Overtraining 101 - What You Need To Know
I hear the word “overtraining” thrown about all over the place these days. Some people say training 5 days is overtraining, 12+ sets is overtraining, full body workouts are overtraining, 2 body parts is overtraining…you get the picture. There are so many muscle building and weight training programs out there, and many of them totally contradict each other.
We’ve got…
- Train your full body in 1 session
- 3 day split routines
- 4 day split routines
- 5 day single muscle group routines
Many Russian and Bulgarian weightlifters and bodybuilders even train twice a day for 5 days per week!
So how do you know if you’re overtraining? Who do you listen to? Well, the truth is there is no black and white line that you must cross to be overtraining. Everyone is different and everyone responds to weight training differently.
You can’t just read an article and think “oh, I am overtraining”, because what might be overtraining for the author of the article may not be overtraining for you. So in this article I’m going to teach you about overtraining and how to identify if you’re overtraining and what to do about it.
So…what is overtraining?
Here’s my definition of overtraining:
“Overtraining is where you train your body above its capacity meaning it cannot recover and adapt quickly enough to be prepared for the following training session”
Basically, this means you’re training too hard with not enough rest. I’ve read in-depth explanations of what overtraining is and it all comes down to too much training and not enough rest. There are other factors like diet to consider, but these are rarely the cause of overtraining in 99% of cases.
Symptoms of overtraining:
You may or may not experience these symptoms when you’re overtraining. With some people you only have to look at them before they start training and you know they’re overtraining. Here are some common symptoms you may feel:
- You can’t seem to get any bigger (lack of weight or muscle gain)
- You don’t have enough energy at the beginning of your workout
- Your target muscles are still sore from the previous workout when you work them again.
- You find it hard to get to sleep and have a good nights rest
- You have a general lack of energy throughout the day
- And in extreme cases you may feel depression and anxiety
Diet and overtraining:
Diet may also play a vital part in overtraining. In particular calorie intake, water intake and carbohydrate intake. Without enough calories, carbs and water your body will have trouble recovering and repairing muscle tissue after your workouts. The same can be said for essential fats and protein if the deficiency is great enough. Diet is usually only the cause of overtraining in extreme cases, for example when a bodybuilder is preparing for a competition or an athlete is trying to lose weight fast and keep training up.
How to tell if you’re overtraining:
Seems obvious doesn’t it? Do you have any of the above symptoms? If so, it’s possible you may be overtraining.
One not-so-obvious symptom that is often missed is lack of muscle gain. This is commonly referred to as a plateau. A plateau is when you do not make any strength or muscle gains even though you continue your workout as usual.
What often happens when a novice lifter hits a plateau he/she starts working out more. More sets, more reps, more often. This is a very big mistake and is one of the leading causes of overtraining. Doing more sets does not build more muscle, but that’s for another article.
OK, so I’m overtraining. What do I do?
Before you start thinking about your routine, take a week off. Seriously. Don’t train at all for 1 week. Your body needs the rest and recuperation time. You will find that the week after your rest week your body will be fired up and ready to go!
Now you have to look at your daily life and plan a routine to fit in. When you look at your daily life you need to consider things like:
- How much free time you have
- How much time you have to rest
- What type of job do you have? Is it manual or office based? Do you work long hours? This will affect the amount of energy you have to workout.
- How fit are you? Be honest.
- What goals do you have for your training?
Some of these things you can change, like your fitness, diet and rest time. But others you can’t, like your job. What you do in your every day life really affects your workout. For example, if you worked as a laborer on a construction site for 8-10 hours per day and hit the gym 5 days per week I would expect you to have little results. Your training intensity would be low and you would have no energy. However, you may have better results with a 3 day split routine.
So the best person to design your muscle building routine is you (with some help from the info on Muscle&Strength!). We’ve got heaps of workouts over on the muscle building workouts section. Our database is searchable, or you can view all workouts and choose.
A good point to remember is quality over quantity. You’re better off doing 6 sets with perfect technique than 12 sets with bad technique. Ideally, you need a routine that gives you enough rest time, fits your schedule and is suited for your goals. Remember what I said about quality over quantity. Focus on what you do in the time you have in the gym, not how much time you’re going to spend in the gym.
