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.