Question…. How do you know if you are over training? I have had a couple people tell me that I need to be careful and that I needed more recovery time…I love training, usually do a cross fit style along with some cardio 5-7days a week. I dont want to add rest days, but I also dont want to limit my gains because I am not resting… what do you think?
Rick Hulkes: Rest helps, you should always give your muscles some rest to recover and rebuild properly 🙂
Shelley van der Berg: Think of rest days as part of your training not as taking the day off. If your body is in constant state of repair you will find injury and fatigue just around the corner. Rest doesnt have to mean inactive, a scenic walk, outdoor yoga or a gentle cycle in the woods can fill that restless space. The gains will soon show when you find youve got renewed enthusiasm and a little left in the tank for the next killer session.
Pete Ryan: How much you train will depend on your lifestyle to some extent. If you only train, then doing workouts more regularly is certainly achievable (look at many sports like gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, swimmers as examples of long sessions by full-time athletes)….but if you have a life, a job & other stress factors then, in all honest, you have to find balance. If you intend to compete in the games, then maybe youll have to put everything else to one side, but remember there is no competitor who is achieving good health with their workouts (in any sport really). You are either into health or into performance & one will suffer to achieve the other. So, really you have to choose your goals & run with that knowing that you cannot train that hard without compromises in health. So look at your goals & decide exactly what your aims are.
Katie Simpson: Wow, lots of good information…Pete, that really hit home for me. Health is very important to me along with performance so I guess I need to find a balance. I am going to try to shift my perception of resting to just being part of my training (Thanks Shelley). I feel slightly addicted to training, lol…do any of you struggle with that?Thank you all for taking the time to respond…greatly appreciated!
Pete Ryan: A lot of people struggle to find balance I think. In the extreme it can adversely effect relationships & also yourself if you begin to see yourself only in terms of gym results. Obviously a serious, competitive athlete will be somewhat selfish & focussed on their own goals, they have to be to stand a chance of winning these days, but the rest of us have to balance out our lives, spend time on the body, the mind, our relationships etc.
Alex Mitchell: Overtrain. Cant happen just eat loss bro… Eat sleep train like a crazy fool just lift wellOooooosh
Alex Mitchell: And after reading you r comment Pete you are right. You have got to be selfish for sport I have come back after recent problems and am training seven days a week. Im lucky my partner loves me trying to be Ronnie Coleman. but my greedy gains have always come from training hard frequently and using a but of head