How Much Can A Body Handle? (Overtraining)

Training time vs. Recovery time is one of the hardest lessons I have ever had to learn. When I started working out I went with the old tradition that you give your body a day to recover after you workout. I was doing upper body in one full workout every other day. The fat fell off, I got more muscular, and about five months in, I got injured. My arm felt like something was tearing where my forearm and elbow met. I took a couple of days off and iced it frequently. It still didn't heal up. Finally I broke down and went to the Doctor about it. Three months later my tendon strain, also known as "golfer's elbow", finally healed up. But it still gives me twinges from time to time.

This was the first of my many lessons on properly exercise and recovery. Over time I have come up with some fast rules to govern my training to make sure that I do not have any more injuries and to get the best results from my training.

1) Muscle recovers faster than tendons and ligaments. While a day may be sufficient for some of your muscles to recover, your connective tissues need more time. Your recovery time should take into account the weakest link in your body, not the strongest.

2) Larger muscle groups can recover faster than smaller ones. The golden rule is, if you want real results, do not train smaller muscles intensely more than once a week. This is primarily your arms. These muscles also get worked in almost every other exercise. Over training them will prevent them from growing at the maximum rate and can even cause them to shrink.

3) Take day off from the weights for your body as a whole to recover. It takes time for muscles to regain their glycogen and ATP levels in order to give 100% during a workout. Anything less than 100% is a waste of time.

4) Take at least one complete day off from all training every week. This is a day for rest and healing, not just for the body, but for your mind as well.

You do not make any gains during a workout. It is the recovery that gives us the gains we seek.

After much reading, study, and trial & error on my part; I have found the perfect routine for me. It has given me better results in the last two months than I have had in any six months preceding it.

I begin each workout by warming up for ten minutes, full body movement with concentrated movement of the muscle group I intend to work in that session. After my warm up, I stretch for another ten minutes. The better a muscle is stretched the less chance of injury. A muscle will also recover faster when properly stretched as blood will flow through that area more freely; more blood equals more nutrition.

Monday- Chest and Back- I do four exercises for each group with a total of 13 sets per group. This gives me a good solid workout, hitting each muscle group from several angles.

Tuesday- Legs- I start with dead lifts since I don't have a squat rack in the house. After four sets, I begin the focused training, doing 4 more exercises at 4 sets each. I try not to overdo my leg training as I am on my feet at work, climbing ladders and walking, for twelve hours a day. My legs don't get the full time off they need for recovery.

Wednesday- Shoulders and Neck- Once again, four exercises per group but only 12 sets total. I try to take it a little easier on the end with my neck exercises. Your traps are a bit smaller and can't take as much punishment.

Thursday- Active Recovery Day- I do about 30 minutes of cardio and a full 30 minutes of stretching.

Friday- Arms- This is the hard one for me. Your biceps, triceps, and forearm muscles can not take long duration exercise. You should limit your workout to 10 sets on each group. I always want to work them longer because of the pump I get. Instead I have to make myself work them more intensively but not as long. The results have been fantastic.

Saturday- this is a repeat of Thursday.

Sunday- REST, complete rest.

At night, Tammy and I also get in a solid abdominal routine and some cardio when I don't have to work. This has been so good for me all the way around. I'm growing stronger and getting bigger so much faster than ever before. The reason for the success is simply RECOVERY.