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Hey all I ahve to start the new August thread today tomorrow is gunna be sooo busy so hey better to get it done today then forget.
Proper Form is the Key of Bodybuilding if you don't have good form you may as well quit now and Go home. All the basics of Bodybuilding stem on proper execution. No swinging, No swaying and most of all if you arch bend contort twist swing to get the weight up you are NOT doing it Properly. You will not build a good solid base by doing this and are cheating your muscles as well as setting yourself up for serious injurey. SO if you are not willing to learn the basics of Building which is FORM then you may as well not be here. I am sorry if this sounds harsh but, I have seen time and time again people cheating themselves from great gains by doing it wrong or injuring themselves cause they want to do it the quick way and go heavy straight off without proper technique and form. This is one of the reasons we have started this thread to give others the basic Knowlege of Bodybuilding and start it Slow.
The Beginner Program is Just that, Basically it gets your Body used to exercises and helps you impliment proper technique and form in your lifting abilities. THIS IS SOOO IMPORTANT and I cannot stress this enough. The first 6 weeks is a lighter training program built mostly for those Who have Never lifted weight and who do not have a basic Knowledge of weight lifting. With this Program the first 2 weeks is easy, weight is not Stressed and FORM and lifting heavy will come later. You have to learn proper form it dose not come for most naturally it has to be learned. The most basic postural alignment can be quit hard, staight back shoulders back chest out this is basic. if at any time you move away from your alignment then correct and continue. It takes time learn to align properly for your exercise execution and you will really have to think as you lift. If you are lifting your your biceps and you feel it in your back, you are misaligned a simple adjustment and that stress will be gone.
It the beginning Program we do 3 sets of 12 repetitions. Have a weight that is not too heavy as when you are learning you do not want to compromise form as a rule. Lift a weight that is easy to do for 12 repetions if you have a mirror you can set up to see yourself you will have an easier time knowing if your body is tilted or if you are lifting Aqardly. you want to be sure to do each repetition slowly and controled, count if you need to 1,2,3 up 1,2,3 down no dropping the weight and you body should not shift as you lift or drop the weight. It should be completely controlled and you should feel it in your target muscle group.
WE will do a basic Layout like this.
Monday Upper Body
Tuesday Cardio
Wednesday Lower Body
Thursday Cardio
Friday Upper Body
Saturday Cardio
Sunday Rest
Monday Lower body
The Cycle continues for 6 weeks then we will get into Building defining and Shifting our body into the shape you want.
For each Muscle group we will pic One exercise for each body Part On Upper Body days this will be,
Chest, Triceps, Back, Biceps, Shoulders
For leg day we will do exercises for these Groups.
Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs
This is very basic and will seem very easy cause it ios it is not my goal to start to throw you into something you ahve no idea about, it's about doing it properly slowly and learning proper form and technique. The nasties come later after we have taken the first 6 weeks to prep you all for the Best body of your Life.
OK so I have made Up a Beginner Level 2 Program this is still a shorter workout with more sets and also with the workouts Broken up into Body Parts. What this does is targets muscle groups and works them to exhaustion, do not do this Progrm until you have finished the first 6 weeks or unless you are a more experienced weight lifter. The layout for the Program goes like this.
Monday Chest/Triceps cardio 20-30 minutes high intensity
Tuesday Back/Biceps
Wednesday Cardio 30-45 minutes
Thursday Shoulders/Abs
Friday Legs
Saturday Cardio 30-45 minutes
Sunday REST DAY!
For the Larger Muscle groups you pick out 3 different exercises this would be for chest/Back/shoulders/hams/quads, For the smaller muscle groups pic out 2 exercises for each body part this would be for Triceps/Biceps/Abs/and Calves.
I will take you through a workout for Chest Triceps and you can copy it basically for the other workouts. This Program is for building muscle and should be hard if it is easy the intensity is not there and you need to up the weight, of course your form comes first absoulutely.
This is How a workout will go.
