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Q: What is the Definition of Overtraining?

 

A: When you really think about it, what is the definition of overtraining? It would vary for everyone because no two bodies are exactly alike. One might say that it is training too heavily and really pushing the body to its limit, where the other might say it is constant strain with numerous sets and reps causing muscle exhaustion.

 

If you were to look up overtraining in the dictionary, you would see it defined as: A common problem in weight training, which is also experienced by runners and other athletes. It occurs when the volume and intensity of the exercise exceeds an individual’s recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness.

 

When I think of the definition of overtraining, that is exactly how I would put it and when I get to that point in my training I know it is time to stop. Every athlete’s dream is to be at the top of his or her game and although you may think that doing those extra reps or running that extra mile is going to benefit you, it may be putting you one step back. This is especially the case with bodybuilders, as their main goal is to get as big and as tight as they possibly can. If they are overtraining, it will only break their muscle tissue down and stop their progress.

 

The way I have found my limit is by getting to know my body very well and by tracking my own progress. I know that as soon as the pump in my muscle starts to go away, it is time to call it quits. For a long time, I always wanted to just keep going and in doing that, I was only hurting myself. Here I had thought I was going to keep growing the more I trained, but little did I know that my weight and size were at a plateau. Each day my muscles would ache more than usual. So now that I have learned from my mistakes, I am making tremendous gains.

 

If you are overtraining, some symptoms you may be experiencing are persistent muscle soreness and fatigue, elevated resting heart rate, increased susceptibility to infection, increased incidence of injuries, irritability, depression, loss of motivation, insomnia, decreased appetite and weight loss.

 

Listed below are some solutions to prevent overtraining. They are quite effective depending on the circumstances of each individual.

 

- Every couple of days, take a break and give your body time to recover. I usually train three days and take one day off, then train two days and take another day off. This has worked well for me.

 

- Try to lower the volume or intensity of your training. I usually do this every other week. One week I will go all out and the next week I will change my routine. Although I am still pushing myself during that second week, I don’t exceed my training limit.

 

- Massage the area of muscle or muscles that are affected. Massage treatment is great. Many of my friends are competitors and get treatments and it’s amazing how well it works for them. I’m also a strong believer in massage therapy. Getting massages have really helped my back.

 

- Eat more calorie-dense and protein-rich foods.

 

- Be sure to take in vitamins through nutritional supplements to address vitamin deficiencies.

 

- Be sure to split your training into several days so that each muscle group can be trained separately. Here are some examples:

 

• Chest on Monday

• Back on Tuesday

• Shoulders on Wednesday

• Legs on Thursday

• Arms on Friday

 

- Like I had mentioned on the first solution, you want to break these days up and put rest days in between to help your body recover. For me, my usual days off are Thursdays and Sundays.

 

Now that we have gone over the definition and symptoms of overtraining, I hope you have a better understanding about it. Had I been aware of these facts earlier, I would probably be further ahead in my training. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and I hope you can learn from mine as well.

 

David Hawk Jr. - Is a NPC national level competitor, personal trainer and fitness model. He is currently working with Triarco Industries as their athlete and spokesperson. Dave can be reached at DAVEHAWKH2@YAHOO.COM or DAVE@DAVEHAWKJR.COM.