ExRx.net

I've looked everywhere for an actual concrete definition but I am yet to come across one.
The question seems trivial yet I'm still searching for a proper answer.
Thanks.

I have no real understanding/definition to provide. So you may want to save time and skip the rest.

For my own use, and really, what other use matters than your own. Overtraining would be when you are unable to continue doing the routine as written, with the caveat that you are getting adequate rest and food. Overtraining is relative to the rest, recovery, and food your body gets, as well as the capacity you're worked up to. If suddenly I'm unable to complete a program I've done many times, I'll consider: sick? / malnurished? / tired? / stress?. Personally, I'm likely incapable (unwilling) of pushing myself enough to over train thru actual phycial exertion. My goals and drive are not along those lines.

non of this is a scientific definition of over training as far as I know.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining

It's basically when your training is making you weaker instead of stronger.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

Thanks for the above replies.



The reason I asked the question was because there have been time periods when I have bench pressed every day and seen strength gains; done pull ups everyday and seen strength gains; and squatted everyday and seen strength gains; all for weeks on end.

When I squatted everyday it was for three weeks. I trained in a fatigued state and initially my lifts went weaker but after the first week I was making personal bests, and I continued to do so till the end of the third week. The only reason I stopped was because of time/work commitments.

In the same way that the body adapts to the load of the exercise and you increase the weight it seems (at least in my opinion and personal experience) very possible that the body will eventually adapt to increased frequency of training. Could this 'Overtraining' period where you get weaker simply be the time your body takes to adapt?

I went from squatting heavy 3x a week to 7x a week and continually made strength gains.

Is it possible that if your training is making you weaker instead of stronger it is because of your body's inability to adapt to the increased frequency?

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

It's long been thought that you had to give your body time to super-compensate. Now it appears that there are other strategies that also work.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

There's something I've wanted to try for a long time.

I'm convinced after doing Stronglifts that I can only make progress on Bench Press using a short periodized (intermediate) program that includes deloading. I'm convinced of this, but is it true?

What if I said 'screw it' and did an all-out set at 85% every day for a week - about 1/2 hour after waking up. I wonder what would happen. Of course, the actual challenge is to make sure of absolute regularity in diet and sleep for 7 days -- that's the hard part.

Its very possible that you will get stronger that way. You may feel sore after a couple of days but I doubt you will find that the soreness 'sets in' so to speak (that was the case with me).

If you are going to do this then you will need to devise a system of measuring progress. You can use my system if you like:

System I Used:

1. Your cumulative reps must = 20 every workout - regardless of the amount of sets (could be 5 could be 7 could even be 10)
2. Have a predetermined warm up which you will use everyday. e.g. 5 minutes stationary bike followed by 2 or 3 stabiliser bench press sets where you work your way up to the weight of your working sets. These reps do not count towards the 20.
3. The max is 5 reps per set (if you can do more it's not heavy enough).
4. Don't worry if your progress goes backwards keep at it for roughly 2 weeks and it will go back up again.
5. When prioritising a lift like this be sure to tailor your workout to include rear delt flies/rows/face pulls.
6. Always try to go heavy; but there will be times when your body will not be able to, in this case take a 'pump day' (described below).
7. You MUST train everyday keeping the same volume (20 reps) whether it is a heavy day or a 'pump day'.
8. LOG all your workouts and look at yesterdays lifts and try to overload somehow (more reps/heavier load etc.)

If you find that you are unable to train heavy due to severe soreness then your body hasn't adapted to the increase in frequency. Take a 'pump' day as I like to call it.

Pump Day

1. 3 sets of 15 reps with only 60 seconds rest time between sets.
2. Obviously you will be using a light weight - try and go as fast as possible when performing the exercise.
3. The aim is to force blood into the chest and triceps to get rid off the DOMS which didn't allow you to go heavy.
4. The pump you will get in your triceps from doing this feels absolutely amazing.

Anyway when time has allowed it I've done the above system for my bench press and squat and seen strength gains. I am always consistent with my diet (potatoes/eggs/peanuts/pineapples/mangoes are my best friends) and sleep if that makes any difference.

There is no guarantee this will work but it did for me. Anyways you don't have to do it; but if you want to make a log, would be great to see how you fare!

Cheers!

Steve Justa suggests a system of daily training to improve strength on a single lift. You use 70% of your 1RM, and on Monday you do 3 singles. Each day through the week you add 2 singles, so that by Sunday you do 15. Then you add weight and start over on Monday. Tim has tried this, or a near variation, I think. 70% isn't real heavy, but Justa claims to have made good gains with it on several different lifts. I'd be interested, but I don't really have a place for it right now.

_________________
Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.--Francis Chan