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+ 2 Overtraining: physiological cause & effect

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A few days ago, I came across a post from a longtime power lifter that had basically hit a plateau recovery wise. No matter how heavy or hard he hit the weights, he could no longer progress. What frustrated him was that he would see so many guys do a fraction of the work he was doing and continually make gains. Much respect to the persons that humble themselves enough to acknowledge that they may not always have the answers and show willingness to accept the advice and criticism of others openly.

His story rang a bell for me in both my experiences and in my education. So, I dug up an old notebook of mine and found a related topic that I used to teach in my classes. I wanted to take the time to post this into the open forums so that everyone can have the opportunity to understand the processes at play when experiencing overtraining. I am a firm believer in that if we understand our bodies’ processes, we can learn to control them and harness our full potential. Below is an edited version of my post to this person’s thread. Some of you may have already read this.. For those that have not, please feel free to add to it and/or critique it – we all have something to learn from one another..

Overtraining…

Nothing like getting pumped up, hitting it hard, trying to push yourself; no pain no gain, right? As time passes new research is showing how some of the old schools of thought are not as effective as we once thought.

I can remember a time when I had reached a plateau at 185. I started pushing myself harder and lifting more and going for longer sessions. I noticed I was getting a lil tired more easily throughout the days. After 4 wks of this, body composition testing and the scale showed an increase of 4 lbs (i was all natty for this) but a decrease in lean body mass.. Couldn't understand it, so I hit the books.

Here's what I found.. It all boils down to how duration and intensity affects cellular catalysts and hinders protein synthesis. Let me break it down for you:

Cellular catalysts are responsible for performing all cellular work, including the breakdown of nutrients for energy or for repairing tissue, and their rate of depletion is directly related to the amount and duration of cellular work performed. Without catalysts, the muscle fiber would not function. For this reason, catalyst replenishment takes precedence over protein synthesis. Once catalysts have been replenished, the next basic cellular function can be performed (protein synthesis).

If the duration and/or intensity of exercise is too great, catalysts are depleted and must be replaced immediately in order for them to perform their cellular functions. These catalysts are made primarily from the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine (BCAAs). Since muscle tissue is comprised of approximately 60% of these amino acids, if blood proteins (i.e., dietary or otherwise) are insufficient for the replenishment of cellular catalysts, muscle tissue becomes the primary source; thereby, resulting in tissue breakdown during overtraining.

Now this brings me back to the training principles.. More is not always better. For some it will be more of a psychological challenge than anything to break free of the old ways of thinking and dial down the intensities and durations. Just remember: more is not better. A 5x5 routine is great for strength and size gains. Try to limit your workouts to 1-1.5 hrs in duration at the max per session. Just imagine how it would be to work less and gain more. It is possible brothers. How to structure your routine is entirely goal dependent. Just know your limits and respect them (as tread would say).

Another thing that I determined about my hindrance was that my meal timing was off. My diet wasn't too bad; I still gained weight during that week at the desired 1 lb per week rate. Problem was that it was all fat tissue. The overtraining reduced my lean body mass. Since muscles are a metabolically active tissue, decreasing the amount of that tissue lowered my metabolic rate. But where I found my solution in the kitchen was my meal timing. I wasn't giving my working and repairing muscles what they needed when they needed it. As a result, they catabolized to meet immediate demands. One key factor in my nutrition regimen was a concept known as "force feeding".

It all boils down to this: immediately following your session, ingest some fast digesting carbs along with some fast digesting proteins. Then do some low level cardio for approximately 20 minutes. The carbs will cause a spike in insulin, which will usher those carbs along with the proteins right into the recovering muscles. The cardio will help to transition your body into an aerobic metabolism, thereby mobilizing fat stores. Because the fat cells will begin releasing their stored energy about the same time your insulin spikes, they cannot take up the circulating insulin-carried glucose. Satisfies the immediate catalyst replenishment demands, begins replenishing glycogen stores, and initiates the protein synthesis process almost immediately. Here’s a quick read on "force feeding concept":

http://www.eroids.com/forum/training-nutrition-diet/workout-exercise/for...

