Sure there are lots of boo-boos you can make in the gym that will short change your
efforts to build the massive body you're after. But one factor stands out
above all the rest from MY observations of all the iron jungles I've visited
in my travels...OVERTRAINING!
NOW WAIT ONE SECOND!
Before you smirk and move on to the next article thinking this one doesn't
apply to YOU, stay with me for a little while and see if some of my descriptions
of overtraining seem a little, shall we say "TOO familiar".
You see, although it's a basic principle of muscle growth, about 80 –
90% of all lifters today FORGET that muscle is built AFTER the gym, when your body
has a chance to recover from the intentional "damage" you caused and
rebuild STRONGER for the next planned "attack".
And hey, who can blame them? I mean, with the "pump" you feel in your
muscles from your workout, it's OBVIOUS that your muscles are growing right
before your eyes, right?!
WRONG!
Those extra bulges you see in the mirror after getting off the bench press are only
TEMPORARY periods of increased blood and water flow to the muscles. Give it 30 minutes
or so and they'll be right back at the starting line.
Don't get me wrong...I'm NOT saying you shouldn't work HARD
at the gym. An intense workout is KEY to stimulating your muscles to grow. But the
truth is that it probably doesn't take as much effort as you THINK to make
them grow!
The BOTTOM LINE is, when you stress the muscle BEYOND its ability to recover from
your workout, the muscle will NOT get bigger...PERIOD!
With that in mind, here are a few of the most common reasons for OVERTRAINING and
how to overcome them:
REASON # 1: "Didn't I see you do that YESTERDAY?!"
Everything must comply with Mother Nature's ground rules, and that INCLUDES
your muscles. Following an intense workout, your muscles go through a pretty SPECIFIC
timeline for recovery and growth.
In fact, it takes about 3 WHOLE DAYS for your body to simply break down and excrete
the damaged tissue from your workout...then ANOTHER 3-4 DAYS to rebuild the
tissue to where it can effectively grow stronger for the next targeted workout.
Break out your calculators here!
If applied biology (yes, I AM a "nerd" after all) states that your muscles
require 6-7 days to fully repair and grow from a targeted workout, then why is it
that so many guys are hitting the bench press 2-3 times a week?
Don't get caught in the "more is better" trap! Target each body
part only once per week with an intense, focused workout and you'll see renewed
growth in your lagging parts.
REASON # 2: "Did I just see a vein pop out of your forehead?"
What's the most common phrase heard around the gym today? No, it's not
"Dude...check out the aerobics instructor!", it's...