Overtraining?

Hey havent missed a workout in months, been doing 5 times a week split and its been all good. This week I had two rest days after each other and when i returned i just felt so weak. I could not lift the weight i had been lifting previous weeks. Seriously struggling with that which was easy before. Anyone have experience with this or know where it suddenly comes from? I reckon taking a rest week might help other tips are always welcome.
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Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited April 2016
    I typed out a whole huge thing on another post, so i'm going to copy and paste it here. I hope it helps you!


    Just throwing some ideas out here...

    first of all, you have got to look at the way you've been training.

    It's so incredibly important to have adequate rest periods when performing a split-routine. When you workout you have GOT to have enough time to allow healing (on a weekly basis). This is why i personally never split my workouts higher than 4 days and never train a body part more than 2x a week. Not counting cardio training of course...

    Secondly, if you are working out on a routine, you have GOT to change up what you're doing over time. There is something called the general adaptation syndrome and it looks something like this-
    • Alarm reaction phase- This is the bodies initial response to a stressor. Commonly called the fight or flight mechanism. During this phase the body will rapidly heal itself and make adaptations to avoid injury. A common symptom during this period would be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
    • Resistance phase- In this phase the greatest number of adaptations are made to keep up with increased physiological demand.
    • Exhaustion phase- In this phase the body has depleted it's resources and is no longer able to keep up with the demand placed on it. Injury, fatigue, and the inability to adapt begins.

    This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks when performing the SAME movements/routine every single week. This is why it's generally recommended that training be periodized and be kept within the first two phases of adaptation. In other words, if you've been going in the gym doing the same routine for months, not resting enough, or overusing these muscles it is only a matter of time.

    You also don't mention anywhere that you've been performing SMR. If you haven't i highly recommend it as this can help break up adhesions you may have and prevent injury. A tool or product i recommend would either be the rumble roller beastie or the theracane for this area. Combined with a periodized training protocol, and adequate rest, this should help the problem tremendously.

    There's something called the cumulative injury cycle as well. By continuing without adequate rest or recuperation you are highly increasing your chances of injuring yourself.

    Figure1.jpg

    Give it a rest for a while, release any adhesions you may have, and try to change up your training regimen over time. As someone who has experienced a whole hell of a lot of injuries because i didn't do the above including shoulder impingement, bursitis, unstable shoulder, and finally torn labrum.... take it from me.






    p.s. It may have just been an off day, you may have been undercarbed, tired, slept poorly, bad nutrition, lacked energy and focus, etc. Sometimes it happens. But when it's starting to happen all the time and you have to take a preworkout just to get in the gym, you know something is up. ^ This is when i recommend taking a week off of training, and then beginning again with a new routine.
  • Overtraining doesn't happen over night. Sounds like just an "off day" to me.
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
    One day I went to the gym after a crappy night's sleep, my deadlift went down 15 lbs.
    Another day I went to the gym being carb depleted, I could barely make it through the workout.

    There are so many variables that affect our performance in the gym. It sounds like you were probably just having an off day for one of the many reasons it can happen. Just keep doing it, if you are constantly finding yourself feeling like this then it might be time to look into possibly changing your workout routine and/or evaluating if you are properly feeding the amount of activity you do.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    You're making a thread because you had one bad day?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    I typed out a whole huge thing on another post, so i'm going to copy and paste it here. I hope it helps you!


    Just throwing some ideas out here...

    first of all, you have got to look at the way you've been training.

    It's so incredibly important to have adequate rest periods when performing a split-routine. When you workout you have GOT to have enough time to allow healing (on a weekly basis). This is why i personally never split my workouts higher than 4 days and never train a body part more than 2x a week. Not counting cardio training of course...