Hope this was helpful and easy to understand.

strongman480's picture

you know what, i'm not done yet ripping you a new one. It's people like you sir, that think because you have a few degrees under your belt that you think you know it all and that what you say is the end all be all way of doing things. BUt if you in fact did know what you were talking about you would have been doing what you preach and that is nutrition. you would not have had the problems you posted about if you had sat down and figured up how many calories you needed for the type of routine you were using. If you do indeed know what you are talking about you would not have even posted that you screwed up your calorie intake and had to revamp your diet to supply you body with the correct colories. it's people like you that say" don't take more that 1 gram of protein or your kidneys will explode" or "don't do more that 4 sets or you will put your self in the hospital due to overtraining." most people that have had problems with the gains they were making was due to not enough food intake. And have said just like YOU that when they increased the calories ,they made better gains and I'm not those so called people you speak of that give bad cycle advice. I'm on my first cycle ever and do not claim to know it all like you. you say you know a thing or two about health and fitness, but all I can see is that you are just like everybody else that thinks "oh the gear must be bad" or "oh is me I'm overtraining" instead of looking at the diet first. I made my gains naturally for 5 years before I started gear. what's your excuse.

strongman480's picture

I'm not going to continue to disagree with you and call you out on the statments you made yourself. I'm not even going to talk shit. I apologized for the post I made. It still stands. take it or leave it. Iknow what I know and you know what you know.

strongman480's picture

you even said your self in your write up that you were not getting enough calories. "But where I found my solution in the kitchen was my meal timing. I wasn't giving my working and repairing muscles what they needed when they needed it. As a result, they catabolized to meet immediate demands. One key factor in my nutrition regimen was a concept known as "force feeding". so that backs up what I SAID. if you are eatting and sleeping enough over training is really hard to do.

strongman480's picture

and I was also doing this on a paleo diet.

strongman480's picture

I personally don't believe in overtraining. If you are eatting and sleeping enough it's really hard to over train. I was trying to increase my strength a few years ago and I was doing 15x2 -10x3-12x2 type routine and I worked up to doing 20x2 and 25x3 and was making pretty damn good gains in strength and by the way I was doing this with a 20 sec rest between sets at 85-90% of my one rep max. so what I'm trying to say is you can adapt to what ever training you want with out overtraining. now that's not to say that some beginner that thinks they could do this and not overtrain is going to have a rude awakening, but for someone who has been training for a few years can work up to what ever rep or set range they want. myself did not see gains in my shoulders until I started doing 20+ sets @8-12 reps. just saying. I think it comes down to people not wanting to go the extra step. if you think "overtraining" then you probably will. that's my 2 cents

strongman480's picture

why are you getting so worked up. I'm just stating my opinion. All I have to say is do you think that elite powerlifters and olympic gold medal winners train with 3-4 sets and call it done? no they train 2-3 times aday with 15-20 sets per workout so what does that tell you. OVERTRAINING IS OVER RATED!!!

strongman480's picture

I'll do that. and still make gains. thank you. have a nice day.

alloneword's picture

Have you heard of Rhabdomyolysis?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001505/
Check it out holmes. It's reported to occur 26,000 times a year. Not to get in the middle of this debate. Just info.

strongman480's picture

very interesting read. but how many of those cases was there some other underlining cause of Rhabdomyolysis? don't disagree with you. I didn't disagree with dossier31 either, but he took it the wrong way. everyone has there opinion right? I said I don't beleive in overtraining. I didn't say he was full of b.s... everyone is diff. I made really good gains with that routine and beleive it or not I did all those sets in an hour to an hour and a half. it wasn't like Iwas in there for 6 hours. which is when I could see "overtraining" happening. but if you have enough calories to rebuild the torn down muscle fibers and give your body enough recovery time than ask yourself is it really that easy to overtrain?

alloneword's picture

Actually, the exact cause for Rhabdo is over exertion. It happens so frequently that Crossfit trainers have to go over signs of Rhabdo during their certification.
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/38_05_cf_rhabdo.pdf
Check it out, it's pretty interesting.

strongman480's picture

it's cool I think everybody gets worked up about some of the smallest stuff some times. I did the same thing. so my apologies also. I didn't join eroids to be an asshole.