Preventing overtraining:
Overtraining prevention is up to you. All you need to do is follow a few of the basic principals in muscle building. Quality over quantity, eat big including lots of carbs and protein and rest up between workouts.
Seems simple doesn’t it? Well it is. Good luck with your training.
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Hi Damien,
i am 6.1 ft tall and i weigh 93.3 kg.
I've been training almost 5 month and I'm using split routine.
is it ok to workout twice a day.if not,why?
hi was wondering am i over doin it,monday arms-biceps,triceps forarms ,tuesday chest shoulders .wed - breat n thursday brak friday n sat arms n chest n lots of cario am i overdoin it the cardio does my legs ,
Hi Damien,
Iam 5'9" tall and weigh 78kg,Iam working as a travelling salesman in an insurance firm.I've to work from 10pm to 8pm 6 days a week.
I am not into bodybuilding bt wud like to maintain a strong active body hvng a decent lean definitions.Can you suggest me a workout routine.thnx
Hi Ariijit,
There are many workouts in the Muscle & Strength database. I would simply choose one that fits your schedule, and that motivates you to train.
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/main.html
HI Damian,
So I'm a begginer at this, been training for about three months straight now but took a week in between to rest, so the past to weeks i've been back. I'm slim and thin naturally and I saw big gains in the past two weeks but this week is like all of the sudden my biceps don't have muscle, I trained today and I could lift and feel them train well (i follow ur advise always of less is more) but when i flex then not much muscle is there though the arm feels bigger. Is this normal, might this just be that the muscles hit a point of new growth where they will recover and grow again? or is this overtraining or just that the muscle got used to the excercises.
thanks a lot for the advise.
Hi Fernando,
You will continue to experience good gains. It can take a year to add an inch to your arms. Without knowing how many sets you are doing for arms each week, it's hard to say if you're overtraining.
hi i think i recently overtrained, so i stoped mid week from my routine and took 4 days off came back at the start of the next week and started a new program, I was training 5 days a week, i now do 2 on one day off split routine so i train 4 days a week, i know its hard to tell if i had enough rest as your not me and cant tell if i am still overtraining, i feel alot better then i did when i was training for 5 days and i am 3 weeks into my new routine and have increased strength in exersises like the bench press, i was told to just take a couple of days off. Would you say from your position looking into my current situation, that i took enough time off, if i have increased my strength on the bench press then is that a sign i am not overtraing and have recovered from my previous overtraining and to be honest i found it quite surprising how i overtrained considering i used to 5 times a week and train my chest twice a week and make grate gains on my chest?
Hi Jack,
4 days isn't a lot of time off. Some guys take a week off every 8-12 weeks. Overtraining can come quicker as the weights get heavier. With heavy weights, you are not only working the muscle, but also the tendons, joints and central nervous system.
i am a 15 year old boy who has been training the last 7 months. when i first started i gained 20 pounds in 5 months then i platued and 3 months later no improvements. i take protien, multivitamines and i just started taking some amino fuel. could you give me advice on what i should do to start building muscle again?
Hi Trevar,
It sounds like you are training hard. I would focus on your diet. here are a couple articles that should help:
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/your-go-to-guide-to-gaining-m...
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-create-a-bodybuilding-...
Hi Damien
im just turned 17 years old and have plenty of time for rest and workout. I've been liftin weights sense i was 12 years old and got lots of good results. but now im not getting as much results.i take advanced weight training at my high school, workout at my house,go jogging thought rough terrain like the woods with lots of hills,
and then at the end of the each day of the week i go to my MMA classes
to train. At weight training we workout upper body one day then lower body next day but workout till we cant lift our arms, then i go home and experiment with lots of workout schedule each week, then train (without lifting weights) at my MMA classes (mostly its cardio).I eat mostly foods with high protein like (fish, steak, hamburgers)NO FAST FOOD. i have trouble sleeping.I think i need a new workout schedule.
And a week off. Can you help me find a workout schedule that would help me get bigger and stronger.
