More Isn't Always Better

Are you not seeing progress as fast as you'd like? 

When I see people who are unhappy about their current situation whether it's the shape they're in or pain they have, most people are in a huge rush to get the results they want

 

"I'll work extra hard tomorrow since I skipped my workout today" is a common way of thinking 

But this type of thinking is incorrect. It is not only delaying the results you want so badly, it can be also dangerous 

This concept is better known as overtraining 

 

 

 

 

Top signs you might be overtraining 

 

 

1. Training with excessive volume & intensity  

Rest is equally as important, if not more important than your training. Gains are not made in the gym, they are made when your body rebuilds itself; when you eat, sleep, and give your body time to carry out its rebuilding processes. If you do not allow enough time for recovery, you won’t make much progress.

 

     2. You are constantly sore 

Soreness in itself is not a good or bad thing, it is simply feedback to your body's response from a new or challenging stimulus. If your body is sore everyday, there is a high chance you are not allowing enough time for your body to recover, grow or adapt, which will delay your progress 

 

     3. You hit plateaus 

Whether your pain stops making progress, you aren't putting on size like you want, or the weight you are lifting is staying stagnant, these are all major signs again you may be overtraining. If you don't give your body enough time to recover and rebuild it is very difficult to become stronger or relieve your pain

 

 

How you can correct these flaws

 

 

1. Balance out your routine 

Maybe you need an extra day of rest, or maybe you just need to space out your workouts more. Everyone's situation is unique to their body and goals. There is no one size fits all. More is not always better. Sometimes less is more 

 

2. Add variety to the weight and volume you train with 

If you constantly try to go as heavy as you can, add in one or two lighter intensity days. These are very important for keeping forward progress while giving your body a chance to rest and recover. This also adds an element of "surprise" which prevents your body from totally adapting to your routine 

 

3. Lifestyle changes

Sleep, nutrition, and stress play huge roles in how our body's adapt, or how they don't adapt. One of these missing puzzle pieces can be detrimental to your growth. Sleep good, eat well, but carry lots of stress, you will notice. Sleep well, manage stress, but eat poorly, results will be slow if any. Eat well, manage stress, but get little sleep, your body will rebel 

 

 

Doing more or working extra hard does not make up for missing one or multiple workouts. So whether you skipped a day, a week, or 6 months from the gym, getting back into your routine the #1 focus should be consistency. 

Not necessarily with how much weight you use, but in terms of intensity and intention. 

It's not always about how much weight you lift. 

The harder you try to force your body to change, the more it will resent 

Yes, you should absolutely be pushing yourself during all of your workouts, but to a smart and reasonable extent. 

As always, NOTHING beats consistency 

If you are dealing with pain because you discover weakness in a certain area, it is important to be mindful how fast you progress the weight you use.

Building strength requires progressive overloading. If you increase the weight too much too soon you can experience flare ups. Slow down, reduce the intensity, stay consistent and be patient 

If you want to build muscle or strength and believe the best way to do this is to spend 2+ hours in the gym destroying yourself, your physique will surprise you by not growing much

If you want to lose weight and spend hours running on a treadmill your body will take longer to lose body fat. 

 

These problems all require different approaches, but they share the same concept. 

Any goal you want to achieve requires time and patience

Trying to speed up the process will leave you feeling frustrated. You need to be in it for the long game if you want long term success