Am I overtraining?

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  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Just remember, you're muscles grow on rest days...
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    so about an hour and half is adequate? why can some do the same amount of exercise as me and feel good and normal. How much exercise do all you guys do and how many times a week?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Sued0nim wrote: »
    Last I saw you were going to log off and work on your mental issues

    Overtraining is part of your ocd, like the over analysis and concentration on minutiae

    Go compound 3 x a week and get your mental health sorted

    how can you maintain muscle on going to the gym 3x a week?

    Easily

    Follow a decent programme

    RIppetoes Starting Strength is decent

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw46.htm

    An hour a week three times a week

    And see your therapist
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited August 2016
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    I know i'm killing my body but I just cant stop, its even got to the point where ive been taking painkillers just to get through a gym session

    That's your illness talking
    Ws2016 wrote: »
    What are your fitness goals?

    to look how I want to look, I hate the way I look, I feel I'm fat as I struggle with fat on my lower abs. I just want to look athletic with muscles and a 6 pack and I don't see why, when I train to within an inch of my life and have a perfect diet, that I don't have this.

    Your mental illness means that you will never feel like you have that body, that's why it's an illness.


    Yup
    Do you think I'm doing too much exercise?
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    I'll be blunt. Yes.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    What niner said
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    So first of all I think it's good that you're getting some of the mental health aspects of this addressed.

    I don't think the problem is your body, it's your perception of your body and hopefully you're able to get help with that.


    Regarding the physiological aspects of things, I would look at it this way:

    What's the potential UPSIDE of taking a week off?

    - You start to feel better. Stress hormones may decrease, joints may start to feel better, your fatigue might dissipate you and you might hate life a bit less.

    What's the potential DOWNSIDE to taking a week off?

    - You get bored. You miss a week of training which is a drop in the bucket in the long term.

    To ME this is a no-brainer decision.

    I would either take time off, or do a significant deload.

    In your case I'd lean towards time off.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    SideSteel wrote: »
    So first of all I think it's good that you're getting some of the mental health aspects of this addressed.

    I don't think the problem is your body, it's your perception of your body and hopefully you're able to get help with that.


    Regarding the physiological aspects of things, I would look at it this way:

    What's the potential UPSIDE of taking a week off?

    - You start to feel better. Stress hormones may decrease, joints may start to feel better, your fatigue might dissipate you and you might hate life a bit less.

    What's the potential DOWNSIDE to taking a week off?

    - You get bored. You miss a week of training which is a drop in the bucket in the long term.

    To ME this is a no-brainer decision.

    I would either take time off, or do a significant deload.

    In your case I'd lean towards time off.

    Yes...
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    how long though? a week? I haven't been in two days and I'm already crawling up the walls and feeling stressed, fat and guilty from not going
  • broseidonkingofbrocean
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    Overtraining is real however the likelihood of anyone actually overtraining isn't. Even with 2.5 hours a day which the run down of what you were doing could be a case of you needing more food to fuel the energy your expending. I would either hire a professional or do the math yourself and figure out how many calories you are burning from your workouts and make sure you are fueling those needs properly. Would I suggest you cutting your workouts to something less strenuous? Yes I would. Like someone else pointed out there is no reason to work out like that unless your a top level athlete.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    so about an hour and half is adequate? why can some do the same amount of exercise as me and feel good and normal. How much exercise do all you guys do and how many times a week?

    It doesn't matter what we do....

    I was away Thursday/ Friday/saturday, I ate and drank loads and didn't do my usual workouts, do I feel bad at all? not in the slightest... you have said that you've had 2 rest days and feel stressed and fat and guilty... YOU need to do what's right for you, and stop saying 'other people do it so it's ok'. When are you next seeing your therapist?
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    Overtraining is real however the likelihood of anyone actually overtraining isn't. Even with 2.5 hours a day which the run down of what you were doing could be a case of you needing more food to fuel the energy your expending. I would either hire a professional or do the math yourself and figure out how many calories you are burning from your workouts and make sure you are fueling those needs properly. Would I suggest you cutting your workouts to something less strenuous? Yes I would. Like someone else pointed out there is no reason to work out like that unless your a top level athlete.

    I have a fitbit charge hr and my average calorie burn is around 3000 calories and I eat 3800 so I should be putting on weight unless the fitbit is wrong.
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    so about an hour and half is adequate? why can some do the same amount of exercise as me and feel good and normal. How much exercise do all you guys do and how many times a week?

