Marc David
Posts: 9128
Joined: 4/6/2003
From: Bay Area -CA
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Beginning-Bodybuilding e-Newsletter
What Every Beginning Should Know But Probably Doesn't
February 9, 2006
Brought to you by Marc David of
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Beginning Bodybuilding Q & A
with Marc David
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FITNESS WISDOM 2006 - KEEP THE TIPS COMING
DEADLINE: February 26, 2006
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Just a quick note to let you know I've received quite a few
piece of advice, ideas, shortcuts and mistakes to avoid
from readers. There's some fantastic stuff in here. I'm
pretty excited about putting this together for a Fitness
Wisdom 2006 PDF that you'll be able to download just for
being on this list.
If you didn't see that message, you can read all about it
here:
http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/CqYfbCgQ/
Remember, the deadline to give me anything you've got is
February 26, 2006.
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THIS LIST WILL BE MOVING
Just a quick heads up that I've switched my location where
I send these from. Unfortunately with the sorry state of
email delivery, many people who requested this, aren't
getting it.
Bottom line: I'll give you full details on how to continue
to receive this publication without interruption.
Stay-tuned for full details...
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Question:
Marc,
I am wondering if I am overtraining. I go to the gym 4
times a week, maybe 5 if I get a chance, and I do cardio
for 45 minutes of moderate interval training on the
elliptical. I also do about 30 minutes of weight
training. I have been at this for almost 2 months.
The other day when I got home, I got really sick and threw
up. Now my body feels very worn out, and my calf muscles
feel pulled.
Am I overtraining?
I want to take 2 days off from the gym to rest my
body...would this help?
Thanks,
Fran
Answer:
Fran,
Let me make a prediction... you are about to approach
overtraining burnout!
If you don't take some time off to let your body rest and
recover, you'll end up quitting the gym entirely or
actually making backward progress. I'd like to explain the
concept of less is more but first, let's take a look at
some of the other common signs of overtraining.
What is the Overtraining Syndrome?
Training beyond the body's ability to repair itself. This
can be caused by training the same body parts too
frequently so that the body does not have time to recover
before the next workout; workouts that are consistently
harder than the body is able to recover from fully; or
impairment of the body's normal recovery ability due to
nutritional deficiencies, illness, or stress.
Besides impairing athletic performance, overtraining can
increase the risk of injury or disease.
Some Signs of Overtraining:
Fatigue
Blood sugar imbalances
Menstrual or other hormone imbalances
Anxiety
Slight dizziness
Elevated heart rates (especially upon waking)
Depression
Insomnia
I'd even venture to guess nausea and longer then normal
recovery time should be on that list, two of symptoms of
overtraining you also described.
Just the other day, I saw a post on a popular bodybuilding
message board by another person who wanted to know if
working out the same muscle group twice in one day was
recommended since they had the time.
Now, before I go on...
I want you to understand that you grow and change outside
of the gym. Many people believe that when they are at the
gym they are making progress but in fact that's entirely
not true.
Training at the gym is a way of stimulating change, you
grow and get better when you are outside of the gym! What
you do after you shower off and leave the gym will
determine your progress in the long run. Doing longer
workouts, more reps and sets and devastating your body
without letting it recover will actually set you
back.
Remember, recovery is an all important step that is often
overlooked. And that leads into...
1 - Training frequency.
My recommendation is train 2 days on, 1 day off. Training
more then 2 days in a row is very difficult if not
impossible for the natural person to recover from. When
you simply break up your routine, you are allowing for more
recovery time and thus allowing for your body to get
stronger and better.
2 - Taking a training break.
A concept I've talked about in previous articles but the
theory is, completely stop training every 8-10 weeks for 1
week and just allow your body to recover and your joints to
heal. Many people can't do this. They just want to keep
on going and going like the Energizer bunny but in fact,
taking a break is a good thing and will allow you to come
back stronger and better then before. Try it. You'll be
surprised.
3 - High Intensity Interval Training (cardio)
Rather then do 45 minutes of low to moderate cardio, how
about using your heart rate zones and training in intervals
to get more done in less time with cardio? You'll burn
more fat and more calories but you won't have to do the
routine as long. You'll use intervals to make the workout
harder and more fun but in a lot less time.
Many times people will do cardio with weights but they do
it before or after and for too long. Here's a few tips.
a) HIIT style cardio
b) Train in heart rate zones and perceived exertion (how
you feel at the time you are asked)
c) Do your cardio AFTER your weight training session. Use
your quick fuel for the weights and your longer term fuel
(fat) for cardio
The secret to getting more from your workouts is training
more efficiently and training less.
There's many ways to do more in less time including but not
limited to:
- drop sets
- super sets
- repetition speeds
- tempo variations
- rest periods
- ascending/descending sets
If you do a quick search on the Internet for "Nine Simple
Ways to Increase the Intensity of Any Workout" you will
find many ways to get more done in less time and avoid the
common overtraining symptoms.
Stated a little differently... less is more.
You will learn the nutrition, training and supplement
fundamentals necessary to avoid overtraining in the
Beginner's Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding.
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com You'll get more done
in less time.
Thanks very much!
Best regards,
Marc David
P.S. There's no exactly science for determining
overtraining. Each person responds differently to training
and their recovery time can vary based on a number of
factors. Just know that if you experience the symptoms
above or you are doing more and more but making less and
less progress, you could be overtraining.
P.P.S. If this email was forwarded to you and you would
like to get your own subscription, go to:
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
or send an email to bgfb@aweber.com
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HAVE A QUESTION?
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If you have a health, fitness or bodybuilding
question for Marc, send your email to:
mrcd@beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Need Some Answers N O W ?
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If you don't have a copy of "The Beginner's Guide" yet,
grab one today at: http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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Especially for Webmaster and E-Zine Publishers
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If you have a website or e-zine and you would like
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