Chest bench press 1 set 20 reps light weight (this is a warmup set for the exercise)
Bench press 1 set 8-10 reps heavy the last 2-3 should be difficult
Bench Press 1 set 6-8 reps you should have to up the weight from the previous set and the last 2 should be difficult
Bench Press 1 set 4-6 reps up the weight again and this should be your max weight for the set and should be extremely difficult.
Tricep Extensions 1 set 20 reps Light weight
Do the rest of the exercise same as above.
Dumbell flies 4 sets heavy weight 6-8 reps this should be difficult.
Tricep Kickbacks 4 sets heavy weight 6-8 reps this should be very hard by now you muscles are really starting to fatigue.
Dumbell Press 4 sets 6-8 reps these will be very difficult as your weight is still high and you muscles will be completely fatigued you may find to do these the weight has to be dropped and that's ok.
Allow 1 minute of rest between sets this allows for muscular recovery so you can lift heavy the next set. This workout should get you a really great burn and you will most definately be sore for a few days after the first few workouts. It's a more intensive workout and really targets each muscle group. The workout should take around 30-40 minutes to complete except on Cardio days where it takes a bit longer. At the end of this cycle you will see marked improvement in strength and Muscular definition which is what we are looking for. This will be a 6 week Program before we get ready to ease into a Body For life Program.
NOTE: If at any time during this workout you have pain or your form goes BAD DROP the weight immediately or Stop, if it hurts you are doijg something wrong or your bodies alignment is off, if there is even a risk you feel you may get injured drop the weight immediately and continue we DO NOT want to have anyone injured at any time and lifting SMART is listening to your Body NO QUESTIONS!!!
LEVEL 3 WORKOUT INSTRUCTIONS!
(Thanks for these Sarah)
Your Welcome lets do a 4 day Split and also do 3 days of Cardio you will ahve to do 1 day of Cardio on weight days. SO that's not so bad. For the 2 days you aren't doing weights I would really like you to do 45 minutes of HIIT if you can handle that and the other day with weights 20 MINUTES of heavy duty HIIT. Think you can handle that. If you wanna do 20 minute HIIT sessions More that's ok but, I want you to have at least 2 45 minute sessions in there for the week it will all even out.
SO For MondaysDo chest Triceps you are gunna do 3 different exercises with 4 sets of each one. after do a quickie 20 minute HIIT
The first set will consist of Dropsets this is where you put the weight up to the highest you can lift do it to failure drop it do it to failure drop the weight do it to failure drop the weight do it to Failure. Then rest for 2 minutes. There is no rest in between these sets Period just a long enough break for you to pull the pin and stick it back in the plates or grab another set of Dumbells.
It would look like this
Seated Bench press 1 set 10 reps 60 lbs,1 set 10 reps 50lbs, 1 set 7 reps 40 lbs, 1 set 5 reps 30 lbs. You will be shaking by the end of this your muscles will be on fire you will feel it.
Then 2 Minutes rest
Tricep Extensions Dropsets 1 set 12 reps 60lbs, 1 set 12 reps 50lbs, 1 set 8 reps 40lbs, 1 set 7 reps 30 lbs. It doesn't matter if you can do 12 or 6 for your first set you just wanna lift till you can't do another one then drop the weights.
Those will be your only 2 dropsets you do 1 for each muscle group.
For the other exercises pic 2 for each body part 2 for chest and 2 for triceps and for each one you do 4 sets and you lift as heavy as you can go. You should only be able to do 6-7 reps if you can lift more it's too light up the weights. Be sure about your form and be sure to take 1 minute rest between sets.
I hope this Kinda explains it I know this will give you amazing results it's a building phase you have been doing Higher reps so lowering the reps and upping the weights will really shock your body into fat loss.
Tuesday you do Back Biceps
Wednsday Cardio 45 HIIT
Tursday Shoulders Abs
Friday LEGS
Saturday 45 minute HIIT
Sunday REST day
http://www.shapefit.com/training.html
http://www.bodyforlife.com/exercise/animations.asp
http://www.ironworkout.com/index.htm
http://www.betterbodz.com/
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/a...ex-exercise.htm
HIIT an Explaination
http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp
Overtraining Syndrome
It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you've got to work hard. However, hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker. It is rest that makes you stronger. Physiologic improvement in sports only occurs during the rest period following hard training. This adaptation is in response to maximal loading of the cardiovascular and muscular systems and is accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart, increasing capillaries in the muscles, and increasing glycogen stores and mitochondrial enzyme systems within the muscle cells. During recovery periods these systems build to greater levels to compensate for the stress that you have applied. The result is that you are now at a higher level of performance.