Hi Tyler,
You want to focus on two things to maximize results:
1) Pushing yourself in the gym. Using good form, always push yourself on every set. When you can perform the recommended number of reps for a set, add weight.
2) Eat to maximize muscle gains. Here is an article that can help:
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-create-a-bodybuilding-...
I would pick a muscle building workout from our database that most motivates you to train. Which workout you choose isn't too important if you are training hard.
Hi there
I am a 40yr old woman, 5ft 6in tall and have/had a body fat percentage of 38%. I met with a trainer who told me the best way to lose fat and gain muscle was to eat paleo. I tried it for two weeks and now eat about 70%... the other 30% is the odd cracker or small bowl of pasta - no dairy/ little to no sugar. I lost 14lbs in about 4 months and have totally plateaued. I lift weights 45mins - 4 times a week and do 20-30 mins cardio AFTER the weights. I am doing my whole body every work out.. alternating legs.. then shoulders, then glutes, then chest etc. I am frustrated with the lack of weight loss and a feeling generally iritable about my life. I have never had any real muscle mass before yet I have dieted...so I know how to cut my diet back but don't know how to compensate for my 'new' internal metabolism. i was seeing a real difference in my close and feeling a lot of new muscle but everything seems to just be going off the rails. I am wondering if I could be not eating enough or training too hard/often. Any advice would be helpful.. thank you!
Hi Sheila,
Did your trainer have you monitoring calorie and protein intake at all while on the Paleo diet?
No, I couldn't afford the trainer so I was doing it on my own. Fortunately I have 'lived' the error of my ways...I took a week off, upped my over all eating to include yoghurt and whole wheat bread/cheese (moderately), changed my thinking to 'feed the machine' instead of 'starve it through dieting'. I also purchased an after work out protein powder and changed my work outs to include: Mon/Thur - chest, tri's and shoulders, Tues/Fri- bi's,back and legs. I am feeling a lot better and have actually started losing weight again!
I've trained for this week being 7th wk straight, 4 days a week, 2 on my back and upper body, 2 on my legs, all 4 days I do cardio. I am definitely getting more definition and cut but would like to add more girth to my muscle. I work out hard the muscle groups I do every other day 2 times a week than 3 off period, any suggestions. Sometimes I think I just need to be more patient? I have been able to increase weight of training, and sets, feel physically stronger just don't feel like I am seeing it, am I being unrealistic? Thanks.
I'm doing a 2.5 hour heavy free weight training where we target muscle groups. Right after this we the P90X ab ripper routine 3X a week and then some cardio (like 15 to 20 minute of elliptical or stait stepper) then I head home.
When I get home I have my protein shake and a small meal and then like a half hour nap
Then I go back in to the gym to do a complete nautilus routine. One day we target the whole upper body abbs then we alternate the following day to legs and abbs.
I'm never very sore and am seeing gains but folks have been saying I'm over training and may stop seeing gains. I have a pretty healthy diet and am getting bigger than I've ever bee. I'm useing the wheybolic protein twice a day, the nano shotgun for pre workout, PowrFull at night and cycle on and off creatine.
You'd think I'd be skinner than I am. LoL
Does this sound right or am I screwing up? I'm brand ne to weight training and am getting conflicted messages
Hi Damien.
I am 58 yr. old female, 105 lbs., vegan, 24% bodyfat. Been LONG time since hit the gym. Joined Xmas-time, 2010. Put myself on full body, 3 day week routine, 2 cardio days of 20-30 mins. --NOT on weightlifting days. I've recently (last 3-4 wks.)changed it up to 1 day max. overload (when possible) 6-8 reps, 1 day medium, 10-12 reps and 1 day 12-15 reps. I'm starting to feel the symptoms described above. Do you think I should relax for a week and come back w/1 body part per week, medium amount of sets to failure? Not quite sure. Goal is to gain mass. I'm getting cut upper body but have always had a tough time of it with legs. So mass and legs definition are my goals. I eat roughly 1300-1500 cals, whey protein after workouts, whey protein before the heavy day workout. Just ordered some BCAA for that heavy workout. Side note: I STOP eating at 5:00 p.m. to maintain flat tummy. It's working fab. Your thoughts?