DBG's picture

yeah, less is more man, especially the older you get the more recovery time u need. I actually get the best results from 3day/wk. programs that usually last about one hour TOPS. When on-cycle, I split things up into a 4day/wk. program and training time gets cut to 45min and sometimes only 30min. I vary the intensity/weightage and rep scheme every workout, I write it all down in a composition notebook and I look back at the week before to get an idea of how to proceed for the day.

FOR EXAMPLE:

I did lower reps and heavy weights on squats this week, so next week I will do a form of higher reps and more mid-range on the weightage. And the timing of sets depends on how heavy I am going. Typically my rest time can range anywhere from 45s to 90s.

Lastly, I ALWAYS sip on BCAA's/glutamine during workout and ALWAYS have a shake ready to go right after training that has anywhere from 60g to 160g of fast-digesting carbs mixed in with anywhere from 40g to 60g protein...obviously the lower end of this is most likely when I am off-cycle OR when I am beginning a taper-down at the tail end of a cycle.
Other than that it all comes down to timing meals and eating the way I know I should. I am so used to eating a meal every 2-3 hours though that I begin getting hungry around that time frame after my last meal anyway...call it conditioning, lol.

DBG's picture

That was a great write up though man...I thoroughly enjoy reading things like this all the time. I actually have found material like this more beneficial to me in the LONG scheme of things than cruising around the cycle sections looking for karma, lol. Don't get me wrong now though...we ALL must know how and what to do PROPERLY when it comes time to stick hormones in our asses!!!

DBG's picture

Health and fitness background...yessir, same here. I gained most of my muscle natty thru diet...just started messing with gear in the past few years. Fast calls it 'aspirin'...I call it an 'assist' to the big goal(we've talked about this, lol). FR sent man...and a great Thanksgiving to you too!! We should write some articles together(LOL, no homo!!)

Monster666's picture

added you man, I think most of the clowns on here running cycles and shit should be hanging in here reading rather than how to make a roid cycle section. Maybe it'll make them look like they actually do some kind of hard work in the gym.

Mars's picture

great write up man. those principals are sound..
remember two things though because juice changes your body's normal processes.. your recovery is greatly enhanced and even with the saus the human body can only synthesize lean tissue so fast in fact (typically if I remember correctly) for every 1 lb. of actual lean muscle tissue you develop there is ~ 2 lbs. of cellular fluid.. and what about interval fasting studies that have been performed? I personally think that the one constant in life and in the human bodies is change.. our bodies and processes within are not a static thing, a very dynamic thing.. the human body is one giant adaptation vessel.. training is a reversible adaptation, making changes in how you eat is just as important imo. your body is always trying to create homeostasis. it can explains why carb cycling is so effective for example. props to you bro. love reading stuff like this, I find it fascinating. happy thanksgiving.
~Mars

OmNom's picture

Hmm I was always taking in whey and carb right after my workout and cardio.. Never tried right after the workout THEN cardio.. I def wanna get this a try when I get back from vacation and being a fatty. Very informative post =]

OmNom's picture

If you were running on a treadmill for the slower cardio, what would you set it at.. I was always a long distance runner so I find myself pushing the speed a little higher in cardio but I don't want to screw up the purpose and go to fast

alloneword's picture

I do long distance running too and the talk test will probably still hold true. If you can talk normally, you're probably good, if you can't get more than a word or two with out pausing to breath, you're pushing too hard. I know that varies for everybody, I can run at 6mph or 10min mile pace and keep a conversation, it may be different for you.

alloneword's picture

Oh, and GREAT post by the way, this and the force feeding post are both extremely helpful in planning regardless of aas use.

alloneword's picture

What are your thoughts on Ketosis in regards to weight loss. On the forum I've seen more than one reference to bringing carbs down to very low levels i.e 100/day all before 2 p.m.

alloneword's picture

I agree with that 100%. I want to avoid ketosis, I'm just not exactly sure how to limit carbs to that level and avoid ketosis. I work out in the A.M and the bulk of my carbs come between breakfast, post work out and lunch. I've adjusted my last two meals of the day to a salad w/ protein and right before bed I do 1 cup plain greek yogurt w/ ground flax seeds. Do you think this plan will be successful in avoiding ketosis?

alloneword's picture

Thank you for sharing your wealth of information.