Many bodybuilders worry about the risk of overtraining. They see many marketers telling them that training a little is much better than training a lot. The truth is that they are making money off the fact that people like to be lazy and are always looking for the “easy way”. They want the fastest and most simple way to build muscle but that just isn’t possible.
Overtraining Isn’t an Issue!
Over the last decade, I’ve not once met a person who has suffered from overtraining. Yes, it is something that happens but in endurance athletes, not bodybuilders! There are even studies that prove bodybuilders need to do three times the work they do now over a continuous three week period to reach that overtraining threshold.
I did the 5-day Hypertrophy Bootcamp by Charles Poliquin, which was 15 workouts in the space of five days. That was just five days and it really beat me! I couldn’t even imagine trying that for another two weeks.
The majority of bodybuilders (99.9%) will never find themselves close to overtraining. That doesn’t mean you won’t be overreaching, and that’s a completely different thing.
The Difference Between Overreaching and Overtraining
When you’re overreaching, you’re pushing the body to do more than it is capable of. That’s what I did at the 5-day Hypertrophy Bootcamp. It causes disruption in sleep, loss of appetite and mood swings. However, a couple of weeks of less training can help you recover and then grow bigger and stronger than before.
I did nothing for seven days and recovered very well. There are benefits to doing this, such as a better compensation after-effect. However, you need to do it under the proper direction and care of a professional.
Undertraining Is The Real Issue
You won’t find overtraining being the issue: it’s under-training that you need to look out for. You may not lift enough weight, have longer rest times or not workout for long enough, and there are many other ways you can under-train. All of these can lead to little or no progress, despite your intense efforts. You need to plan your training with a specific focus and include periodization (something that all the pro bodybuilders do). This way you’ll be making the progress that you really want.
There’s no need to worry about overtraining. Focus on quality training and get your body working harder. Constantly demand more from your body and it will deliver. And if you are not afraid of a challenge and are looking for a an "intentional overreaching" program which includes planned recovery weeks that allows you to super-compensate after 4-weeks of intense training, I invite you to check my “1,000 Rep Challenge”.
About The Author: Vince del Monte is a WBFF Pro Fitness Model, P.I.C.P. Level 1 & 2 Certified, and he owns a Honors Kinesiology Degree and a Precision Nutrition Certification. He is also a popular Fitness Author and among his top workouts we can find the “1,000 Rep Challenge” and the “Get Juiced – Muscle Charging Recipes”