelWeaver]

Here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that since overtraining is a systemic thing, and chronic, that one could theoretically work like someone possessed for as long as symptoms of overtraining held off (maybe 6-8 weeks or so), then when they started to come in, to back off. That way, you'd be absolutely sure that you're working intensely enough, but you'd never get overtrained.

Also, speaking of overtraining - is there a limit to how much nutrition and sleep can compensate for extremely intense gym sessions? Surely if one just increases sleep and food commensurate with level of intensity/frequency of training sessions, overtraining should not occur. I suppose there must be a point where eating more just makes you fat ..., and sleeping more is not possible ...?

Let's say one is on holiday for 3 months (I wish) - one could increase intensity, increase rest, increase food, and grow like crazy without ever overtraining, but throw in a full-time job and you have instant problems?

 

[Sassy69]

Bump

Referring to the first part -- I wondered if training balls to the wall for 6-8 weeks then taking a week off might work in the short view, but over the long term, could the effects of overtraining be cumulative? I think the place where you might see negative results might be in exacerbating any tendencies for tendonitis, particularly sore muscles you tend to have to deal with.

I'm comign back (slowly) from taking kind of a long time off of lifting and even curling w/ wimpy 20 lbs weights is leaving me w/ seriously aggravated tendonitis. I'm loadign MSM which will help in a week or so, but i can really only do 1/2 range curls right now (either bottom to mid or mid to top, but not a good full range).

Any comments?

The other thing I was gonna add with respect to a full-time job, etc., I understand that when you try to achieve your goals, you set out w/ huge motivation, etc. but you can't spend your whole life in the gym training. I think its CRITICAL to have a balanced life style -- its easy to let training become the central part of your life, but I really think that to avoid problems like obsession w/ lifting, your looks, your diet, etc. you really need to have a balance with the rest of your life. Part of that "rest of your life" is the sucky reality that you have to pay bills, etc. -- which for me, means I'm strapped to a desk for at least 10-12 hrs /day. For that reason, I think consistent recovery time may be necessary to maintain a balance in the mental & spiritual stress that often accompanies a job, relationships, etc. Not just the physical stress of training. Possibly even extra stress added by trying to pursue a heavy & dedicated training regimen shoved in somewhere between your job, getting sleep, preparing meals, etc. Scheduling alone can introduce more stress than you may realize.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Thanks Sassy

I didn't really mean just take a week off, more like - well, maybe take a week off, then reduce training intensity fairly radically for a while, then back up again, etc etc. But those are good points about cumulative injuries ....

I don't know what to say about what to do once you already have joint problems, etc. Maybe you could try Matrix training for a while, but skip the full-range parts ... ???

I admit, I'm fairly obsessed with lifting, but only because it makes me feel SO GOOD. Surely if something healthy (not drugs, lol) makes you feel so good, it can't be bad to do it a lot? So long as you're aware of where and when recovery is really taking place, and the symptoms of overtraining, etc.? Why force yourself to do stuff that bores you to tears just in the name of a balanced lifestyle? (OK, the job, well, we all gotta put oatmeal on the table ...)

I've got a feeling I'm going to be super busy next year once school starts and I have to find some other way to put oatmeal on my table ... Just wondering if working out super intensely during vacs would speed up mass gains.

 

[takniteasy]

I really got to thinking about this just today and then read this thread. Interesting enough, I presently work my 10-12 hours a day and find very little time to train. And when I do train it is very intense albeit moderate weight amounts. I am actually getting better results from the physical aspect now than a few months ago when I was able to train consisitently 4-5 times/week. Perhaps the overtraining/under-recovery theory is purely individual, meaning it varies from one person to another and varies from one point in your physical being to another.

Just my thoughts

 

[valerie]

Hey Sassy - you may want to check into hypertrophy specific training. The link is www.hypertrophy-specific.com

This is a very interesting approach, I am in the middle of my 2nd cycle. There are articles at the site that explain the method. This may be a nice easy way to get back into training.-valerie

 

[Sassy69]

Interesting val -- i'll take a closer look at it tomorrow (when I'm more awake). Actually I found my back and legs are still relatively strong, but my biggest limitation right now is my arms -- I get so damn sore in the elbows that its just a biatch to train.