# Is overtraining a myth?



## JuggernautJake (Nov 6, 2013)

So I typically train alot of consecutive days... either full body or some sort of upper/lower split and I rarely get doms or any other overtraining symptoms once I get into the swing of a routine.. I genuinely believe overtraining is a myth and that symptoms of overtraining are actually you being "undertrained"

I think that rest days do have there place though obviously you can't train 365 days a year. But do you think more accurate advice would be to say... train as much as you possibly can or want to WHILST still being able to progress in strength, muscle, size or whatever if any of theese are compromised then your training too much...rather then having a one size fits all approach that most people have by saying have a rest day every X or Y days etc

Or do you think im deluded in thinking this and by training so much im actually hindering gains regardless if I feel fine and im adding weight to the bar consistently etc

Btw this is in the context of making optimal gains...you can still achieve goals with more rest days but at a slower pace


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## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

I dont believe in over training, but it depends what your goal is tbh

Someone with a very hard physical job will essentially be training every day, like a builder's laborer, carrying concrete blocks up a ladder all day etc

Its mainly down to what your body is used to, tiredness is going to kick in if you are used to training 2-3 times a week and then up it to 5 times a week, and this will take some getting used to, but most will confuse being tired from the extra work load to over training


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## JuggernautJake (Nov 6, 2013)

Yeah I agree that it is very goal dependant... if your doing the classic bodybuilder magazine routines then maybe overtraining is possible with such high volume... but as a natural you don't typically train that way or at least I don't

I can train as much as I want with moderate to low volume and have got the best results that way


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

It depends on how you train.

It also depends on what you mean by 'adding weight consistently', as this gets more and more difficult as you progress.


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## adam28 (Jul 8, 2013)

Over training can cause injuries. If i over train i end up with problems with sore joints/tendons.


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## JuggernautJake (Nov 6, 2013)

I imagine it can vary widely from person to person then...obviously age will have a big impact too... if anything my joints/tendons feel sore if im not in the gym lol... although when I was experimenting with high frequency/high intensity a while back my legs couldn't keep up with my top half so its not like I have wolverines recovery ability or anything

And by progressing that can mean anything too doing an extra set...extra rep...weight...visually in the mirror...i agree adding weight linearly after a while is hard but as long as you can somehow be better then you were a week or 2 weeks ago however small that may be, then your training is working even if your going balls to the walls 6 days a week


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## big steve (May 8, 2011)

every other day works for me

i believe in the cns needs time to recover hence why i train every other day


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## Mingster (Mar 25, 2011)

If you vary the intensity of your sessions and cycle the weights used it's possible to train most every day and make progress. If you don't, even if your muscles recover, your CNS will probably not.

And then there is the argument...Why train every day if you can get the same, or better, results from training with less frequency?


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## Milky (Nov 30, 2008)

According to CT Fletcher yes, according to Dorian Yates no....

Altho l appreciate l am not in my spring of youth l do listen to my body and if l am in too much pain l have a break...


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## adam28 (Jul 8, 2013)

Mingster said:


> Why train every day if you can get the same, or better, results from training with less frequency?


Its called Addiction mate hehehe


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## mal (Dec 31, 2009)

My joints ,tendons are fried atm.....i need some downtime,trained yesterday

Felt strong but burnt out after a while,everything just hurts lol.


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## tikkajohn (Dec 6, 2012)

I believe it is a case of under recovering, I recently started to use deloads and have made great progress using them once every 4 weeks


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## Stephen9069 (Dec 11, 2013)

i train 5 days a weeks and if im preparing for a comp i do a 6th day of event training i think that if you structure your routine you can be fine but i think other factors play a part from work to home life etc. My 9 month old is ill at the minute so im up through the night with him which has left me exhausted and i know i couldnt hit the gym with the same intensity right now


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## JuggernautJake (Nov 6, 2013)

I started to think about the idea of being undertrained based on american and Bulgarian Olympic lifters who train for daily maxes 7 days a week sometimes twice a week!...max squats...max snatches...max everything and they do it day in day out...

potentially they might have some chemical enhancement and there is no eccentric part of the Olympic lifts so maybe that is why they can train at such high frequency...and its there job for alot of them


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## strecharmstrong (Oct 29, 2013)

JuggernautJake said:


> So I typically train alot of consecutive days... either full body or some sort of upper/lower split and I rarely get doms or any other overtraining symptoms once I get into the swing of a routine.. I genuinely believe overtraining is a myth and that symptoms of overtraining are actually you being "undertrained"
> 
> I think that rest days do have there place though obviously you can't train 365 days a year. But do you think more accurate advice would be to say... train as much as you possibly can or want to WHILST still being able to progress in strength, muscle, size or whatever if any of theese are compromised then your training too much...rather then having a one size fits all approach that most people have by saying have a rest day every X or Y days etc
> 
> ...


u can overtrain the nervous sysytem but i think it is very hard or all most impossiable to overtrain a muscle. if u start getting weaker and losing grip strength then u r deffiently overtraining the nervous system!!


