Overtraining: Does It Exist?
In the 1980’s there was a pair of off the wall, hilarious twins called the Barbarian Brothers. Like all things 1980s they were high testosterone. While probably more widely known for corny movies than for thier bodybuilding, their gym feats and antics are stuff of legend. Fully befitting of their barbarian moniker they had this to say on the subject of overtraining: “There is no such thing as overtraining, just undereating and undersleeping”.
I’m wholly inclined to agree.
If one were to read up on the strongmen of yesteryear, one would be dumbfounded as to how far we have regressed.
The average gym goer seems more concerned about contacting rhabdo and getting injured, than about actually making gains.
Plenty of people in the past and now are doing, and have done far more physical work than you. You may have to try harder.
Here’s my experience:
The Mind
First, and most importantly is the mind. It can force you to do more when you’re thinking of bitching out, but at the same time stop you in your tracks if you don’t control it.
It can over come lack of food and sleep to a high degree. You can mentally decide overtraining doesn’t exist, and watch as that becomes your reality.
While maybe not fully, an aggressive, take no prisoners attitude can work wonders.
If you’re mind isn’t in the right place extra eating and sleeping may just make you like any fat welfare recipient.You could become a disgusting fat layabout.You don’t want that.
Some days you may have to back off. But you may find the act of warming up gets you where you need to be physically. Warming up for a longer period can change how heavier work will go that day.
This morning I awoke early and ravenous, but with my lower back locked. My body may have been pointing to an off day, but my mind was fired up, and I decided to train anyway.
Drive + Pumps/Flush The System
With my back locked, and my right bicep tendon feeling off I drove to the gym. On the way there i was cold, and realized to keep from actually getting an injury I may have to back off a bit. Instead of fat bar pulls I’d do lots of bodybuilder style volume for the same muscles.
I started with 10-15 supersets of lat pulldowns and leg curls. Stupid light, sets of 10. I even wore long sleeves instead of my normal wife beater to compound the warming effect.
After 5 supersets I upped the weight slightly on leg curls.
After 10 I decided to add a lot of weight to both and did a heavy set of 8 pulldowns followed by a set of leg curls with the stack. This surprised me as I’m almost never able to use the stack.
At this point I’m an hour in, and my lats, biceps, hamstrings, and glutes are pumped up. Plus my lower back was no longer locked. I’d moved enough blood around the system. It only took an hour, and now I felt safe to do the fat bar block pulls as I originally intended.
They went decently. It’s a new movement, and the reps start at my weak point. It takes more effort than from the floor for me. I can deadlift more than I can pull from the raised height. I’m fine with this. Strengthen the system.
If you want to hit a big lift daily or at least near daily you can. I’ve been doing it, and just doing a bit of movement variety, and intensity cycling.
Keep Injury Free
To stave off injury you may have to do some pump work on a day you intended to lift heavy. If you add in more (I’m conditioning daily too) you’ll have to do more to recover. It took a week for the exhaustion to hit me, but I ain’t stopping yet. I just have to keep my mind right, and do what has to be done. These are:
- Eat more
- Sleep more
- Pump blood into sore areas, and more frequently
- Stay fucking aggressive mentally, if I say I’m pulling 5-7 days a week I damn sure better.
It may seem counter intuitive but I think adding in more will help. Either start every session with pump/flushing work or add some light AM sessions of the same.
This is a blitz to hit huge PRs on my deadlift(fat bar). I conquer my body, not vice-versa. When I was squatting everyday I once did 50+ sets of 5 with 135 one morning to loosen up a crazy tight hip, and only then got into the heavier sets. This is the mentality you need. To pull you may have to do an hour+ of bodybuilder shit to be good to go.
If you’re crazy sore you gotta pump blood and move. Whether you use the same movement and/or the same muscle groups is up to your discretion. Remember I don’t get injured. You may have to take more precaution than I.
Prioritize + My Workout Structure
Choose a lift to prioritize, and just crush it for as long as it takes.
People in the past have done this, and so can you.
There’s no such thing as overtraining. You just have to recover harder.
I have no problem putting in more work, I have to make sure I recover. My sessions look like this:
- Pump/Flush the system
- Big upperbody movement(optional)
- Pulling movement, cleans and/or deadlifts on the fat bar.
- More Pump/Flush work
- Abs and/or lower back
- Forearms (optional, they’re already being blasted)
- Quad Work( Just added back in, I think its the lagging point for the pulls)
- Condition ( rotate duration, movement, and intensity)
I simply have to make sure I sleep well, and eat more. Already I’m recomping from the last week or two, and at this point I need to up the calories. I can’t seem to eat enough right now. The physical is strange right now. Mentally I’m fantastic. I want to crush weights, and this is great.
Do What You Gotta Do + Remember It’s All In Your Head
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t-you’re right.” -Henry Ford
-J