Hi Damien.
I am 58-yr-old female, weighing in at 105 lbs. I stand 5'2" tall. I am vegan and get about 1300-1500 cals. a day. I think that might not be enough. It's been LONG time since working out so I put myself on full body, 3-days per week routine, starting Xmas time 2010 at gym I joined. I've now mixed in 1 day of heavy, progressive training for last 3 weeks. I have whey/soy shake before/after heavy day. Doesn't seem to help. I'm now feeling the overtraining symptoms you mentioned. I also do 2 days cardio, medium intensity, 20-30 mins. twice per week (not on lifting days) and then 2 days rest. Should I just go for the progressive weight training one body part per week and forget my medium and light days? I'm looking to gain lean mass. My tough spot is legs. Upper body is getting cut but not bigger. --Your thoughts?
Hi I wanted to know if I am over training... I am currently doing one day upper and next day lower with resting on the weekend... I spend about 2 hours each day working out including some cardio... I feel fine and have plenty of energy. There are some times where I feel as if I can do more and my intensity is fairly high ... I am seeing gains as well and a have a good diet with lots of protein. So am I overtraining.... Really, the only thing that tells me I am is articles saying over 1 hour is to much.
Hi,
I'm 5 10 330 pounds. I'm just getting back into lifting. I use to be a big
lifter. I'm training to lose weight but also get stronger. My ultimate goal
is 220-230. I've been lifting for about a month and a half now and I have been
having amazing gains in muscle and strength as well as already losing 25 pounds
. I lift six times a week, chest,shoulders tri's,on monday, back
And biceps on tuesdays. And legs on wed. Then repeat taking sundays
Off. I do run for 20-30 in the morning. Then to 10-20mins of the bike
After my workout. All my sets are 3-4 with rep range of 8-12.
I'm worried about over traing how ever. Here today I didn't feel up
To lifting even though I went through my routine. And it was good
On top of I'm still getting stronger. But I've been feeling some what sluggish
The last few days. Just a few days ago I become very sick. Was running
104 temp. I rested and the next fay I felt amazing. My diet has been
Very good and very clean. I'm just not sure what's going on. And help
Would greatly be appreciated.
Hi Evab,
I might suggest easing back into training with a 3 day per week fullbody workout. With your goals you really don't need to spend too many days in the gym each week. As long as your diet is in check, and you are working hard 3 times a week, you will see great results and shouldn't feel as run down.
Hi
I'm a 31 yr old woman, 5'8' and about 118lbs (i'm what you would call "skinny fat" with very little muscle and quite a bit of cellulite) 3 yrs ago i started working out and trying to eating clean..since then everything has gotten worse. All i wanted to do was put on muscle but its nearly impossible. I've definitely overtrained at times if not all the time. I'm constantly tired and depressed, on edge and snap easily at my son (just thinking about this makes me want to cry) constantly hungry even right after i've eaten, haven't had a period in 2.5 yrs when i've never been irregular, my body is just getting mushier, my abdomen swells and gets painful every time i eat, no periods gave me osteopenia and to top it off i now have a problem with binge eating sweets. I can't help but think i did this to myself..its a big vicious cycle. My problem is i don't know how to get out of it..if i knew how to train and how much to eat i probably could save myself a lot of heartache. My question is how do i get out of it? and get the proper help and info to do so?
Thanks so much
Hey Damien,
I am 6'1 and weigh 165. I ran cross country/track all through high school so I was always really slim. I am in college now and decided I want to bulk up. I only run 2-3 days a week now, and I just run a mile or two. Cardio aside, I think I may be overtraining with my workouts. On Mon/Thurs, I do legs. Tues/Fri, I work my chest and tris. Wednesday/Sat, I work my biceps & shoulders & back. And I do abs every day. I do 4-5 sets of each muscle group, and I am currently doing 8-10 reps, and doing eccentrics. My workouts take me forever, though. I usually spend at least 2 hours getting each workout done. However, I'm still seeing gains. In fact, I've gained about 20 pounds since the end of track season last May. However, do you think I am overtraining?
Hi Corey,
I would say you're doing more than needed. Even though you are making gains, it will be in your best interest to lift no more than 4 times a week. The added recovery will help.
