Good for you, you obviously are trying to get yourself in shape. If you’re not spending hours in the gym doing intense weight lifting, then it’s probably true that you’re not going to get the results you want and you’ll need to step up. However, there is one caution you’re going to have to take note of, you’ve got to avoid overtraining.
If you work too hard without giving your body time to rest and recuperate between weightlifting sessions, you will get what is called overtraining.
Once you understand that when building muscle, muscle is breaking down, you will understand overtraining. You’re not building the muscle in the gym, really. When you are inside the gym you are actually breaking down muscle and producing small injuries to that particular muscle that your body must then heal and repair. When these injuries heal and repair, they heal and repair stronger than they were previously. The process that actually builds muscle is that your body, while you rest, will repair the muscle tissue that is broken down during the workout.
Your body can be damaged when you overtrain because you are not allowing it the proper time to build and repair between workouts. This is an indication that you are stopping the creation of new muscle tissue. Worse than that, though, you’re actually hurting yourself in a number of other ways, too. Be alert for these symptoms as they indicate you are probably overtraining.
First of all, when you are overtraining, you will be working really hard, but you won’t be building much if any muscle. That’s the first thing you’ll probably notice. If you keep going with overtraining, though, you’re probably going to notice other symptoms, too.
Letting yourself recover after a workout is necessary so that your testosterone levels do not drop.
As unbelievable as it sounds, you could get chubbyer and bigger. You might gain weight you don’t want to, in the form of fat. In continuing to overtrain, you will in effect be breaking down fat burning muscle without building it back up, as well as increasing your cortisol levels. There is a stress hormone called Cortisol that makes the body want to hold onto and retain the fat that is present, especially in the stomach area.
When you overtrain, your immune system reacts by becoming weaker. That’s because it’s trying to handle that your body is in a state of constant inflammation from damaged, sore muscles. So if you find yourself getting colds and flu more easily, slow down. A good bodybuilding regimen should make you less susceptible to colds and flu, not more so.
Finally, keep in mind that when you overtrain, you’re losing more muscle than you are gaining. This is the opposite of what you actually want to accomplish, and a good bodybuilding routine will assist you in achieving the muscle you want as well as avoiding the symptoms that you do not.
The best pattern for bodybuilding is to follow one day of intense weightlifting by one day of resting. You should be giving yourself a day of in between when you are doing heavy lifting three to four days a week. While giving your muscles a break from heavy lifting is important on your rest days, it is advised that you include some light cardio. They need time to recover and to repair. This is what going to help you bulk up in a good way, with muscle.
Even if your body is resting, it cannot repair and replenish itself until it’s got the tools to do so. That means that nutrition is just as important as rest is. You should choose lean potatoes fruits and vegetables, and whole grains over junk food like potato chips. Quality nutritious calories that will charge you and supply your body with strength after training. If you follow this workout, you will begin to see results quite quickly and start to feel much better as well.
Tags: bodybuilding, Exercise, fitness, health, Health&Fitness, men's issues, muscle building, muscle gain, Nutrition, overtrining, self improvement, sports, weight training, women's issues, work out