Overtraining is a touchy topic for many in the bodybuilding field.
It's very tough to try to assign a number to what is smart training, and what is overtraining.
Eight-time Mr.
Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman can train six times per week, three hours per day, and he will still make gains in terms of muscle mass, and maintain his 310 pounds at 9% body fat with little to no trouble.
If you, a 180-pound intermediate bodybuilder, attempted his workout, you'd very likely end up in the hospital.
It's tough to say "X amount of sets is overtraining", because there is such a variance among human beings as to how much training is beneficial, and how much can be detrimental to goals.
The general rule is that if you are training but not growing, you are probably overtraining.
We should find individual levels of sets and reps which allow us to continue growth at all times, even when it's reduced to fractions of pounds per month, as is the case when bodybuilders move into advanced status.
For experienced bodybuilders who use anabolic steroids, it's almost impossible to overtrain.
Their recovery resources are at such a high level that they can literally train with weights 20 hours per week and still make gains.
For intermediate bodybuilders who consume a great deal of calories (read: bulkers), it's entirely possible to train 12 hours per week and still make gains.
An old adage reads "there is no such thing as overtraining - only under eating!" many bodybuilders believe this axiom to be true.
Adding cardio to the mix can quickly change a well-trained bodybuilder into an overtrained bodybuilder.
The recovery resources in your body are a limited asset, and once you use them up, you have to rest to gain more.
Dieting can lead to overtraining on a much larger level.
Recovery will take longer and longer when you're running a caloric deficit or taking a product such as ECA (caffeine, ephedra, and aspirin).
Fat burning stacks like these will cause you to lose body fat, but can also spike cortisol levels which will lead to muscle being burned up for energy.
Supplements may also lead to advantages in combating the effects of overtraining.
Glutamine is great for muscle recovery, and glucosamine and chondroitin are very popular for joint and cartilage recovery, which may lead to bodybuilding injuries.
Supplements like creatine will leave the bodybuilder feeling a bit bigger and stronger, but will not do a lot to aid in overtraining prevention.
If you feel you may be overtraining, it's important to take a break, and then come back from your break with a brand new approach to lifting.
You know your body well enough by now to know when you're making gains, and when you're not.
If your chest and arms are feeling full, then you know you're on the right track.
If you're looking flat and depleted, then it's time to cut back the total number of sets, training days, and cardio, as well as re-examine your current diet practices.
It's very tough to try to assign a number to what is smart training, and what is overtraining.
Eight-time Mr.
Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman can train six times per week, three hours per day, and he will still make gains in terms of muscle mass, and maintain his 310 pounds at 9% body fat with little to no trouble.
If you, a 180-pound intermediate bodybuilder, attempted his workout, you'd very likely end up in the hospital.
It's tough to say "X amount of sets is overtraining", because there is such a variance among human beings as to how much training is beneficial, and how much can be detrimental to goals.
The general rule is that if you are training but not growing, you are probably overtraining.
We should find individual levels of sets and reps which allow us to continue growth at all times, even when it's reduced to fractions of pounds per month, as is the case when bodybuilders move into advanced status.
For experienced bodybuilders who use anabolic steroids, it's almost impossible to overtrain.
Their recovery resources are at such a high level that they can literally train with weights 20 hours per week and still make gains.
For intermediate bodybuilders who consume a great deal of calories (read: bulkers), it's entirely possible to train 12 hours per week and still make gains.
An old adage reads "there is no such thing as overtraining - only under eating!" many bodybuilders believe this axiom to be true.
Adding cardio to the mix can quickly change a well-trained bodybuilder into an overtrained bodybuilder.
The recovery resources in your body are a limited asset, and once you use them up, you have to rest to gain more.
Dieting can lead to overtraining on a much larger level.
Recovery will take longer and longer when you're running a caloric deficit or taking a product such as ECA (caffeine, ephedra, and aspirin).
Fat burning stacks like these will cause you to lose body fat, but can also spike cortisol levels which will lead to muscle being burned up for energy.
Supplements may also lead to advantages in combating the effects of overtraining.
Glutamine is great for muscle recovery, and glucosamine and chondroitin are very popular for joint and cartilage recovery, which may lead to bodybuilding injuries.
Supplements like creatine will leave the bodybuilder feeling a bit bigger and stronger, but will not do a lot to aid in overtraining prevention.
If you feel you may be overtraining, it's important to take a break, and then come back from your break with a brand new approach to lifting.
You know your body well enough by now to know when you're making gains, and when you're not.
If your chest and arms are feeling full, then you know you're on the right track.
If you're looking flat and depleted, then it's time to cut back the total number of sets, training days, and cardio, as well as re-examine your current diet practices.
Source...