Almost anyone that's picked up a set of weights has or will experience symptoms of over-training at one point in there mass gaining program. Over-training can lead to serious injury, chronic fatigue, and even the loss of valuable muscle tissue.

Over-training is very common amongst athletes and particularly bodybuilders, since they figure that training as much as possible is the fastest way to building muscle fast.

This couldn't be any further from the truth however...

Training too much, or at an intesnsity that your body cannot handle will lead to over-training.  The qustion simply coms down to when it will happen.

Now this doesn't mean you don't have to put lots of effort in to your training sessions see significant results... Whether you are a bodybuilder, athlete, or just someone that wants to pack on some extra mass to your frame, you need to train hard and be consistent-simply put. In order to maximize the abilties of your genetics, you have to progressively overload the muscles by increasing the weight and / or intensity of each weight session.

The problem is however, that most of us bump up the intensity of our weight lifting workouts or get too little rest, or even worse, a combination of both. The trick is finding the right balance between workout volume and intensity, and rest and recovery. And that is exactly what this article will cover in detail.

The Effects of Over-Training on Bodybuilders

First, let's checkout some of the negative effects of over-training and how it can be prevented in the first place.

The Effects of Over-training on the Nervous System

Over-training effects both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the following negative ways:

If you are experiencing more than one of those symptoms, you may currently be in a state of over-training and should analyzie your muscle building routine ASAP!

The Effects of Over-training on Hormone Levels

Numerous studies have shown that over-training decreases the levels of muscle building hormones, as well as the hormone response in the body.  Since hormones play such a crucial role in the muscle building process, this can have a large negative impact on your progress.

Over-training has been show to:

The Effects of Over-training on the Immune System

One of the most alarming repercussions of over-training is how it negqtivly affects the immune system-you're bodies first defense against harmful viruses and bacteria.

Over-training can drastically decrease the levels of antibodies and lymphocytes in your body, making you much more prone to illness.  Simply put, this means that if you are in a state of over-training, you are much more likely to become ill.  On top of this, since you will have to skip workouts while you are sick, you will slow down the progress of your muscle building program considerably.

The Effects of Over-training on the Metabolic System

Here is a list of how over-training can  effect your body from a metabolic standpoint.  These symptoms are the ones that are most commonly discussed, and are ones that cannot be igrnored:

Is it Worse to Over-Train With Cardiovascular Exercise or Resistance Training?

Any form of over-training isn't good, however, after personally experienceing both types of over-training I can honestly tell you that over-training with weights is much worse than cardio, and much more common than over-training through  CV training.

Here are some of the reasons why:

How do I Know if I'm Over-training?

Determining if you're currently over-training is relatively easy.   If you're familiar with your body, you can often see the signs of over-training before they get too serious. 

Some of the mose common early signs of over-training include:

• Losing interest in training sessions
• Trouble sleeping
• You feel weak and irritable

If you are experiencing two or more of these symptoms listed above, this should raise a red flag.

Another variable you can use to determine if you are over-training is by tracking your bodybuilding routine.

How is your progress compared to your last training session?

Let's say last workout you were able to perform 10 repetitions of Chin-ups, but were only able to perform 8 during your next workout.  This means that you have not improved your previous workout, have not fully recovered, and therefore are likely over-training.  At this point you need to look over your program and make modifications so that you see increased progress every workout.

How Can I Prevent Over-training?

Avoiding over-training is easy, as long as you take the right steps-and a multi-facited approach.  It comes down to determining the right training volume and intensity, eating the right muscle foods, and getting the right amount of rest and recovery.

Now let's take a look at each of those factors in more detail...

Correct Training Volume

Determining the optimal training volume can be difficult, especially when you are first starting out.  You have to determine both the right amount of weight to lift, as well as the right number of repetitions to perform.

You need to use your own judgment in this case, based on your recovery ability and your recovery methods since everybody responds differently based on genetics, lefestyle etc.  The most important thing that you keep in mind is that you should be improving every single workout, and if you are not improving every workout, you need to cut down on volume, intensity, or both.

Unfortunately this is where many of you will go wrong.  You begin your workout and realize that you have not 100% recovered from your previous training session.  You can either continue to train at a lower intensity than the previous workout, or skip the workout entirely.

As hard as it may be, you should skip the workout.  Your body is telling you that it needs more recovery time.  Training now could actually make you lose muscle tissue!

If you think about it, there really isn't a point in training at a lower intensity than your previous workout and further breaking down the muscle tissue.   By doing this you will increase your risk of injury, and make it harder for your body to fully recovery for your next training session.  You can see how it now becomes a vicious cycle.

Proper Nutrition

Your mucle building diet plays a crucial role not only in how much muscle you build, but how fast you build that muscle mass.  It helps regulate hormone levels, provides energy, and provides the raw building blocks that are used to create new muscle tissue.

Here are some dietary tiops that will decrease the chance of over-training:

• Do not ever  skip breakfast.  This is one of the most important meals of the day.  Skipping breakfast will promote muscle loss.
• Never let yourself get hungry.  If you're trying to gain weight, you have to constantly feed your body nutritious foods so that it never burns muscle tissue as energy.
• Unless you are trying to build muscle mass and lose fat, make sure you have eaten prior to your workout session.
• Have the largest meal of the day within an hour after your training session, and do this each workout.
• Consider taking proven supplements like creatine, and a top rated whey protein powder to increase performand and decrease recovery time.
• Eat every 2-3 hours to promote and anabolic environment in your body.
• Keep glycogen levels at full capacity to inhibit muscle tissue breakdown.

Rest & Recovery