Am I overtraining?

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  • julesloveland
    julesloveland Posts: 93 Member
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    I've recently been prescribed antidepressants (citalopram) which I have started taking which hopefully will make me feel better as well as the counselling. I cut back on my training today by 35 minutes so little steps and hopefully ill make it. I do appreciate all your advice and I am currently getting help and will try to not let the gym run my life as it has been doing.

    Great news. The meds will take a few weeks before they settle into your system but they will help and probably are making a difference now. Perhaps you can seek out more regular therapy too?
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    julesloveland wrote: »
    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    I've recently been prescribed antidepressants (citalopram) which I have started taking which hopefully will make me feel better as well as the counselling. I cut back on my training today by 35 minutes so little steps and hopefully ill make it. I do appreciate all your advice and I am currently getting help and will try to not let the gym run my life as it has been doing.

    Great news. The meds will take a few weeks before they settle into your system but they will help and probably are making a difference now. Perhaps you can seek out more regular therapy too?

    it took me 8 months to get a weekly appointment so I'm lucky I'm getting it that often tbh
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    th only trouble with these tablets is the side effects: shocking headaches and insomnia, the former i can deal with but the latter frustrates me as rest is integral for me yet i was up all night struggling to get to sleep
  • julesloveland
    julesloveland Posts: 93 Member
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    th only trouble with these tablets is the side effects: shocking headaches and insomnia, the former i can deal with but the latter frustrates me as rest is integral for me yet i was up all night struggling to get to sleep

    The side effects ease off as your body gets used to them. I found it took a good couple of months.
    That's good you have weekly appointments.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    th only trouble with these tablets is the side effects: shocking headaches and insomnia, the former i can deal with but the latter frustrates me as rest is integral for me yet i was up all night struggling to get to sleep

    The side effects will improve with time. Please don't be taking advice on medication or supplementation from people here. Even supplements can influence the effectiveness of prescribed meds. See your doctor, or talk with the pharmacist who filled your prescription before taking anything. People here won't know your full history which could lead to unintentional harm.

    I'm glad you are getting some counseling. Even with weekly appointments, it can take some time to sort through everything. Backing off on your workouts sounds like a prudent course at this stage. The more exhausted you are, the higher the risk for injury and even further increasing your fatigue. Take care of your body, you have to live with it for a very long time.
  • Ws2016
    Ws2016 Posts: 432 Member
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    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    Ws2016 wrote: »
    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.

    i don't think i ever will but i guess that's what the counselling is for
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    Ws2016 wrote: »
    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.

    i don't think i ever will but i guess that's what the counselling is for

    can you show your therapist this thread?
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    Ws2016 wrote: »
    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.

    i don't think i ever will but i guess that's what the counselling is for

    can you show your therapist this thread?

    shall i print it if i can?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited August 2016
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    th only trouble with these tablets is the side effects: shocking headaches and insomnia, the former i can deal with but the latter frustrates me as rest is integral for me yet i was up all night struggling to get to sleep

    You may need to try many different meds in order to find the one that gives you the benefits you need without unmanageable side effects. Thankfully, there are many different ones to try. It can be a long and frustrating process to find the right medication for you, so don't get discouraged. The end result is worth the journey. :)
  • chocolate_owl
    chocolate_owl Posts: 1,695 Member
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    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    Ws2016 wrote: »
    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.

    i don't think i ever will but i guess that's what the counselling is for

    can you show your therapist this thread?

    shall i print it if i can?

    Print it, email it, pull it up on your phone next session... I think you've conveyed a lot here over days of dialogue that might be difficult to express honestly in one appointment.

    Good luck with the meds. It's a good idea to discuss the side effects at every appointment so your therapist knows if they need to supplement or change your medication. Keep toughing it out, hopefully it gets better soon.
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    chocolate_owl wrote: »
    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    callumwalker1995 wrote: »
    Ws2016 wrote: »
    Learning to love your body as it is, is the biggest fitness challenge of all. Start there.

    i don't think i ever will but i guess that's what the counselling is for

    can you show your therapist this thread?

    shall i print it if i can?

    Print it, email it, pull it up on your phone next session... I think you've conveyed a lot here over days of dialogue that might be difficult to express honestly in one appointment.

    Good luck with the meds. It's a good idea to discuss the side effects at every appointment so your therapist knows if they need to supplement or change your medication. Keep toughing it out, hopefully it gets better soon.

    thanks mate
  • callumwalker1995
    callumwalker1995 Posts: 389 Member
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    I would like to apologise to all users on here that have given me such solid advice that I have ignored. It is vastly appreciated and hopefully will go some way to help me conquer this disease
  • giuseppeantonio23
    giuseppeantonio23 Posts: 1 Member
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    Sounds to me you might be.

    I'd recommend you take a deload week (a week off completely) and return to the gym the following week with a more structured plan of tackling all your major muscle groups.

    Performing full body workouts 3x a week using compound exercises will give you the most time-efficient and effective way of building size and strength.

    One great program to follow is Arnold Schwarzenegger's Golden Six routine:
    • Squats - 4 x 10
    • Wide Grip Bench Press - 3 x 10
    • Chin Ups - 3 x Failure
    • Overhead Press - 4 x 10
    • Barbell Curls - 3 x 10
    • Sit Ups - 3/4 x Failure

    In order to progressively overload your muscles so you continue to get stronger and bigger, you can do either 2 things:

    1. Increase the number of sets up to 4 for the first 5 exercises after 3 months. After 6 months, increase this to 6 sets.

    2. Increase the amount of incremental weight every week (e.g. adding 1.25kg to each side of the bar).

    Or if you're feeling really good you can do both. This will ensure you're keeping your muscles guessing allowing it not to adapt giving you the progressive overload you need to keep bettering your physique.

    This workout shouldn't take you longer than an hour max to perform so you've effectively cut your time in the gym by 80%, going from 15 hours a week to 3 hours a week. This is a smarter way of training as your body needs more rest than training in order to grow.

    Best of luck!

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