If sufficient rest is not included in a training program then regeneration cannot occur and performance plateaus. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists then performance will decline. Overtraining can best be defined as the state where the athlete has been repeatedly stressed by training to the point where rest is no longer adequate to allow for recovery. The "overtraining syndrome" is the name given to the collection of emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms due to overtraining that has persisted for weeks to months. Athletes and coaches also know it as "burnout" or "staleness." This is different from the day to day variation in performance and post exercise tiredness that is common in conditioned athletes. Overtraining is marked by cumulative exhaustion that persists even after recovery periods.
The most common symptom is fatigue. This may limit workouts and may be present at rest. The athlete may also become moody, easily irritated, have altered sleep patterns, become depressed, or lose the competitive desire and enthusiasm for the sport. Some will report decreased appetite and weight loss. Physical symptoms include persistent muscular soreness, increased frequency of viral illnesses, and increased incidence of injuries.
There have been several clinical studies done on athletes with the overtraining syndrome. Exercise physiologic, psychological, and biochemical laboratory testing have been done. Findings in these studies have shown decreased performance in exercise testing, decreased mood state, and, in some, increased cortisol levels -- the body's "stress" hormone. A decrease in testosterone, altered immune status, and an increase in muscular break down products have also been identified. Medically, the overtraining syndrome is classified as a neuro-endocrine disorder. The normal fine balance in the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and the hormonal system is disturbed and athletic "jet lag" results. The body now has a decreased ability to repair itself during rest. Heaping more workouts onto this unbalanced system only worsens the situation. Additional stress in the form of difficulties at work or personal life also contributes.
It appears that there are two forms of the syndrome. The sympathetic form is more common in sprint type sports and the parasympathetic form is more common in endurance sports. The results from various measurements taken during exercise physiologic testing differ between the two forms, but decreased overall performance and increased perceived fatigue are similar. In the parasympathetic form there may be a lower heart rate for a given workload. Athletes training with a heart rate monitor may notice that they cannot sustain the workout at their usual "set point." Fatigue takes over and prematurely terminates the workout. Regulation of glucose can become altered and the athlete may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia during exercise.
I won't comment on all of the differences between the two forms, but one example is resting heart rate. In the sympathetic form, the resting heart rate is elevated. In the parasympathetic form, however, the resting heart rate is decreased. If this sounds confusing, then you are not alone. There is very little agreement in the literature about abnormal laboratory findings. Additionally, it is possible to have the overtraining syndrome, but have completely normal physical findings and biochemical tests. At this point, there is no single test that will confirm the presence of overtraining. The overtraining syndrome should be considered in any athlete who manifests symptoms of prolonged fatigue and performance that has leveled off or decreased. It is important to exclude any underlying illness that may be responsible for the fatigue.
The treatment for the overtraining syndrome is rest. The longer the overtraining has occurred, the more rest required. Therefore, early detection is very important. If the overtraining has only occurred for a short period of time (e.g., 3 - 4 weeks) then interrupting training for 3 - 5 days is usually sufficient rest. After this, workouts can be resumed on an alternate day basis. The intensity of the training can be maintained but the total volume must be lower. It is important that the factors that lead to overtraining be identified and corrected. Otherwise, the overtraining syndrome is likely to recur. The alternate day recovery period is continued for a few weeks and then an increase in volume is permitted. In more severe cases, the training program may have to be interrupted for weeks, and it may take months to recover. An alternate form of exercise can be substituted to help prevent the exercise withdrawal syndrome.
