3. A second look at overtraining

3.1 Misconceptions
"There is no overtraining, just undereating"
-- Trey Brewer, NPC competitor.

"I'd rather be 10% undertrained than 1% overtrained"
-- Michellie Jones, World class triathlete, world champion.

There is a gross misunderstaning of overtraining on this board, and this is why I decided to write a whole section on this subject.

The first quote is attributed to Trey Brewer. Trey is an amazing athlete with tremendous recovery capacities, we can also guess that he is on a lot of "ergogenic aids". Testosterone has often been linked in many studies to increase not only protein synthesis (nitrogen retention), but also improve neural adaptations. Eating properly can also improve recovery, but over-eating has never been linked to improved recovery. An athlete like Trey has such recovery capabilities that he has probably never even come close to overtraining; but make him train 10 hours a day at 80-90% intensity, and you'll obviously see a dramatic decrease in performance. Overtraining still exists: it just takes a whole lot more training for him to get in that state.

The second quote is much smarter. Triathletes, cyclists, xc skiers, runners, etc. are athletes using very high volumes of training. Intensity is usually not used more than 2-3 times a week. These athletes have to constantly monitor their performance and feelings in training to avoid overtraining. If you had to remember only one thing from this text, it would have to be Figure D: gradual decrease in performance from overtraining.

3.2 Overreaching

The definition of overtraining is "A prolonged state where training stimuli exceed the athlete's capacity to recover". Overreaching is about the same thing, but where this state is kept to a much shorter duration.

Only very experienced athlete should ever attempt overreaching. You have to know yourself very well, and be in total control of your training. I would personnally never recommend overreaching to a person with a family, a job, and a regular social life. All these factors can bring stress in one's life, which would go against the idea of total control that is needed to succeed in overreaching.

When the period of CONTROLLED overreaching is ended, a period of similar duration with much lower volume and intensity should be used. Overreaching can be used about a month prior to a major competition, in order to create a peak.

3.3 Signs of overtraining

- sensitive to criticism
- tendency to isolate oneself from coach and teammates
- lack of fighting power
- "fear" of competition
- lack of coordination, technical faults
- slower rate of recovery
- decrease in performance (10% +)
- prone to injuries/infections
- insomnia
- lack of appetite
- sweat very easily

4. A quick analysis of some generic training programs

A lot of "generic" training programs are posted on the Internet. Most of these are used by the average gym-goer as a mean of planning. In most cases, these methods can easily be integrated into a periodized annual training program.

Max-OT: Maximum Overload Training:
High intensity (4-6 reps, 90% of 1RM), low volume, medium frequency (normally 5 days/wk), low density (long rest periods between sets). This can fit very well into a maximum strength training period.

HST: Hypertrophy Specific Training:
Varying intensity, varying volume, varying frequency, medium density. This method applies a lot of periodisation principles. You vary the intensity by not always working to RM. This allows you to have 1 easy week, followed by a medium week, followed by a harder week. You work each muscle much more often than the usual training program. This is more geared towards bodybuilder than powerlifters.

HIT: High Intensity Training:
High intensity, low volume, low frequency, high density (short rests). This can fit well into a maximum strength training period, but it would better be used by a bodybuilder than a powerlifter because weights have to be lower because of the shorter rest periods.

GVT: German Volume Training:
Low intensity, high volume, high frequency, medium density. Described as brutally hard, it would fit well into a hypertrophy training phase; however, it shouldn't be used for extended periods since it may result in too mch stress.

Milos' giant sets:
Milos Sarcev, a retired IFBB pro bodybuilder, has been known to use extreme sets with his athletes. This is very low intensity (50% or less of 1 RM), very high volume, varying frequency, high density. One would use very low weights, and do 10 sets without rest, going from one machine to the next. All the machine used would target the same muscles. According to Milos, this creates a state of hyperenemia, which favorise muscle growth. I can only see this as adaptation training: it could be good for connective tissues.

Smolov:
This is a good example of overreaching. Obviously, noone would do Smolov for extended periods of time, and this is the way it is meant to be used. The warnings I mentionned in section 3.2 apply here: an inexperienced lifter would get more damage than improvement.

5. References and suggested reading

- Tudor O. Bompa, Lorenzo J. Cornacchia, Serious Strength Training, Human Kinetics Pub, 301 pp
- Tudor O. Bompa, Theory and Methodology of Training: The Key to Athletic Performance, Kendall Hunt Pub Co, 381 pp

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