My husband and I have been doing power 90 since 2-28-2011 for 4 to 5 days a week and taking our supplements
We both have lost around 30 pounds. We took a week off and came back to do cardio one day and weights 2 days later. I have been extremely tired but my husband has been all over sore
Like when we first started working out. We decided to rest some more days hoping his soreness improves
We eat very healthy protein shakes for breakfast and almonds during the day several handfuls and dinner a salad and a meat for protein. Is this tiredness normal
Hi Damien,
I started doing a program of bodyweight training and static holds about 6 month ago (i alternate 1 week static holds next week bodyweight). I train a 6 day 2 split and have made great gains in size and definiton however I dont really seem to be gaining mass anymore but i have lost alot of fat. e.g. I now am 32" waist and was 36" before and my arms have gone from just below 15" to just over 16". But I seem to be static at 168 pounds give or take and i am 6ft tall. I also eat a proper diet (3 medium meals 55% prot 30% carb and 15% fat + 2 protein shakes + creatine). Does this sound like overtraining or am i just not intaking enough calories to bulk and basically eating a maintainence diet?
hi damian
I am 5'8 235 pounds
I am using the muscle tech nano vapor pre work out powder
I work out 6 days a week switching upper/lower
I walk 6km a day and run 2.4km a day as well as 3km on a stationairy bike
I sleep a good 8-10 hours a night
My diet is good, about 2000 calories and its well distributed through the food groups
I am trying to lose weight/ reduce my 29% body fat % / gain muscle
Weight training has stayed steady but i just to a massive dip in progress for my 2.4Km run going from 16 min to 24 min i wondering how this could have happened
Hey Damien,
I've been trying to lose about ten pounds for the past few months, and I haven't lost any of it. I am extremely anal about counting calories (I even include a piece of gum). I've made sure with my cardio that I have a deficit of 600 calories a day. Yet I haven't lost anything - in fact I feel like I'm getting more fat. I do at least two hours of cardio every day. Should I cut some exercise (do an hour of carido instead) and cut back on the calories? Thanks!
Rachel
Hey, I've started a new plan to tone up and get the body I want. My body type is ectomorph so i'm a little harder to gain than most. My workout routine is this
Monday: Chest/Tri
Tuesday: Back/Bi
Wed: Legs/Abs
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Some Cardio
And my diet plan is something like
Morning: 4 eggs whites
2 Whole eggs
1 and a half cup of uncooked oats
Snack: Either whole wheat bread with peanut butter or,
Cottege cheese with yogurt and strawberries
Lunch: Brown rice with broccoli and Chicken
Pre- workout: Jack3d
Post workout: Protein shake
Supper: Whole wheat pasta or Brown rice with veggies and chicken breast
Snack: Almonds and cottege cheese.
And throughout the day eat some fruits and drink plenty of water.
With all that being said, would you find all this being a good way to gain some mass/toning up and looking fit ?
Hi Damien
I m 20 year old I stared resistance training 8 months back i m a vegetarian guy height 5.10 weight 72 kg initially when I stared training I feel gud n strong but truly speaking never got enough gud mass gain yah little change is dea but couldn't feel any major change in my weight gains n muscle building about my diet it is gud enough having enough food since i joined gym. Even once I reached 76kg as well but that was just increase in body fat when I started workout it was use to be 1hr long but increased up to 2.3hr now as I have read about articles on body building my case could be overtraining or pleatue as very few of time I changed my exercise routein thats why said pleatue. And one more thing i am also usually involved in sex activities frequently does it affect bodybuilding...? Just looking forward for your advise on my case.
Thanx
Hi James,
2+ hours working out per day is simply woo much. You're much better off lifting weights 3-4 days per week and focusing on quality rather than quantity.
Sex does not impact bodybuilding.
Hey Damien,
here is my routine, can you tell me if this is over training
Monday - Shoulders(Military press 4 sets, shoulder flys 4 sets, 4 sets of another exercise cant remember name followed by up right rows for traps 4 sets and 4 sets of shoulder shrugs).