All of the medical studies and advice on overtraining have involved single sport athletes. For triathletes and other multi-sport athletes the recovery process may be different depending on the circumstances. If it can be identified that the overtraining has occurred in only one discipline, then resting that discipline along with significant decreases in the other sports can bring about full recovery. It is vitally important not to suddenly substitute more workouts in one sport in an attempt to compensate for rest in another. The athlete that does this will not heal the overtraining, but will drive him or herself deeper into a hole. Overtraining affects both peripheral and central mechanisms in the body. Resting from overtraining on the bicycle by swimming more will help a pair of fatigued quadriceps, but to the heart, pituitary, and adrenals, stress is stress.
As with almost everything else health related, prevention is the key. Well-balanced gradual increases in training are recommended. A training schedule design called periodisation varies the training load in cycles with built in mandatory rest phases. During the high workload phase, the athlete alternates between high intensity interval work and low intensity endurance work . This approach is used by a number of elite athletes in many sports.
A training log is the best method to monitor progress. In addition to keeping track of distance and intensity, the athlete can record the resting morning heart rate, weight, general health, how the workout felt, and levels of muscular soreness and fatigue. The latter two can be scored on a 10 point scale. Significant, progressive changes in any of these parameters may signal overtraining. Avoiding monotonous training and maintaining adequate nutrition are other recommendations for prevention. Vigorous exercise during the incubation period of a viral illness may increase the duration and severity of that illness. Athletes who feel as if they are developing a cold should rest or reduce the training schedule for a few days.
In conclusion, the prevailing wisdom is that it is better to be undertrained than overtrained. Rest is a vital part of any athlete's training. There is considerable evidence that reduced training (same intensity, lower volume) for up to 21 days will not decrease performance. A well-planned training program involves as much art as science and should allow for flexibility. Early warning signs of overtraining should be heeded and schedule adjustments made accordingly. Smart training is the path to faster times and good health.
Copyright©1998 Mark Jenkins, MD
Symptoms of OVERTRAINING
The common warning signs of overtraining include the following:
Proper Form is the Key of Bodybuilding if you don't have good form you may as well quit now and Go home. All the basics of Bodybuilding stem on proper execution. No swinging, No swaying and most of all if you arch bend contort twist swing to get the weight up you are NOT doing it Properly. You will not build a good solid base by doing this and are cheating your muscles as well as setting yourself up for serious injurey. SO if you are not willing to learn the basics of Building which is FORM then you may as well not be here. I am sorry if this sounds harsh but, I have seen time and time again people cheating themselves from great gains by doing it wrong or injuring themselves cause they want to do it the quick way and go heavy straight off without proper technique and form. This is one of the reasons we have started this thread to give others the basic Knowlege of Bodybuilding and start it Slow.
The Beginner Program is Just that, Basically it gets your Body used to exercises and helps you impliment proper technique and form in your lifting abilities. THIS IS SOOO IMPORTANT and I cannot stress this enough. The first 6 weeks is a lighter training program built mostly for those Who have Never lifted weight and who do not have a basic Knowledge of weight lifting. With this Program the first 2 weeks is easy, weight is not Stressed and FORM and lifting heavy will come later. You have to learn proper form it dose not come for most naturally it has to be learned. The most basic postural alignment can be quit hard, staight back shoulders back chest out this is basic. if at any time you move away from your alignment then correct and continue. It takes time learn to align properly for your exercise execution and you will really have to think as you lift. If you are lifting your your biceps and you feel it in your back, you are misaligned a simple adjustment and that stress will be gone.
It the beginning Program we do 3 sets of 12 repetitions. Have a weight that is not too heavy as when you are learning you do not want to compromise form as a rule. Lift a weight that is easy to do for 12 repetions if you have a mirror you can set up to see yourself you will have an easier time knowing if your body is tilted or if you are lifting Aqardly. you want to be sure to do each repetition slowly and controled, count if you need to 1,2,3 up 1,2,3 down no dropping the weight and you body should not shift as you lift or drop the weight. It should be completely controlled and you should feel it in your target muscle group.
WE will do a basic Layout like this.