    Secondly, if you are working out on a routine, you have GOT to change up what you're doing over time. There is something called the general adaptation syndrome and it looks something like this-
    • Alarm reaction phase- This is the bodies initial response to a stressor. Commonly called the fight or flight mechanism. During this phase the body will rapidly heal itself and make adaptations to avoid injury. A common symptom during this period would be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
    • Resistance phase- In this phase the greatest number of adaptations are made to keep up with increased physiological demand.
    • Exhaustion phase- In this phase the body has depleted it's resources and is no longer able to keep up with the demand placed on it. Injury, fatigue, and the inability to adapt begins.

    This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks when performing the SAME movements/routine every single week. This is why it's generally recommended that training be periodized and be kept within the first two phases of adaptation. In other words, if you've been going in the gym doing the same routine for months, not resting enough, or overusing these muscles it is only a matter of time.

    You also don't mention anywhere that you've been performing SMR. If you haven't i highly recommend it as this can help break up adhesions you may have and prevent injury. A tool or product i recommend would either be the rumble roller beastie or the theracane for this area. Combined with a periodized training protocol, and adequate rest, this should help the problem tremendously.

    There's something called the cumulative injury cycle as well. By continuing without adequate rest or recuperation you are highly increasing your chances of injuring yourself.

    Figure1.jpg

    Give it a rest for a while, release any adhesions you may have, and try to change up your training regimen over time. As someone who has experienced a whole hell of a lot of injuries because i didn't do the above including shoulder impingement, bursitis, unstable shoulder, and finally torn labrum.... take it from me.






    p.s. It may have just been an off day, you may have been undercarbed, tired, slept poorly, bad nutrition, lacked energy and focus, etc. Sometimes it happens. But when it's starting to happen all the time and you have to take a preworkout just to get in the gym, you know something is up. ^ This is when i recommend taking a week off of training, and then beginning again with a new routine.

    You posted all that because the OP had one bad day?
  • larsminnaar
    larsminnaar Posts: 56 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    You're making a thread because you had one bad day?

    No it was two bad days in a row and If you dont have anything useful to add just go curl those biceps somewhere
  • larsminnaar
    larsminnaar Posts: 56 Member
    Could be an off day however I dont think it is, im gonna head to the gym later and see. Thanks for the (lengthy) advice :)
  • flippy1234
    flippy1234 Posts: 686 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    You're making a thread because you had one bad day?

    No it was two bad days in a row and If you dont have anything useful to add just go curl those biceps somewhere

    I fully believe in listening to your body. I think it's your body's way of saying "hey, I need a bit of a break". I know of some trainers who will take even a week off to let their body heal and then they are fresh when they start back. You will just be stronger for it. Or, it may be you just need a break mid week. A total rest day.
    I work out 5 days a week too and some afternoons after a hard session I will sleep for like 2 hours. My body just needs rest.
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    Usually boils down to diet and rest. If it's not one it is usually the other.
  • dbhuff369
    dbhuff369 Posts: 17 Member
    I like the advice on this website, you might need a deload week, I take one about every 10 weeks: http://www.muscleforlife.com/deload-week/ although it might seem counter intuitive, weak performance can be an indicator you need to back off a bit for a week. Also, you didn't describe your splits but its good to keep your weekly volume under 100 (even lower if you are going heavy 4-6/set) on each major muscle group (applies only to naturals).
  • ShodanPrime
    ShodanPrime Posts: 226 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    I typed out a whole huge thing on another post, so i'm going to copy and paste it here. I hope it helps you!


    Just throwing some ideas out here...

    first of all, you have got to look at the way you've been training.

    It's so incredibly important to have adequate rest periods when performing a split-routine. When you workout you have GOT to have enough time to allow healing (on a weekly basis). This is why i personally never split my workouts higher than 4 days and never train a body part more than 2x a week. Not counting cardio training of course...

    Secondly, if you are working out on a routine, you have GOT to change up what you're doing over time. There is something called the general adaptation syndrome and it looks something like this-
    • Alarm reaction phase- This is the bodies initial response to a stressor. Commonly called the fight or flight mechanism. During this phase the body will rapidly heal itself and make adaptations to avoid injury. A common symptom during this period would be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
    • Resistance phase- In this phase the greatest number of adaptations are made to keep up with increased physiological demand.
    • Exhaustion phase- In this phase the body has depleted it's resources and is no longer able to keep up with the demand placed on it. Injury, fatigue, and the inability to adapt begins.

