Overtraining Overrated?

[Adone]

Almost every time I ask some jacked guy for tips about training, the main piece of advice I'm given is to train and stop reading everything I find.

Everyone tell me that I shouldn't worry at all about overtraining or splitting bodyparts or how many rest days I'm taking etc, until I get to at least 180 lbs (I'm 5'9) and low bodyfat.

They all just say that I should just eat a fùcking lot, sleep up to 10 hours a day and work out as much as I can (obviously not when I feel exhausted or I'm ill). Most of these guys used to workout 5-6 days a week, multiple times a day (up to 3 hour or so) and have amazing bodies. They said that they started setting routines and worrying about overtraining just when they hit a major plateau (more or less, after gaining 40-50 lbs) and then followed some program.

Would you agree with this?

 

[Reiki]

I think overtraining is overrated, its good to read and follow a structure when your starting out, after that just let instinct take over.

 

[Warboss Alex]

overtraining will make or break bodybuilders - people who say stuff like "there's no overtraining, just undereating" don't have a clue.

how many volume junkies who do 5 exercises for biceps have huge guns?

some people will respond to volume like this - but not many.

however I do agree that this is weightlifting, not rocket science, you should just eat your ass off (forget the abs, they'll stay put if you do your cardio) and concentrate on putting more weight on the bar. no x reps or burnouts or pinky twists or whatever. just plain honest lifting.

 

[mrRuckus]

They all just say that I should just eat a fùcking lot, sleep up to 10 hours a day and work out as much as I can (obviously not when I feel exhausted or I'm ill). Most of these guys used to workout 5-6 days a week, multiple times a day (up to 3 hour or so) and have amazing bodies.

They'd probably have gotten "amazing bodies" quicker if they did things more productively. Maybe today their bodies would be even better had they.

Do you have 3 hours a day 5-6 days a week? I don't. Do those guys take a whole meal with them to eat in the middle of their workout or what? I'm bored of the gym within an hour and my gf doesn't have that much patience to wait for me to get home already and sex her against the wall.

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

I don't know what I'm more shocked about, the question about overtraining, or that on 6/6/06...WarBoss Alex resurfaced (at least to me)...does that mean your, ahem, 'him?' You, know, the [AC]. Master is that you?

begins preparation of a sacrificial virgin, an HB10, the only one in existence that can make this ritual complete

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Overtraining is a reality. People have different genetics, just like people get sick at different times in different ways, have differing bone structure, and differing musculature from birth. Someone who says there's no such thing as overtraining, likely hasn't hit their genetic threshhold, OR, they're not growing as fast they could, but they are Growing.

The bottom line is Recovery. Muscular makeup matters, too, because those with more TYPE II's can inevitable get bigger and ARE bigger and will be bigger. However, MOST people don't reach their potential, so I wouldn't be concerned about that.

It's ok to do things everyday, just not LIFTING everyday. For instance, go for a walk, golf, play sports, lift 2-4x a week, do some HIIT or guerilla cardio, surf, bike, etc. This doesn't mean be a LOAF, but the intensity to LIFT is much higher than the rest of them. What overtraining refers to is NOT training so much as to STOP all progress. I can't think of an activity that's as intense as lifting would be for an hour ALL OUT, such as squating, benching, deads, etc. Even when I golf for 4 hours, I bring along fruits, nuts, plenty of water, so I never fatigue, but the intensity doesn't match lifting. Even a softball game or baseball wouldn't top out on the effort you would expend at growing your legs or back. But that's the point. You're going the gym to PUSH your threshhold and be more conditioned than the next person so as to OUT BEST them.

I know guys who do MANY days of lifting, and that's fine for them, but they were doing roids, too. So it's a big gap.


A-Unit

 

[Adone]

They'd probably have gotten "amazing bodies" quicker if they did things more productively. Maybe today their bodies would be even better had they.

Do you have 3 hours a day 5-6 days a week? I don't. Do those guys take a whole meal with them to eat in the middle of their workout or what? I'm bored of the gym within an hour and my gf doesn't have that much patience to wait for me to get home already and sex her against the wall.

Eheh, I'd have the same problem with mine Anyway, most of those guys had home equipment, so they spent like a hour or so at the gym and worked out at home again before going to bed (just a guess, I didn't ask)

I don't know about food either, I just know they eat almost constantly, but they also play sports 24/7 and, as I said, work out a lot, so they don't get fat.

overtraining will make or break bodybuilders - people who say stuff like "there's no overtraining, just undereating" don't have a clue.

how many volume junkies who do 5 exercises for biceps have huge guns?
QUOTE]

It depends on what you mean with "huge guns"... The kind of body I'm referring to is the typical "Adonis", so their arms are 16"-18" for guys who are around 5'10-6'0. I know those aren't bodybuilders' standards, but that's the kind of body most people are aiming for.

 

[Shiftkey]

I'd be willing to bet that if you saw the fathers of those men, he'd be huge too. If you're that resistant to overtraining, it's usually because of good genetics.

 

[Adone]

I'd be willing to bet that if you saw the fathers of those men, he'd be huge too. If you're that resistant to overtraining, it's usually because of good genetics.

Actually, they all have average-sized fathers (except 2: one has a pretty big father, but mostly fat, and another one has a tiny midget), so I don't think this is about genetics

 

[A-Unit]

Re:

Check the mother, grandmother, and grandfather out.

I'm taller, thicker, and broader than my father. My mother is 4'11" and my dad 5'8"-5'9". I push 5'11" and range about 190-200lbs, so I'm not in the shade of my father's tree. However, my grandfather was thick, wide backed, and had a propensity to be heavy, as such, so am I capable of all the above.

Genetics play the role, as they "grant" you the suit you have to play with here on this planet. But don't my word, or anybody else's. We're just responding to what you asked. However, the only guys I know boasting of such gynormous biceps....

*Are from big families. [Genetics]
*Did a cycle of roids. [Anabolics]
*Have been lifting properly for a long-time. [Learned about their bodies]
*Consume mass quantities of food. [Add bulk]

"What" you should do is purely individual.



A-Unit

 

[Warboss Alex]

This is heading to be another pointless discussion. Some people respond to volume, with or without the use of chemical substances, I don't like to touch upon this topic much especially on a teen forum BUT if you see guys working out 7 days a week and getting bigger constanly then they do have some assistance, whether from drugs or from awesome genetics - in either case it does not apply to you because you're just an average guy working out naturally.

Adone (or anyone else) - this is all about finding your personal threshold here. Go out and do a 7 day split and if you gain, good, keep doing that split. If you don't, reduce the volume until you're gaining. No-one here can tell you how you should train. My arms grow best from little or no direct work - would I advise people here to stop working their arms? NO because this is individual and does not apply to everyone.

Stop looking for the magic pill or magic rep, there isn't one, it's doing what YOU can do to its fullest, whether that's one day a week or seven, and only YOU can find out how many days a week you can take.

So stop wasting time on here and go find out, because the more you think about this, the slower your progress will be.

 

[Doggystyle]

You shouldn't overtrain, that why its called OVERtraining, too much of it, its like overeating or something.

I overtrained for years, it wasnt untill i started having proper rest periods and eating properly that i began seeing stupidly fast results, it almost seems too easy now compared to what i was doing.

What your putting in your mouth is the most important of all!