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## Major Eyeswater (Nov 2, 2013)

I've read a book by Matt Perryman called 'Squat Every Day', where he makes the case for very frequent training.

Makes a lot of sense, but you really need to train in a way that allows you to recover sufficiently in 24hrs


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## strecharmstrong (Oct 29, 2013)

Milky said:


> According to CT Fletcher yes, according to Dorian Yates no....
> 
> Altho l appreciate l am not in my spring of youth l do listen to my body and if l am in too much pain l have a break...


who would u sooner believe some 1 that claims natty wiv 22inch arms or some 1 that is completly honest about his aas use!! also dorian is a Brit so that seals the deal 4 me


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## Milky (Nov 30, 2008)

strecharmstrong said:


> who would u sooner believe some 1 that claims natty wiv 22inch arms or some 1 that is completly honest about his aas use!! also dorian is a Brit so that seals the deal 4 me


Let me think, Loud mouth yank or 6 x Mr Olympia ???????

Its a hard one l must say...

End of the day tho were all different. Me personally having a physical job l cant afford to be that sore l cant move where as someone with an office job which demands very little physical activity can get away with more.. there is no finite answer.


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## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

strecharmstrong said:


> who would u sooner believe some 1 that claims natty wiv 22inch arms or some 1 that is completly honest about his aas use!! also dorian is a Brit so that seals the deal 4 me


Well for one ct is going to deny it, as its illegal there, and although Dorian admitted to use, I dont believe he was being honest about his doses


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## strecharmstrong (Oct 29, 2013)

cas said:


> Well for one ct is going to deny it, as its illegal there, and although Dorian admitted to use, I dont believe he was being honest about his doses


i dosnt matter they cant arrest u 4 something u have taken u could go up 2 a copper and say mr plod i have just main lined herion and they couldnt do a thing they might search u but they couldnt arrest u so i dont see the point in denying it coz it is illegal. Anyways what about kevin levrone and even boston llyod u dont see them getting arrseted or there life turned upside down. i think they lie so people think wow he must have amazing genetics and worked really hard.in a way i can understand y they lie coz u get them certain nob heads that think u can just take aas and u get big so taking all the hard work away u have put in.


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## cas (Jan 9, 2011)

strecharmstrong said:


> i dosnt matter they cant arrest u 4 something u have taken u could go up 2 a copper and say mr plod i have just main lined herion and they couldnt do a thing they might search u but they couldnt arrest u so i dont see the point in denying it coz it is illegal. Anyways what about kevin levrone and even boston llyod u dont see them getting arrseted or there life turned upside down. i think they lie so people think wow he must have amazing genetics and worked really hard.in a way i can understand y they lie coz u get them certain nob heads that think u can just take aas and u get big so taking all the hard work away u have put in.


Forgetting everything for a minute, you can't just go up to a copper and do that....we'll you can, but its called a confession.


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## strecharmstrong (Oct 29, 2013)

cas said:


> Forgetting everything for a minute, you can't just go up to a copper and do that....we'll you can, but its called a confession.


trust me mate u can!! spending over 5 years in jail i knw my law

u only commit a crime when u have it in ur possesion


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## Thunderstruck (Sep 20, 2010)

I think most people need to worry about under training not over training.


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## Trevor McDonald (Mar 30, 2010)

strecharmstrong said:


> i dosnt matter they cant arrest u 4 something u have taken u could go up 2 a copper and say mr plod i have just main lined herion and they couldnt do a thing they might search u but they couldnt arrest u so i dont see the point in denying it coz it is illegal. Anyways what about kevin levrone and even boston llyod u dont see them getting arrseted or there life turned upside down. i think they lie so people think wow he must have amazing genetics and worked really hard.in a way i can understand y they lie coz u get them certain nob heads that think u can just take aas and u get big so taking all the hard work away u have put in.


He would lose any sponsorships he has if he confessed to it, and all those "natty" records he set would be worthless.


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## strecharmstrong (Oct 29, 2013)

Mey said:


> He would lose any sponsorships he has if he confessed to it, and all those "natty" records he set would be worthless.


very true!! didnt think of that aspect


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## jme_swaz (Aug 24, 2013)

JuggernautJake said:


> So I typically train alot of consecutive days... either full body or some sort of upper/lower split and I rarely get doms or any other overtraining symptoms once I get into the swing of a routine.. I genuinely believe overtraining is a myth and that symptoms of overtraining are actually you being "undertrained"
> 
> I think that rest days do have there place though obviously you can't train 365 days a year. But do you think more accurate advice would be to say... train as much as you possibly can or want to WHILST still being able to progress in strength, muscle, size or whatever if any of theese are compromised then your training too much...rather then having a one size fits all approach that most people have by saying have a rest day every X or Y days etc
> 
> ...