Tuesday - Back(seated rows 4 sets, bent over rows 4 sets, one arm rows,
Wednesday - Arms(armbar curls 4 sets, dumbell curls 4 sets, hammer curls 4 sets, preacher curls 4 sets
Thursday - Chest and Tricepts(bench press 4 sets, incline 4 sets, dips 4 sets, skull crushers 4 sets, tricept pull downs 4 sets).
Friday rest day and then I begin the cycle again starting with Shoulders on Saturday......any advice would be appreciated, I normally work from heavy to light during the 4 sets of each exercise.....cheers.
Hi Jason,
Doesn't look like overtraining. Eat up and focus on progression of weight and you should be fine.
I normally do a four day split for each muscle.If i train my biceps on a monday i will not train them again for at least for days.
How many sets are you using for biceps each week?
Need more help? Ask me on the forum.
Hello I used to workout pretty heavy during high school with football and wrestling stuff year round. Five years later and I've started lifting again both to feel better and work some stress out.
I've found that I can work out 4 days a week
Day 1: Upper Body
Day 2: Lower/Arms
Day 3: Upper Body
Day 4: Lower/Back
I've seen some great results so far in 3 months my bench is back up to around 290-310 with and squatting 410 again.
I always try to leave my work outs maxed out I love the feeling, barely being able to move my arms or shoulders. I work out before or after work some times both depending on how my muscles are feeling but I've found most days I'm just not sore or even tight between 5 and 8 hours after my workout. A few things I do during my work outs drink large amounts of water refilling my water bottle upwards of 4-5 times in a hour and half to two hour work out session, drink my protein shake throughout the day so that I may slowly absorb the protein instead of wasting most of it when taking it all at once, and constantly stretch my peck and shoulders between sets to keep the muscles lose and keep the blood flowing. So my question is if I'm not seeing any over workout issues, and I feel fine 8 hours later, would it be ok to move to a twice a day 4-5 days a week workout program.
You certainly could experiment with it.
hey I have just started doing push ups and lifting water bags, i learned these workouts in prison, im now attending college and have access to a gym. are there any workouts you can suggest i do to build my chest and arms back up since im broke and cant afford a gym like 24 hour fitness, and am limited on equipment at the school. and was wondering also if push ups are efficient which i have always have had good results with doing. but am super sore after pushups but not with free weight training so far.
Do you have access to dumbbells and barbells?
Hi Damien. I do a full body workout 3 times a week. I want to start to run the days I dont train strength. So that would be like this: mon wed and fri = strength full body, thi and thur = running and sat and sun = rest
is that overtraining? Im 15 yrs old and 178 cm high, but my weight is only 60 kilos. Still Im as strong as my friends at 70 kilos and I look muscular, why? Also Im alot outside freerunning and that makes it hard for me to eat often and enought, should I buy protein powder and bring a shake as a meal replacer when Im outside?
No, that won't be overtraining.
Regarding your question, some people are just born with more strength and muscle. It's really no more complicated than that.
Good day
I would just like to know if there is something wrong with me...
I gym 4 times a week, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I do hour classes at gym, Mondays are Bums & Tums, Wednesdays are a Retro arobics class, Thursday is a Box class and on Saturdays i do cardio and some weight training.
My problem is that as soon as i miss on week of gym and i start again, just after the Monday class i am so sore and stiff i can barely walk. Is it normal to have this sore in just one week of no gym? Taking L-glutimine for to help the recovery process does not help at all.
Please let me know.
Thanks
Soreness can be very normal.
What are your goals, and what are you eating each day?
Hey, Iv been training for almost 2 years and think I may be overtraining, i recently took a week off training but stuck to my diet and gained almost a kilogram in weight, yet when im training 6 days a week i make hardly any gains, do you suppose its diet or over training? Im a naturally slim guy and looking at gaining more lean muscle mass.
Hi Damien
Im 15 and I do 100 pushups plus a few chest dips every 2/3 days and 50 pullups alternatively every 2/3 days. I feel good never sore or anything but it almost sounds like too much, am I overtraining or is this alright.
i m 17,with a height of 5'9,my biggest problem is that i cant see good results in myself though i train hard,y is this?