Overtraining
is NOT evil. Overtraining can be exactly what
you need to achieve continuous and rapid results
in your training.
But
first, what is overtraining? Overtraining is,
most simply, training too much. Your body is unable
to recover from the volume or frequency of training
and begins to break down. You not only lose motivation
to train, you become more susceptible to injury
and illness, and you may even start to go backwards
in your training, getting smaller and weaker on
almost a daily basis.
So how can overtraining possibly be good for you?
I'll tell you.
It
all begins with the incredible adaptive power
of your body. As you become more advanced in weight
training, you will generally notice that you cannot
make consistent gains for a long period of time
on one training system. Your body quickly adapts
to whatever training system you're using and hits
a plateau. To get around this, it's usually recommended
that you change your program every three to six
weeks.
The
question now is how to use this adaptive ability
to your advantage.
It's
really quite simple. You gradually build up to
a state of temporary overtraining, then, when
you're overtrained and your adaptive processes
are working to their fullest capacity for recovery,
you back off. This backing off results in what
is called overcompensation.
Imagine
you're driving a car and climbing a hill with
the gas pedal to the floor. You're giving it everything
you've got but you're still going up slowly. This
is similar to overtraining. When you reach the
top, the going gets a lot easier. If you keep
the gas pedal on the floor when you go over the
top and head down, you're going to go a lot faster
very quickly. This is overcompensation and this
is where the results are.
On
a normal program, you work a bodypart, it becomes
temporarily weaker, then becomes stronger as it
overcompensates so you can lift more next time.
What a normal program does on a small, local basis,
this overtraining program does on a full body,
systemic basis.
Sound
good? We're not done. Now we're going to harness
the power of overtraining by using what I call
"Controlled Overtraining."
The
overtraining or ramping phase of this Controlled
Overtraining program lasts three weeks, which
is about the time it takes the body to adapt to
a training program. It then backs off to a fairly
easy phase for three weeks.
Notes:
- Take all sets
to just short of failure. The rep ranges are
simply guidelines - if you can get more reps,
do them.
- Be sure to keep
your workout time to less than 45 minutes for
best results. Much longer and you will break
yourself down too much.
- Use a timer or
stopwatch to time your rest between sets. It
is critical to the success of the program to
keep your rest periods consistent.
At
the end of the article, you'll find a day-to-day,
set-by-set outline of how this training program
works. Reading through the program will give you
a good idea of how it all comes together.
As
you can see, you start out doing 3 sets for your
bodyparts the first week, 4 sets the second week,
and 5 sets the third week. While you're increasing
the volume, you're simultaneously decreasing the
rest period. This gradually builds you up to overtraining.
For
the next three weeks, you decrease the sets and
reps and increase the rest periods. This allows
you to recover from the overtraining and take
advantage of the overcompensation that occurs
when the body is still working at dealing with
the hard work and then you cut the hard work.
Though it may feel like you're hardly doing anything
at all, you should see some great results.
Continue
this lower-volume training for at least three
weeks. If, at the end of those three weeks, you
are still making progress, keep going! Don't cut
yourself off from any results. This phase could
last as long as 6 weeks or more. When you start
to slow down, however, it's time to ramp back
up to overtraining. Keeping up this cycling of
volume and intensity is a strategy that gives
consistent results over long periods of time.
The
first time you do the program, keep it exactly
as it is. This will give you the best, practical
experience as to how the program feels.
After
that, you can try playing with the numbers a little
following this general outline, perhaps starting
at 3 minutes rest for the first week, 90 seconds
the second week, and then dropping down to 30
seconds by the third week.
If
you do decide to play with the numbers, be absolutely
certain to reduce your training volume and increase
your rest periods for the second three-week phase.
If you don't, you will continue to overtrain yourself
and you will break down.
The
program that I've outlined uses a rep system called
Micro-Periodization (Periodization is the cycling
of rep ranges. It is traditionally conducted over
a period of months, e.g. three months high reps,
three months, medium reps, three months low reps.).
Dividing the week into three separate phases,
such as in this program, is called Micro-Periodization.
It is an extremely effective format for building
strength and muscle mass.
---
As
you can see, overtraining is not always the horrible
thing it's often made out to be. Training on the
edge is where the real results are. Those who
shy away from it will never make as good of progress
as those who embrace it!