I've always believed overtraining to be a mentality thing. If your the kind of guy that can go to the gym every day, not have a stressful job and doesn't think about things too much your ok to do that. If you've got a stressful or demanding job and try training every day, then when you don't train everything plays on your mind and you think about things too much you come down with the symptoms.

Thats just my opinion though.


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## johnnya (Mar 28, 2013)

JuggernautJake said:


> So I typically train alot of consecutive days... either full body or some sort of upper/lower split and I rarely get doms or any other overtraining symptoms once I get into the swing of a routine.. I genuinely believe overtraining is a myth and that symptoms of overtraining are actually you being "undertrained"
> 
> I think that rest days do have there place though obviously you can't train 365 days a year. But do you think more accurate advice would be to say... train as much as you possibly can or want to WHILST still being able to progress in strength, muscle, size or whatever if any of theese are compromised then your training too much...rather then having a one size fits all approach that most people have by saying have a rest day every X or Y days etc
> 
> ...


Mate fill your boots if it's working for you at the minute keep at it , though this may change in the future


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## graham58 (Apr 7, 2013)

the old saying is,, you dont grow in the gym,,you grow while resting.


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Milky said:


> Let me think, Loud mouth yank or 6 x Mr Olympia ???????
> 
> Its a hard one l must say...
> 
> End of the day tho were all different. Me personally having a physical job l cant afford to be that sore l cant move where as someone with an office job which demands very little physical activity can get away with more.. there is no finite answer.


Ahh but Ronnie says its a myth and his 8 or 9 time iirc, In a sense I think it is hard to over train so long as diet, rest and everything else is in check. Although I mean this when on cycle etc. I train 5-6 days a week its the only way I grow, Its down to the person really


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## kaigreenefan (Jan 5, 2014)

personally i dont think there is such thing while on AAS, but on the other hand training legs 2x a week NATURAL would be a massive ask.

ct fletcher is obviously on the gear so there is no such thing to him, and i dont think there is a person on the website who is educated enough to argue with dorian yates, so it will always be an ongoing debate in my eyes haha


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## Milky (Nov 30, 2008)

BoomTime said:


> Ahh but Ronnie says its a myth and his 8 or 9 time iirc, In a sense I think it is hard to over train so long as diet, rest and everything else is in check. Although I mean this when on cycle etc. I train 5-6 days a week its the only way I grow, Its down to the person really


Your agreeing with me you numpty :lol:

Just re read your post, its me who's the numpty


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## MKattenberg (Jul 21, 2013)

Yes you can overtrain...

Watch this.. i love this guy for his honest, "life experienced" advice and information..


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## JR8908 (Aug 17, 2012)

Overtraining is hard be defined because too many factors play a part in someone's recovery. There's the old saying 'there's no such thing as overtraining, just under eating'

Progress can be made at extremely high volumes of training, factors such as nutrition, rehab, prehab, mobility work, massages, amount of sleep etc come into play. A professional athlete can train multiple times a day and progress if all the above mentioned factors are in place. For the mere mortal who has other things to do in life, these factors are hard to fit in, and can end up feeling burned out.

So essentially, when you feel burned out, you may not be overtrained but under nourished, not had enough sleep, not mobile enough, not flexible enough etc etc.


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

MKattenberg said:


> Yes you can overtrain...
> 
> Watch this.. i love this guy for his honest, "life experienced" advice and information..


What so because some guy who trained 20 years ago says so there is such thing? Come on times have changed

Besides he says ''the drugs do all the work'' that is complete tosh!


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## MKattenberg (Jul 21, 2013)

BoomTime said:


> What so because some guy who trained 20 years ago says so there is such thing? Come on times have changed
> 
> Besides he says ''the drugs do all the work'' that is complete tosh!


selective hearing. saying overtraining does not excist is rubbish. same like a burnout does not excist.


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## Carbon-12 (Feb 26, 2013)

dont know but when i train chest, it's sore for the next 4 days at least meaning i cannot train it again.. i suppose u can train a muscle more than once a week if u arent sore?!

edit: then again i do german volume training so its understandable for me to be sore for that long. as i said i dont really think i can over train because im just not able physically


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Selective reading!! I didn't say it was not possible to over train, I said it depends on other factors not the training it self and the individual.


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## BoomTime (Feb 19, 2009)

Milky said:


> Your agreeing with me you numpty :lol:
> 
> Just re read your post, its me who's the numpty


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