Analyzing Bodybuilding and Over Training

Bodybuilding in sports science parlance is the systematic use of physical routines to build strength, stamina, flexibility and muscle mass. Professional bodybuilding has been around since the sixties and remains a popular professional and recreational activity today.

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Overtraining is one problem with bodybuilding. Overtraining occurs in both new bodybuilder and veteran bodybuilders. The premises, motivations and consequences are different for the two types of bodybuilders.

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Overtraining by novice bodybuilders

For novice bodybuilders, too much training often results in unnecessary soreness and injury. In some cases, too much training can make the workouts unbearable. For novice bodybuilders, there is often the misconception that one needs to exert extra effort in the beginning of the program to get results. Fact is, the body will continue to lose weight as long as you simply exercise.

Simple exercises such as walking burn the same amount of fat as other more rigorous activities. One only needs to do the exercises regularly to lose weight. Losing weight is key to effective bodybuilding.

Overtraining by veteran trainers

According to John H. Downing of The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, the problem with veteran bodybuilders is different:

"Some veteran trainers, who followed correct training progressions in the beginning of their programs, develop a more subtle manifestation of over-training. They increase their training frequencies to five to seven times per week and fail to see expected gains because they do not cycle their workouts effectively. As they increase their workout frequencies, they decrease their allotted recovery time."

Furthermore, Downing emphasizes other problems with the approach of some veteran trainers and the subtle effects of overtraining, which is also harmful for bodybuilding goals:

"As their muscles are unable to recover from the effects of their training regimen, they become easily fatigued, often lose motivation, encounter training retrogression with resultant staleness, and/ or develop acute or chronic injuries (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, 1984; Kibler, Chandler, & Stracener, 1992)."

Proper recovery time

Proper recovery time is necessary to make a bodybuilding regimen work. What is recovery time? As we all know by now, bodybuilding actually takes a toll on the human muscles. The toll in the human muscles result from the overload formula, or the overloading principle that is done to build muscle mass. From a biological point of view, the overload principle is unnatural to begin with. The unnatural nature of the overload principle means that the human frame is pushed to particular heights that it was not primarily designed to endure.

The good thing here is that the human frame is capable of adapting and can "grow" tremendously during periods of sustained physical overload. The overload formula should not be abused to gain more muscle mass - natural bodybuilding simply does not work that way. According to Downing:

"Atha (1981) suggested that beginners train three days per week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) to achieve adequate rest and recovery."

"Experienced lifters should take into consideration their training goals, type of exercises, and workout intensities when determining their rest intervals, although the rule of thumb is usually to rest individual muscle groups at least 48 hours between training bouts (Atha, 1981; Fleck & Kraemer, 1997)."

Analyzing Bodybuilding and Over Training

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