Monday Upper Body
Tuesday Cardio
Wednesday Lower Body
Thursday Cardio
Friday Upper Body
Saturday Cardio
Sunday Rest
Monday Lower body
The Cycle continues for 6 weeks then we will get into Building defining and Shifting our body into the shape you want.
For each Muscle group we will pic One exercise for each body Part On Upper Body days this will be,
Chest, Triceps, Back, Biceps, Shoulders
For leg day we will do exercises for these Groups.
Quads, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs
This is very basic and will seem very easy cause it ios it is not my goal to start to throw you into something you ahve no idea about, it's about doing it properly slowly and learning proper form and technique. The nasties come later after we have taken the first 6 weeks to prep you all for the Best body of your Life.
OK so I have made Up a Beginner Level 2 Program this is still a shorter workout with more sets and also with the workouts Broken up into Body Parts. What this does is targets muscle groups and works them to exhaustion, do not do this Progrm until you have finished the first 6 weeks or unless you are a more experienced weight lifter. The layout for the Program goes like this.
Monday Chest/Triceps cardio 20-30 minutes high intensity
Tuesday Back/Biceps
Wednesday Cardio 30-45 minutes
Thursday Shoulders/Abs
Friday Legs
Saturday Cardio 30-45 minutes
Sunday REST DAY!
For the Larger Muscle groups you pick out 3 different exercises this would be for chest/Back/shoulders/hams/quads, For the smaller muscle groups pic out 2 exercises for each body part this would be for Triceps/Biceps/Abs/and Calves.
I will take you through a workout for Chest Triceps and you can copy it basically for the other workouts. This Program is for building muscle and should be hard if it is easy the intensity is not there and you need to up the weight, of course your form comes first absoulutely.
This is How a workout will go.
Chest bench press 1 set 20 reps light weight (this is a warmup set for the exercise)
Bench press 1 set 8-10 reps heavy the last 2-3 should be difficult
Bench Press 1 set 6-8 reps you should have to up the weight from the previous set and the last 2 should be difficult
Bench Press 1 set 4-6 reps up the weight again and this should be your max weight for the set and should be extremely difficult.
Tricep Extensions 1 set 20 reps Light weight
Do the rest of the exercise same as above.
Dumbell flies 4 sets heavy weight 6-8 reps this should be difficult.
Tricep Kickbacks 4 sets heavy weight 6-8 reps this should be very hard by now you muscles are really starting to fatigue.
Dumbell Press 4 sets 6-8 reps these will be very difficult as your weight is still high and you muscles will be completely fatigued you may find to do these the weight has to be dropped and that's ok.
Allow 1 minute of rest between sets this allows for muscular recovery so you can lift heavy the next set. This workout should get you a really great burn and you will most definately be sore for a few days after the first few workouts. It's a more intensive workout and really targets each muscle group. The workout should take around 30-40 minutes to complete except on Cardio days where it takes a bit longer. At the end of this cycle you will see marked improvement in strength and Muscular definition which is what we are looking for. This will be a 6 week Program before we get ready to ease into a Body For life Program.
NOTE: If at any time during this workout you have pain or your form goes BAD DROP the weight immediately or Stop, if it hurts you are doijg something wrong or your bodies alignment is off, if there is even a risk you feel you may get injured drop the weight immediately and continue we DO NOT want to have anyone injured at any time and lifting SMART is listening to your Body NO QUESTIONS!!!
LEVEL 3 WORKOUT INSTRUCTIONS!
(Thanks for these Sarah)
Your Welcome lets do a 4 day Split and also do 3 days of Cardio you will ahve to do 1 day of Cardio on weight days. SO that's not so bad. For the 2 days you aren't doing weights I would really like you to do 45 minutes of HIIT if you can handle that and the other day with weights 20 MINUTES of heavy duty HIIT. Think you can handle that. If you wanna do 20 minute HIIT sessions More that's ok but, I want you to have at least 2 45 minute sessions in there for the week it will all even out.
SO For MondaysDo chest Triceps you are gunna do 3 different exercises with 4 sets of each one. after do a quickie 20 minute HIIT
The first set will consist of Dropsets this is where you put the weight up to the highest you can lift do it to failure drop it do it to failure drop the weight do it to failure drop the weight do it to Failure. Then rest for 2 minutes. There is no rest in between these sets Period just a long enough break for you to pull the pin and stick it back in the plates or grab another set of Dumbells.
