Overtraining and weight training

That's it, you've made up your mind: you're more than ready to develop your physique and strength, you've got the enthusiasm and motivation to get started on developing your physique.

You've probably already done a lot of research, read numerous articles on the various techniques available and training programs, and read up on the food supplements that can help you along the way.

All the ingredients for success are there, but there's one thing you mustn't lose sight of: motivation and enthusiasm mustn't lead to overtraining. This article aims to warn you about the dangers of overtraining and the benefits of a happy medium in training.

What is overtraining?

Training aimed at consistently developing strength and muscle mass or, alternativelylose weightMust be a very intense workout that requires great effort and motivation.

However, we must always be careful not to fall into the trap of overtraining: rest and recovery phases between training phases are essential, both to protect the body from possible injury and to allow muscle mass to develop.

You have to learn to distinguish between momentary fatigue and overtraining syndrome.

Momentary fatigueis due to an accumulation of stress which may be the result of your training or your daily life. When you're suffering from momentary fatigue, your capacity and performance diminish noticeably, but only in the short term, and without causing physical and psychological problems of the same kind as those arising from overtraining.

If you experience momentary fatigue, take a few days to rest and recuperate.

It can be frustrating to have to interrupt your training but, as we saw above, it's counterproductive to train in this state anyway.

OvertrainingIs distinguished in 2 ways:

The first: You're still training as hard as ever, but you're starting to lift less, take longer to recover and your physique is starting to regress (less dense body, more fat, etc.)

Second: This is the method we recommend to anyone who really wants to know whether or not they're overtraining: heart rate! We'll explain how to measure it.

Overtraining results in constant fatigue: no matter how much you try to get a good night's sleep, nothing will help. Add to thisjoint painwhich can last several days after the last workout. The paradox of overtraining: you train too much but your strength eventually diminishes !

Unlike momentary fatigue, the symptoms of overtraining are also psychological: your mood will also be affected.

Too much motivation can lead to overtraining

MotivationAnd enthusiasm are very important factors in bodybuildingThese are the two driving forces that will enable you to achieve your goals.

But because the emphasis is often placed only on the positive aspect of this state of mind, we often forget that it needs to be tempered, because too much positive energy can make you forget that you need to work hard, but in a reasoned way, and that you must never forget to listen to your body.

The mind is very important, of course, but in the end, it's your body that's working, so it's best never to forget that!

How can you spot overtraining ?

Simply take your pulse at rest, in the morning, while still lying in bed. If your pulse increases day by day, then back off and take a week's rest.

When you are tired, your body increases the heart rate per minute, giving you an easy-to-use indicator of a state ofovertraining.

The causes of overtraining

Everyone has mental and psychological limits, which vary from one person to another, but no one can escape them. It's very important to bear in mind that training is a stress inflicted on the body: thebuilding muscle massAnd strength is the body's response to this stress.

On the other hand, unmeasured stress, accompanied by an inappropriate diet, will have the opposite effect:the body is not stressed, it is, in a way, traumatized! This will not only lead to a lack of progress, but also, in time, to muscular or other injuries.

As a result, some people fall into a downward spiral of ever-increasing intensityeur trainingeven though they should be reducing it. These people, comparing the enormous efforts they are broughtTo produce and the absencethis lack of results often leads them to give up altogether.

What can be done to avoid overtraining?

1- Stay pragmatic

Keep a cool head despite your enthusiasm, and adopt a pragmatic attitude: more doesn't always mean better, and all your progress isn't going to vanish just because you take a few days off.

Be realistic when considering your intensity and endurance capabilities. It's not just a question of avoiding damage: it will enable you to establish your ideal training program and thus make faster progress.

2- Set good goals and stick to them

Agood training programMust take many factors into account, and set realistic goals based on them. Beginners don't need to take every factor into account from the outset, but there are a few that should not be overlooked.

Because you can't concentrate on too many things at once, you need to know how to prioritize, both in the long and short term. Focusing only on the long term can lead either to a feeling of discouragement or, on the contrary, to a sense of urgency that will push you to the brinkovertraining.