    This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks when performing the SAME movements/routine every single week. This is why it's generally recommended that training be periodized and be kept within the first two phases of adaptation. In other words, if you've been going in the gym doing the same routine for months, not resting enough, or overusing these muscles it is only a matter of time.

    You also don't mention anywhere that you've been performing SMR. If you haven't i highly recommend it as this can help break up adhesions you may have and prevent injury. A tool or product i recommend would either be the rumble roller beastie or the theracane for this area. Combined with a periodized training protocol, and adequate rest, this should help the problem tremendously.

    There's something called the cumulative injury cycle as well. By continuing without adequate rest or recuperation you are highly increasing your chances of injuring yourself.

    Figure1.jpg

    Give it a rest for a while, release any adhesions you may have, and try to change up your training regimen over time. As someone who has experienced a whole hell of a lot of injuries because i didn't do the above including shoulder impingement, bursitis, unstable shoulder, and finally torn labrum.... take it from me.






    p.s. It may have just been an off day, you may have been undercarbed, tired, slept poorly, bad nutrition, lacked energy and focus, etc. Sometimes it happens. But when it's starting to happen all the time and you have to take a preworkout just to get in the gym, you know something is up. ^ This is when i recommend taking a week off of training, and then beginning again with a new routine.

    You posted all that because the OP had one bad day?

    What if it were TWO bad days, would you allow it then? What's the appropriate threshold that you'll allow without casting side eye?
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Why the two rest days? I mean if life got in the way that's one thing but if you said to yourself "I feel weak or tired so I'll skip" you may have something else going on. I like to run but sometime I wake up and feel like I am pushing to hard and need a day to recover. Could be a mild injury or stress, who knows but I do listen to my body. I can think of nothing worse than an injury that keeps me from exercise especially one that can be avoided with rest.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    I typed out a whole huge thing on another post, so i'm going to copy and paste it here. I hope it helps you!


    Just throwing some ideas out here...

    first of all, you have got to look at the way you've been training.

    It's so incredibly important to have adequate rest periods when performing a split-routine. When you workout you have GOT to have enough time to allow healing (on a weekly basis). This is why i personally never split my workouts higher than 4 days and never train a body part more than 2x a week. Not counting cardio training of course...

    Secondly, if you are working out on a routine, you have GOT to change up what you're doing over time. There is something called the general adaptation syndrome and it looks something like this-
    • Alarm reaction phase- This is the bodies initial response to a stressor. Commonly called the fight or flight mechanism. During this phase the body will rapidly heal itself and make adaptations to avoid injury. A common symptom during this period would be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
    • Resistance phase- In this phase the greatest number of adaptations are made to keep up with increased physiological demand.
    • Exhaustion phase- In this phase the body has depleted it's resources and is no longer able to keep up with the demand placed on it. Injury, fatigue, and the inability to adapt begins.

    This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks when performing the SAME movements/routine every single week. This is why it's generally recommended that training be periodized and be kept within the first two phases of adaptation. In other words, if you've been going in the gym doing the same routine for months, not resting enough, or overusing these muscles it is only a matter of time.

    You also don't mention anywhere that you've been performing SMR. If you haven't i highly recommend it as this can help break up adhesions you may have and prevent injury. A tool or product i recommend would either be the rumble roller beastie or the theracane for this area. Combined with a periodized training protocol, and adequate rest, this should help the problem tremendously.

    There's something called the cumulative injury cycle as well. By continuing without adequate rest or recuperation you are highly increasing your chances of injuring yourself.