It would look like this
Seated Bench press 1 set 10 reps 60 lbs,1 set 10 reps 50lbs, 1 set 7 reps 40 lbs, 1 set 5 reps 30 lbs. You will be shaking by the end of this your muscles will be on fire you will feel it.
Then 2 Minutes rest
Tricep Extensions Dropsets 1 set 12 reps 60lbs, 1 set 12 reps 50lbs, 1 set 8 reps 40lbs, 1 set 7 reps 30 lbs. It doesn't matter if you can do 12 or 6 for your first set you just wanna lift till you can't do another one then drop the weights.
Those will be your only 2 dropsets you do 1 for each muscle group.
For the other exercises pic 2 for each body part 2 for chest and 2 for triceps and for each one you do 4 sets and you lift as heavy as you can go. You should only be able to do 6-7 reps if you can lift more it's too light up the weights. Be sure about your form and be sure to take 1 minute rest between sets.
I hope this Kinda explains it I know this will give you amazing results it's a building phase you have been doing Higher reps so lowering the reps and upping the weights will really shock your body into fat loss.
Tuesday you do Back Biceps
Wednsday Cardio 45 HIIT
Tursday Shoulders Abs
Friday LEGS
Saturday 45 minute HIIT
Sunday REST day
http://www.shapefit.com/training.html
http://www.bodyforlife.com/exercise/animations.asp
http://www.ironworkout.com/index.htm
http://www.betterbodz.com/
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/a...ex-exercise.htm
HIIT an Explaination
http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp
Overtraining Syndrome
It is no secret among athletes that in order to improve performance you've got to work hard. However, hard training breaks you down and makes you weaker. It is rest that makes you stronger. Physiologic improvement in sports only occurs during the rest period following hard training. This adaptation is in response to maximal loading of the cardiovascular and muscular systems and is accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart, increasing capillaries in the muscles, and increasing glycogen stores and mitochondrial enzyme systems within the muscle cells. During recovery periods these systems build to greater levels to compensate for the stress that you have applied. The result is that you are now at a higher level of performance.
If sufficient rest is not included in a training program then regeneration cannot occur and performance plateaus. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists then performance will decline. Overtraining can best be defined as the state where the athlete has been repeatedly stressed by training to the point where rest is no longer adequate to allow for recovery. The "overtraining syndrome" is the name given to the collection of emotional, behavioral, and physical symptoms due to overtraining that has persisted for weeks to months. Athletes and coaches also know it as "burnout" or "staleness." This is different from the day to day variation in performance and post exercise tiredness that is common in conditioned athletes. Overtraining is marked by cumulative exhaustion that persists even after recovery periods.
The most common symptom is fatigue. This may limit workouts and may be present at rest. The athlete may also become moody, easily irritated, have altered sleep patterns, become depressed, or lose the competitive desire and enthusiasm for the sport. Some will report decreased appetite and weight loss. Physical symptoms include persistent muscular soreness, increased frequency of viral illnesses, and increased incidence of injuries.
There have been several clinical studies done on athletes with the overtraining syndrome. Exercise physiologic, psychological, and biochemical laboratory testing have been done. Findings in these studies have shown decreased performance in exercise testing, decreased mood state, and, in some, increased cortisol levels -- the body's "stress" hormone. A decrease in testosterone, altered immune status, and an increase in muscular break down products have also been identified. Medically, the overtraining syndrome is classified as a neuro-endocrine disorder. The normal fine balance in the interaction between the autonomic nervous system and the hormonal system is disturbed and athletic "jet lag" results. The body now has a decreased ability to repair itself during rest. Heaping more workouts onto this unbalanced system only worsens the situation. Additional stress in the form of difficulties at work or personal life also contributes.
