I’m hoping some of you can give me your advice on whether or not Im overtraining. As things stand now, I dont feel like Im overtraining but given the amount of stress Im under with school and work (Im lucky if I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night) Im wondering if I might be doing to much.
For the next four weeks
Day 1:
5 x 3
Deadlift, standing military press, weighted chins, close grip bench on a decline
Day 2
5 x 6
Squats, db bench, cable rows, curls
Day 3
10 x 3
Front squats, Incline bench, chest supp rows
I increase the weight each week and on the fourth week I reduce the intensity by 40-50%. I am currently using Alpha Male, ZMA, and Spike and Im not sure what my exact caloric intake is but I eat a lot and am steadily gaining weight (Im at about 218 riht now, up from 212 a month ago.) Thanks for any advice…
thats the biggest thing. Are you not sleeping by choice need or cant you sleep. ETC… This will be the biggest the way you feel etc…
That and like above progress
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The amount of sleep Im getting is dependent on my schedule (full load at school and work). The second I get a chance to sleep, I have NO problem sleeping. I do feel pretty run down a lot of the time (and stressed out) but so far I have been making decent progress. I guess Im just wondering if my current set up is to hard on the CNS in general. Im deadlifting heavy once a week and squating twice a week.
Well I would say NO you are not if you are progressing and sleeping great. You are bound to be a bit stressed due to the load. I know the feeling. In those times just try and get nm=more than enough nutrition and sleep as much as possible and just try and keep a positive outlook.
As for the w/o’s Man I am DL’ing heavy three times a week in various forms, am in my last semester of grad studies etc. and am doing great yet at other times when using less BIG movments I have went over board during the same life load. It is just so damn individual and Frankly I think while overtraining is possible and Ive been there it is WAY overblown and almost becoming an excuse by many to Not work hard. The body has some AWESOME abilities to deal and adapt to stressors.
Once again best thing to do IMO is to choke this up as a moderate bulk time. dont worry so much about the Fat gain. eat clean but BIG and get all your nutrients and sleep as much as possible. These times will be behind you before you know it.
Just watch the progress and sleep for warning signs. Take a break down week every three or so is another great option. Just drop the volume a LOT for one week. Come back refreshed.
[quote]Phill wrote:
Well I would say NO you are not if you are progressing and sleeping great. You are bound to be a bit stressed due to the load. I know the feeling. In those times just try and get nm=more than enough nutrition and sleep as much as possible and just try and keep a positive outlook.
As for the w/o’s Man I am DL’ing heavy three times a week in various forms, am in my last semester of grad studies etc. and am doing great yet at other times when using less BIG movments I have went over board during the same life load. It is just so damn individual and Frankly I think while overtraining is possible and Ive been there it is WAY overblown and almost becoming an excuse by many to Not work hard. The body has some AWESOME abilities to deal and adapt to stressors.
Once again best thing to do IMO is to choke this up as a moderate bulk time. dont worry so much about the Fat gain. eat clean but BIG and get all your nutrients and sleep as much as possible. These times will be behind you before you know it.
Just watch the progress and sleep for warning signs. Take a break down week every three or so is another great option. Just drop the volume a LOT for one week. Come back refreshed.
Hope that helps,
Phill[/quote]
Cool, thats what I was looking for. Thanks for the advice!
Am I correct in assuming you workout three days a week? (that’s what it looks like from your schedule). If so, then no, it doesn’t sound like you’re anywhere near being overtrained. Where did you get that workout from?
[quote]lostinthought wrote:
Am I correct in assuming you workout three days a week? (that’s what it looks like from your schedule). If so, then no, it doesn’t sound like you’re anywhere near being overtrained. Where did you get that workout from? [/quote]
Yep, I work out three times a week. As far as the workout goes, I made it up. Ive been doing something similar for a while now. This is my third 4 week cycle. For instance, the last four weeks looked like the following:
Day 1, Week 1
5 x 3
Squat, Bench, Bent over row, Power curls
(week 2 I did 5 x 4 w/ the same weight and week 3, 5 x 5. I know its not much to most of you all but i was pretty excited that I went from a dificult 5 x 3 @ 205 on bench to a pretty easy 5 x 5. Im a horrible bencher!)
Day 2 (for days two and three I increased the weight for each subsequent week)
4 x 6-8
Front squats, RDL’s, Incline w/ db’s, Pull-ups, Skull crushers
Day 3
3 x 12
Full squats, Db shoulder presses, cable rows, close grip bench, curls
The fourth week is a back off week. I cut back on intensity on day 1 and volume on days 2 & 3.
I enjoy experimenting with my own workouts. I try and incorporate what I learn on this site and see how things work. Im not too concerned with immediate gains so if I try something and it ends up being a waste of time its no big deal. At this point Im just having fun…