GREED NO NEED

Today, a vast majority of the training population is obsessed with the idea of weight loss or the big muscles building mania. My personal understanding and experience is that weight loss or muscle gains are a by-product of a balanced training program. Respect your body and it will respond with the results you are looking for. Over training is one of the ways to abuse the body.

Many people make the mistake of doing too many sets per exercise, and/or doing too many exercises per muscle group. It's very common for people who join a weight loss program or want great muscle size and strength gains to over-train to the point where they do more harm than good. A common weight-training recommendation is to do at least four sets for each exercise and at least four exercises for each muscle group. This idea that "more is better" is a big misconception in the strength training industry and is recommended in many "muscle magazines" and other sources.

But when you see Mr. or Ms. Olympia in muscle magazines describing their workouts of four to five sets per exercise and four to five exercises per muscle group, do not be fooled into thinking that if you want their results you have to do what they do.

These are professional body builders, quite likely to be on steroids; they can get away with these very intense long programs because their muscles are able to rebuild very quickly. If you are not on steroids--and for the sake of your health I hope you are not--your muscles will not be able to rebuild themselves quickly enough to make gains.

AVOID OVER TRAINING

Some people think that if training moderately is good, training a whole lot more is better. I once heard of a man who was advised by his doctor that a little brandy at bedtime would not only help him to get sleep, but would be beneficial to his circulation. He was a person who tried to do the best of what he did. He thought that if little brandy was good, more was better. He died of cirrhosis.

Listen to your body. Following are some of the body signals. If you feel burnt out, weak, and/or sore, you are probably overtraining. You might also feel lethargic and depleted. Not providing your muscles with enough rest will often prevent you from making improvements. Training the wrong muscle groups on consecutive days will also counteract your good results. Doing too many sets and exercises per muscle group will also cause over training.

Scientific studies on weight training reveals, especially in an intense program, produces tissue micro trauma. Those tiny tears in the muscles lead to temporary decrease in strength and cause varying degrees of muscle soreness. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to provide ample rest time between successive training sessions for the muscles to recuperate. Muscles generally require about 48 hours for the resting and rebuilding process before you work them again.

Those of you, who train very intensely, would benefit greatly by taking even more rest time between sessions.

TRAINING TOO OFTEN

Training too often leads to over training. How does over-training relate to injury? It negatively impacts the body's overall level of strength and conditioning. Over-training saps energy, thereby retarding progress. You can't grow when you're over-trained.

It also interferes with both the muscles and the nervous system's ability to recuperate - ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate, an energy compound in the cells) and glycogen stores are severely depleted when an agitated metabolic status is present. In such a depleted, weakened state, is it any wonder that injury is common, particularly if the individual insists on handling big weights? The solution is to cut back to 3-4 training sessions per week and keep session length to no more than an hour.

Remember: always allow your muscles a chance to grow especially when you are feeling over trained. If needed, give yourself an extra day off to grow. Never feel guilty about skipping a workout. That extra rest could be exactly what your body needs.

Realize that it's your body therefore handle it with care. Make friends with it and the body will serve you well. Weight training is just one of the tools by which you tune this wonderful mechanism of nature. Don't abuse your own body.