By learning to contain your enthusiasm and forcing yourselfFocus on short-term goals(e.g. developing a perfect execution technique), you'll make steady progress and eventually reach your ultimate goals.

Once you've achieved your first short-term goal, move on to the next, and the next, and so on. Don't put the cart before the horse!

3 - Always keep your self-confidence

Bodybuilding is a long-term sport, and it is normal to fumble and sometimes make mistakes along the wayr.Stay confident and focused on your goals,the results will always come. But, as with any arduous discipline, it's sometimes necessary to challenge oneself without losing motivation.

4 - Knowing how to measure your commitment

Being committed to your training is useful and important, but here again, you need to be measured: making your whole life revolve around training and thinking only about it is both completely pointless and can also become a danger to the quality of your daily life.

Assign time slots for your training, and stick to them. The rest of the time, occupy yourself with your work, your loved ones and your other hobbies.

Anti-strain food supplements

As mentioned above, diet is particularly important to ensure quality training and to avoidovertrainingA balanced diet is fundamental, but it can sometimes be difficult to manage because there are so many factors to take into account (calorie intake, diversity of amino acids, etc.)

Food supplements, which are the allies of many bodybuilders, are particularly useful in this respect. In the event ofovertraining,Some are more beneficial than others, and we particularly recommendvisitfood supplements for recoveryBasedglutamine and BCAA for faster recovery

But there are others, each with a different purposerente.Comme as we shall see, they can be divided into several categories.

Nervous system supplements

Those most at riskovertraining are certainly people who don't get much sleep and are under stress: between recurrent sleep deprivation, stress and physical exertion, their lifestyle is particularly demanding, both physically and mentally.

For that kind of person,overtrainingIs not just physical: it's also mental, so you'll need to choose your complement accordingly.

In such a situation, you need to take care of your nervous system, and as such,tyrosineIs just the thing: stress tends to reduce the flow of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and noradrenaline, of which tyrosine is a precursor.

A study was carried out on a group of military personnel exposed for almost 5 hours to temperatures of 15 degrees at high altitude: one group was given a placebo and the other tyrosine. It was particularly evident that tyrosine relieves headaches, coldness, fatigue, drowsiness and muscular discomfort.

Another study was carried out on a group of students at a military school undergoing combat training. Those who had taken 2g of tyrosine performed better in memory exercises than those who had not.

Immune system supplements

OvertrainingAffecting the immune system usually results in a generalized feeling of malaise and/or chronic fatigue. If you find yourself affected by such overtraining, you'll need to take a few days off, but certain dietary supplements will help speed up the recovery process.

These includewhey, a protein that can have very positive effects on the immune system. It contains a high level of cysteine, which is very important for the synthesis of glutamine, which is also crucial for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Yet it has been observed that the peopleovertrained often suffer from glutamine deficiency.

Last but not least, glutamine (and therefore whey, which enables it to be properly absorbed) is much more effective in combating infections that can follow training.

Supplements for the musculoskeletal system

Even if you're not prone to degenerative joint disease, if you're not careful with your training, you run the risk of encouraging it.

So, even if you feel fine, a twinge in the elbow after a very intense session on pectorals, triceps or shoulders can be a harbinger of problems to come if left unchecked.

To prevent or relieve joint pain, you can take dietary supplements containingglucosamineAnd chondroitin sulfate, which contribute to healthy joints.

Conclusion

To avoidovertraining, there are several things to keep in mind:

- train hard but know how to rest

- Eat a balanced diet in line with your energy requirements

- Get 8 hours of sleep a night

- Drink plenty of water (at least 2.5 liters and more in summer)

- Listen to your body and know when to stop

If, despite everything, you find that you haveovertrained, we recommend that you :

- take 2 to 3 grams of tyrosine a day if your mental state is affected (acute stress)
- opt for a cocktail of glucosamine (1500 mg/day) and chondroitin sulfate (1200 mg/day) if your joints are aching.
- take whey with 5 to 15 grams of glutamine