    It doesn't matter what we do....

    I was away Thursday/ Friday/saturday, I ate and drank loads and didn't do my usual workouts, do I feel bad at all? not in the slightest... you have said that you've had 2 rest days and feel stressed and fat and guilty... YOU need to do what's right for you, and stop saying 'other people do it so it's ok'. When are you next seeing your therapist?

    You see I would nearly breakdown ifI did that. I'll be seeing him next monday today's was cancelled due to a bank holiday but in really needed it today
  • broseidonkingofbrocean
    broseidonkingofbrocean Posts: 180 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Overtraining is real however the likelihood of anyone actually overtraining isn't. Even with 2.5 hours a day which the run down of what you were doing could be a case of you needing more food to fuel the energy your expending. I would either hire a professional or do the math yourself and figure out how many calories you are burning from your workouts and make sure you are fueling those needs properly. Would I suggest you cutting your workouts to something less strenuous? Yes I would. Like someone else pointed out there is no reason to work out like that unless your a top level athlete.

    I have a fitbit charge hr and my average calorie burn is around 3000 calories and I eat 3800 so I should be putting on weight unless the fitbit is wrong.

    One im not sure how accurate fitbit is for calorie tracking. No that's not how that works if your burning 3000 calories and eat 3800 your are actually at an insane deficit. That means 800 calories is what your body is using for its daily needs. Which makes the your not eating enough thing stand as why you may be moody. Lets say my calories to maintain my weight is 2200, now if im burning 3000 calories I need to eat 5200 calories just to maintain.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    He means 3800 total I think.
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    I eat 3800 and burn 3000 in one day surely that puts me at a 800 surplus which means I should gain about 1.5lb a week?
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,950 Member
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    Can you try shortening your other exercises and then adding in yoga to make up the time? Might still be a total of 2.5 hours a day, but maybe if an hour of that is yoga, you'll have a chance to deload. And take a bit of a break between the yoga and the other stuff so that it's gym time for 2.5 hours, but not actually working out time for 2.5 hours. You can see how it goes anyway. Just an idea, don't know if it'll work for you.
  • OtiWanKenobi
    OtiWanKenobi Posts: 340 Member
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    I happened to see this article today, so maybe it's meant for me to share it with you! Rest is key in building muscle. If you're not letting your body rest between heavy lift days you're doing more harm than good. Don't look at rest as a detriment to your fitness goals, but rather an essential part of your goals; which it is.

    https://www.thrillist.com/health/nation/signs-of-overtraining-symptoms-and-recovery-tips

    Good luck!
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    If you know you are at risk for overtraining, feed your adrenal glands - licorice root (assuming normal or low blood pressure) or nervous fatigue tcm (if high blood pressure)...also eat lots of foods that will feed your adrenals, coconut, olives, avocado, nuts, cruciferous vegetables, etc.
  • itsthehumidity
    itsthehumidity Posts: 351 Member
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    You're doing far too much. I gained muscle all the way to "advanced" levels in all my lifts just training 3x per week, and not any ridiculous amounts of volume (Wendler 5/3/1 program). If OCD prevents you from scaling back then you need to seek professional help because you're harming yourself.
  • BoxerBrawler
    BoxerBrawler Posts: 2,032 Member
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    You need to just stop. Get your head right first, then work on your body.

    It takes way more discipline to rest than it does to workout. I hear ya.

  • sarahjen92
    sarahjen92 Posts: 64 Member
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    Go to the gym six times a week for about 2.5 hours each session. I've recently started feeling physically shot after every workout like chronic fatigue, aching like mad, irritability (the slightest thing annoys me) and just a negative outlook on life, my body and my health. I've had all tests possible and everything is fine except high creatinine levels which was attributed to my low body fat and have also increases caloric intake to 3800 a day and increasing my sodium in the hope I wasn't getting enough energy or replenishing my electrolytes but nothing has worked. I thought that my depression and anxiety may cause this but I'm currently getting counselling and my physical state has got worse. Do you recommend taking a week off? The only reason why I don't want to atm is because I have nothing to do during the day as I'm a student and it's summer so the gym is the only time I get out

    Get a job? Being a student is not a career nor an employment. Since you've said that you have nothing to do, I don't understand the concept of NOT having a job...especially when you're 21. That's a little scary to be perfectly honest. I would ask how you can even afford to go to the gym or school...but I think I know the answer.