It appears that there are two forms of the syndrome. The sympathetic form is more common in sprint type sports and the parasympathetic form is more common in endurance sports. The results from various measurements taken during exercise physiologic testing differ between the two forms, but decreased overall performance and increased perceived fatigue are similar. In the parasympathetic form there may be a lower heart rate for a given workload. Athletes training with a heart rate monitor may notice that they cannot sustain the workout at their usual "set point." Fatigue takes over and prematurely terminates the workout. Regulation of glucose can become altered and the athlete may experience symptoms of hypoglycemia during exercise.
I won't comment on all of the differences between the two forms, but one example is resting heart rate. In the sympathetic form, the resting heart rate is elevated. In the parasympathetic form, however, the resting heart rate is decreased. If this sounds confusing, then you are not alone. There is very little agreement in the literature about abnormal laboratory findings. Additionally, it is possible to have the overtraining syndrome, but have completely normal physical findings and biochemical tests. At this point, there is no single test that will confirm the presence of overtraining. The overtraining syndrome should be considered in any athlete who manifests symptoms of prolonged fatigue and performance that has leveled off or decreased. It is important to exclude any underlying illness that may be responsible for the fatigue.
The treatment for the overtraining syndrome is rest. The longer the overtraining has occurred, the more rest required. Therefore, early detection is very important. If the overtraining has only occurred for a short period of time (e.g., 3 - 4 weeks) then interrupting training for 3 - 5 days is usually sufficient rest. After this, workouts can be resumed on an alternate day basis. The intensity of the training can be maintained but the total volume must be lower. It is important that the factors that lead to overtraining be identified and corrected. Otherwise, the overtraining syndrome is likely to recur. The alternate day recovery period is continued for a few weeks and then an increase in volume is permitted. In more severe cases, the training program may have to be interrupted for weeks, and it may take months to recover. An alternate form of exercise can be substituted to help prevent the exercise withdrawal syndrome.
All of the medical studies and advice on overtraining have involved single sport athletes. For triathletes and other multi-sport athletes the recovery process may be different depending on the circumstances. If it can be identified that the overtraining has occurred in only one discipline, then resting that discipline along with significant decreases in the other sports can bring about full recovery. It is vitally important not to suddenly substitute more workouts in one sport in an attempt to compensate for rest in another. The athlete that does this will not heal the overtraining, but will drive him or herself deeper into a hole. Overtraining affects both peripheral and central mechanisms in the body. Resting from overtraining on the bicycle by swimming more will help a pair of fatigued quadriceps, but to the heart, pituitary, and adrenals, stress is stress.
As with almost everything else health related, prevention is the key. Well-balanced gradual increases in training are recommended. A training schedule design called periodisation varies the training load in cycles with built in mandatory rest phases. During the high workload phase, the athlete alternates between high intensity interval work and low intensity endurance work . This approach is used by a number of elite athletes in many sports.
A training log is the best method to monitor progress. In addition to keeping track of distance and intensity, the athlete can record the resting morning heart rate, weight, general health, how the workout felt, and levels of muscular soreness and fatigue. The latter two can be scored on a 10 point scale. Significant, progressive changes in any of these parameters may signal overtraining. Avoiding monotonous training and maintaining adequate nutrition are other recommendations for prevention. Vigorous exercise during the incubation period of a viral illness may increase the duration and severity of that illness. Athletes who feel as if they are developing a cold should rest or reduce the training schedule for a few days.
In conclusion, the prevailing wisdom is that it is better to be undertrained than overtrained. Rest is a vital part of any athlete's training. There is considerable evidence that reduced training (same intensity, lower volume) for up to 21 days will not decrease performance. A well-planned training program involves as much art as science and should allow for flexibility. Early warning signs of overtraining should be heeded and schedule adjustments made accordingly. Smart training is the path to faster times and good health.
Copyright©1998 Mark Jenkins, MD
Symptoms of OVERTRAINING
The common warning signs of overtraining include the following:
- Mild leg soreness, general achiness
- Pain in muscles & joints
- Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
- Sudden drop in ability to run ‘normal’ distance or times
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Inability to relax, twitchy, fidgety
- Insatiable thirst, dehydration
- Lowered resistance to common illnesses; colds, sore throat, etc.
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