Don't Let Overtraining Kill Your Muscle Gain

By: Ricardo d Argence

You obviously are trying to get yourself in shape. If you aren't spending hours in the gym doing intense weight training, you are probably not going to achieve your desired results, and may think about enhancing your program. However, keep in mind that you must not overtrain.

If you work too hard without giving your body time to rest and recuperate between weightlifting sessions, you will get what is called overtraining.

It is essential to realize that when you build up muscle through exercise, it is actually breaking down this same muscle. You're not building the muscle in the gym, really. Instead, what you're doing is breaking down muscle in the gym and producing tiny injuries in the muscle then must heal and repair. When these injuries heal and repair, they heal and repair stronger than they were previously. In order to build muscle, you first need to break it down. Once you break down your muscle you need to let your body rest and the muscle repair. In doing this you will find that this is they way you actually build muscle.

Overtraining deprives your body of needed rest and does not allow it to adequately build and repair itself between workouts. In fact, as opposed to destroying muscle, you're actually building muscle when you notice this. Worse than that, though, you're actually hurting yourself in a number of other ways, too. Find out about these symptoms to see do you really training to much.

If this applies to you, improve yourself by getting on the track of building your physique. That is number one thing that you will possibly notice. Along with these symptoms, if you continue to overtrain your body, you will probably start to experience other symptoms.

Letting yourself recover after a workout is necessary so that your testosterone levels do not drop.

As unbelievable as it sounds, you could get chubbyer and bigger. You might gain weight you don't want to, in the form of fat. In continuing to overtrain, you will in effect be breaking down fat burning muscle without building it back up, as well as increasing your cortisol levels. There is a stress hormone called Cortisol that makes the body want to hold onto and retain the fat that is present, especially in the stomach area.

By overdoing it you are actually doing yourself harm as you weaken your immune system. This is because it is trying to deal with the fact that your body has constant inflammation from muscles that are damaged and sore. So if you find yourself getting colds and flu more easily, slow down. A good workout will help fight off colds and flue, not get them more.

Finally, keep in mind that when you overtrain, you're losing more muscle than you are gaining. This is the opposite of what you actually want to accomplish, and a good bodybuilding routine will assist you in achieving the muscle you want as well as avoiding the symptoms that you do not.

A bodybuilding routine should alternate periods of intense workouts with rest periods. You should lift challenging weights three or four times a week, and give yourself any days off that you need. It is a good idea to do some light cardio on the days you are not lifting, however you need to keep in mind it's important to rest your muscles after such heavy duty lifting. They need time to recover and to repair. This will help you bulk up in the best way, with muscle.

Even while resting your body can't recover and build new tissue unless it has certain elements it needs. That means that nutrition is just as important as rest is. Instead of indulging in potato chips and other types of junk food, you should be reaching for more healthy alternatives such as lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and whole grains. You should choose good nutritious calories that will make you feel full, and will aid your body in repairing itself between workouts. Do this, and soon you will not only see results but will feel better, too.

  Top of Page