4
Training Days Per Week
This
sample will give you a good
idea of how the
Controlled Overtraining Program
works.
Training
Days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,
Friday
Rest
Days - Wednesday, Saturday,
Sunday
WEEK
1
Rest
period - 120 seconds
between sets
| DAY
1 |
DAY
2 |
DAY 3
|
DAY
4 |
| 13-15
reps |
13-15
reps |
10-12
reps |
8-10
reps |
| (3)
Back |
(3)
Thighs |
(3)
Back |
(3)
Chest |
| (3)
Chest |
(3)
Shoulders |
(3)
Chest |
(3) Thighs |
| (3)
Biceps |
(3)
Triceps |
(3)
Thighs |
(3)
Back |
| (3)
Calves |
(2)
Abs |
(1)
Shoulders |
(1)
Shoulders |
| |
|
(1)
Calves |
(1)
Calves |
| |
|
(1)
Biceps |
(1)
Triceps |
| |
|
(1)
Triceps |
(1)
Biceps |
WEEK
2
Rest
period - 90 seconds between
sets
| DAY
1 |
DAY
2 |
DAY 3
|
DAY
4 |
| 13-15
reps |
13-15
reps |
10-12
reps |
8-10
reps |
| (4)
Back |
(4)
Thighs |
(4)
Back |
(4)
Chest |
| (4)
Chest |
(4)
Shoulders |
(4)
Chest |
(4) Thighs |
| (4)
Biceps |
(4)
Triceps |
(4)
Thighs |
(4)
Back |
| (4)
Calves |
(3)
Abs |
(1)
Shoulders |
(1)
Shoulders |
| |
|
(1)
Calves |
(1)
Calves |
| |
|
(1)
Biceps |
(1)
Triceps |
| |
|
(1)
Triceps |
(1)
Biceps |
Note
how we have decreased the
rest time in between sets
and increased the number of
sets by one. This is the beginning
of the increased demand on
the body.
WEEK
3
Rest
period - 60 seconds between
sets
| DAY
1 |
DAY
2 |
DAY 3
|
DAY
4 |
| 13-15
reps |
13-15
reps |
10-12
reps |
8-10
reps |
| (5)
Back |
(5)
Thighs |
(5)
Back |
(5) Chest |
| (5)
Chest |
(5)
Shoulders |
(5)
Chest |
(5)
Thighs |
| (5)
Biceps |
(5)
Triceps |
(5)
Thighs |
(5)
Back |
| (5)
Calves |
(4)
Abs |
(1)
Shoulders |
(1)
Shoulders |
| |
|
(1)
Calves |
(1)
Calves |
| |
|
(1)
Biceps |
(1)
Triceps |
| |
|
(1)
Triceps |
(1)
Biceps |
This
week will be the toughest
week. We have increased the
number of sets and decreased
the rest time again. Towards
the end of the week you should
be feeling pretty rough!
WEEKS
4, 5, 6 and beyond
Rest
period - 180 seconds
between sets
| DAY
1 |
DAY
2 |
DAY 3
|
DAY
4 |
| 10-12
reps |
10-12
reps |
8-10
reps |
5-7
reps |
| (3)
Back |
(3)
Thighs |
(3)
Back |
(3)
Chest |
| (3)
Chest |
(3)
Shoulders |
(3)
Chest |
(3)
Thighs |
| (3)
Biceps |
(3)
Triceps |
(3)
Thighs
|
(3)
Back |
| (3)
Calves |
(2)
Abs |
(1)
Shoulders |
(1)
Shoulders |
| |
|
(2)
Calves |
(2)
Calves |
| |
|
(1)
Biceps |
(1)
Triceps |
| |
|
(1)
Triceps |
(1)
Biceps |
Note the decrease in rep range,
the decrease in the number of
sets you are doing, and the
increase in rest time. This
is the easy phase where your
body plays catch-up with recovery.
Don't back off on intensity,
however. Keep pushing all your
exercises to muscular failure!
Keep
on this phase until your results
start to slow down then ramp
up again with weeks 1, 2, and
3. This training strategy delivers
consistent results, taking advantage
of your body's natural physiological
response to increased demand.
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