    Figure1.jpg

    Give it a rest for a while, release any adhesions you may have, and try to change up your training regimen over time. As someone who has experienced a whole hell of a lot of injuries because i didn't do the above including shoulder impingement, bursitis, unstable shoulder, and finally torn labrum.... take it from me.






    p.s. It may have just been an off day, you may have been undercarbed, tired, slept poorly, bad nutrition, lacked energy and focus, etc. Sometimes it happens. But when it's starting to happen all the time and you have to take a preworkout just to get in the gym, you know something is up. ^ This is when i recommend taking a week off of training, and then beginning again with a new routine.

    You posted all that because the OP had one bad day?

    i posted all that because i'd previously typed it out and i think it's helpful...?
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    I don't subscribe to the overtraining hype unless you are an elite athlete. There are lots of physically demanding jobs in construction, military, and in the natural resources fields where people work 10 hour days 5 days a week. I'm thinking that's a lot tougher on the body then a 30-90 minute trying session 5 days a week.
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    *lifting session*
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    I typed out a whole huge thing on another post, so i'm going to copy and paste it here. I hope it helps you!


    Just throwing some ideas out here...

    first of all, you have got to look at the way you've been training.

    It's so incredibly important to have adequate rest periods when performing a split-routine. When you workout you have GOT to have enough time to allow healing (on a weekly basis). This is why i personally never split my workouts higher than 4 days and never train a body part more than 2x a week. Not counting cardio training of course...

    Secondly, if you are working out on a routine, you have GOT to change up what you're doing over time. There is something called the general adaptation syndrome and it looks something like this-
    • Alarm reaction phase- This is the bodies initial response to a stressor. Commonly called the fight or flight mechanism. During this phase the body will rapidly heal itself and make adaptations to avoid injury. A common symptom during this period would be Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.
    • Resistance phase- In this phase the greatest number of adaptations are made to keep up with increased physiological demand.
    • Exhaustion phase- In this phase the body has depleted it's resources and is no longer able to keep up with the demand placed on it. Injury, fatigue, and the inability to adapt begins.

    This process takes between 4 and 6 weeks when performing the SAME movements/routine every single week. This is why it's generally recommended that training be periodized and be kept within the first two phases of adaptation. In other words, if you've been going in the gym doing the same routine for months, not resting enough, or overusing these muscles it is only a matter of time.

    You also don't mention anywhere that you've been performing SMR. If you haven't i highly recommend it as this can help break up adhesions you may have and prevent injury. A tool or product i recommend would either be the rumble roller beastie or the theracane for this area. Combined with a periodized training protocol, and adequate rest, this should help the problem tremendously.

    There's something called the cumulative injury cycle as well. By continuing without adequate rest or recuperation you are highly increasing your chances of injuring yourself.

    Figure1.jpg

    Give it a rest for a while, release any adhesions you may have, and try to change up your training regimen over time. As someone who has experienced a whole hell of a lot of injuries because i didn't do the above including shoulder impingement, bursitis, unstable shoulder, and finally torn labrum.... take it from me.






    p.s. It may have just been an off day, you may have been undercarbed, tired, slept poorly, bad nutrition, lacked energy and focus, etc. Sometimes it happens. But when it's starting to happen all the time and you have to take a preworkout just to get in the gym, you know something is up. ^ This is when i recommend taking a week off of training, and then beginning again with a new routine.

    You posted all that because the OP had one bad day?

    What if it were TWO bad days, would you allow it then? What's the appropriate threshold that you'll allow without casting side eye?

    Sorry, can't hear you, too busy doing all these curls in the squat rack.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    Usually boils down to diet and rest. If it's not one it is usually the other.

    For the vast majority of people, this. Overtrained/overreached is a lot harder to get to than most people think it is.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    I don't subscribe to the overtraining hype unless you are an elite athlete. There are lots of physically demanding jobs in construction, military, and in the natural resources fields where people work 10 hour days 5 days a week. I'm thinking that's a lot tougher on the body then a 30-90 minute trying session 5 days a week.

    it's a good thing you listed occupations with the highest rate of injury, disability, and death.... O_O
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    As opposed to unemployed couch potatoes or driving occupations.