Is there really a such thing as OVER-TRAINING?

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  • markink81
    markink81 Posts: 73 Member
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    I was just about to post about this! I have been sleeping HORRIBLY for the past 4 weeks or so, feeling lethargic, getting sick a lot and just feeling blah about working out--specifically running which I LOVE. My cousin suggested that it could be over-training syndrome. She experienced something similar to this when she was at her peak performance.

    Has anyone else experienced this? How did you overcome?
    Do a search for (biolayne video log 3) on youtube Dr. Layne Norton discusses this topic and some of the misconceptions and brings a modern day look at overtraining syndrome. Hopefully this helps
  • Bigjayinga
    Bigjayinga Posts: 128 Member
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    No, go hard or go home, you know how we do homie.!!
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
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    Okay so here's my belief in a nutshell.... I don't believe in overtraining at all. I believe as long as you know how to pair up muscle groups, space out your workouts, get sufficient rest and recovery along with sufficient nutrition you'll be fine. I never put a time limit on my workouts. I push until I can't push anymore. But you better believe I get the recovery I need before I step back into the gym. I believe everyone's level of conditioning is different, so what some may call a workout could be someone leads warm up or even half of another's workout. I even superset my workouts by two, three and sometimes even four exercises for numerous and numerous sets. I have yet to get injured or have any chronic pains or issues. My body is stronger now than it's ever been at 35 than it was at 25. Every week I've been getting stronger and old minor injuries that set me back have vanished. I'm a veteran that served in the Army for 4 years in a combat arms MOS. We would train and be in the field for HOURSSSSS and days at a time. I pushed my body to the limit back then, so I know all about pushing our bodies. If anyone wanna look at people that train to max...just take a look at Navy Seals. Some of the most fittest people in the world. And yes I know everyone isn't on that level, but I use them as an example just to show that everyone is different. But also our body is able to endure more than mind. Once we find that connection we can go beyond what we think we can.
  • CoachDreesTraining
    CoachDreesTraining Posts: 223 Member
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    Okay so here's my belief in a nutshell.... I don't believe in overtraining at all. I believe as long as you know how to pair up muscle groups, space out your workouts, get sufficient rest and recovery along with sufficient nutrition you'll be fine. I never put a time limit on my workouts. I push until I can't push anymore. But you better believe I get the recovery I need before I step back into the gym. I believe everyone's level of conditioning is different, so what some may call a workout could be someone leads warm up or even half of another's workout. I even superset my workouts by two, three and sometimes even four exercises for numerous and numerous sets. I have yet to get injured or have any chronic pains or issues. My body is stronger now than it's ever been at 35 than it was at 25. Every week I've been getting stronger and old minor injuries that set me back have vanished. I'm a veteran that served in the Army for 4 years in a combat arms MOS. We would train and be in the field for HOURSSSSS and days at a time. I pushed my body to the limit back then, so I know all about pushing our bodies. If anyone wanna look at people that train to max...just take a look at Navy Seals. Some of the most fittest people in the world. And yes I know everyone isn't on that level, but I use them as an example just to show that everyone is different. But also our body is able to endure more than mind. Once we find that connection we can go beyond what we think we can.

    Overtraining does not result from a single session, it occurs after many weeks/months/years of training. And yes it's real, but like others have said it's usually under-feeding/under-recovering.

    There have been studies stating that 45-90 minutes is the ideal maximum time for a training session (resistance training). That is because somewhere around the 1 hour mark cortisol levels begin to spike. People get to the gym when they can, but if possible, having multiple short sessions spread out through the week will yield better results than 1-3 marathon sessions.

    Most likely you are not benefiting at all from the extra hour at the gym, and there is a good chance you are actually hurting your gains by doing those extra sets.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I hear a lot of people say 45mins-1 hour is all you need.

    It depends on your goals. Elite fitness is certainly not achievable in 1 hour a day.
  • jasonalvear
    jasonalvear Posts: 72 Member
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    It's more underfeeding and under-resting. If your rest is on point and you're continuing to feed the process, your body can keep up with just about anything.

    True dat ^
  • Smash666
    Smash666 Posts: 42 Member
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    Not a misconception... The body needs time to build and repair muscles. Anyone who has over trained is familiar with the concept of hitting the wall.
    can also result in injury and loss of training time. If the body didn't get time to heal, its bound to shut down and force you To let it. Best to listen to it when it tells you things.
  • Mitchlou84
    Mitchlou84 Posts: 135
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    Honestly I think if you rest enough and eat right and don't try to increase too dramatically then the world is your oyster. I read an article recently regarding how much cardio per day the Brownlee brothers do and its crazy.

    However mess up any of these things then I think you can have overtraining symptoms.

    There was recently a competition at my gym regarding the number of group exercise classes completed in 3 weeks, I ramped up far too quickly, only having Sundays out of the gym, and Sundays are quite active at home in themselves (food shopping with no car and lots of household jobs etc).

    I really felt exhausted, I was eating plenty, but really felt like I had hit a huge brick wall.

    However at times I have done 3 classes a day as norm, and I have been fine.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    What do you think happens when you hit a plateau and you dont reset? Your weights stop going up and you feel like crap....

    What do you call that?

    Do you think you could go from 30 tons of volume a session to 60 tons a session without any build up and not have adverse consequences? what do you call that?

    The more experience you have, the more you can do. Its that simple. Maybe your years in the Army combined with your time spent training has your body accustomed to more than you typically throw at it. Its that simple. Overtraining can only happen if you dont have ample recovery. That limit will be different for everyone.

    Ive seen the articles where people say overtraining is BS. They're wrong. The only thing they are right about is that people use it as an excuse to not try hard enough.
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
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    What do you think happens when you hit a plateau and you dont reset? Your weights stop going up and you feel like crap....

    What do you call that?

    Do you think you could go from 30 tons of volume a session to 60 tons a session without any build up and not have adverse consequences? what do you call that?

    The more experience you have, the more you can do. Its that simple. Maybe your years in the Army combined with your time spent training has your body accustomed to more than you typically throw at it. Its that simple. Overtraining can only happen if you dont have ample recovery. That limit will be different for everyone.

    .
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
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    this makes sense and i can agree.....that's why recovery is super important. trust me i need ample time between workouts for my body to recover. plus i've found out what works best for me doesn't mean it's going to work for the next person. but i do believe that having the same approach and mentality in regards to working hard should apply to everyone the same.
    Ive seen the articles where people say overtraining is BS. They're wrong. The only thing they are right about is that people use it as an excuse to not try hard enough
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
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    sorry i made a mistake with replying..my actual response is below
  • tyraun_b
    tyraun_b Posts: 65
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    damn..lol..i mean my reply was above...i'm at work and a little tired lol
  • kramalicious
    kramalicious Posts: 143
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    I was just about to post about this! I have been sleeping HORRIBLY for the past 4 weeks or so, feeling lethargic, getting sick a lot and just feeling blah about working out--specifically running which I LOVE. My cousin suggested that it could be over-training syndrome. She experienced something similar to this when she was at her peak performance.

    Has anyone else experienced this? How did you overcome?

    Taking a total break from the type of exercises that you are doing helps. Get lots of rest; go to the movies at the same time you'd normally be in the gym . Rest like crazy. Take a short walk if that's not your usual, or ride a bike. Get rest, and totally break from your routine. Once you make yourself take off, you'll start wanting it again soon. All the symptoms you just mentioned are classic overtraining signs- especially sleep disturbances and not liking your regular workout, as well as general grouchiness and lethargy. It will come back to you, though. And did I mention "rest" enough? LOL

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