Arlington, Texas Personal Trainer/Strength Coach, Josh Bryant, offers these tips to avoid overtraining
9 Ways for strength Athletes to Avoid Overtraining
1 .Vary training methods-You can’t do the same thing day in and day out and expect results to continue. Not only will you avoid overtraining but mental staleness and boredom. Remember there are plenty of variables to play with: frequency, tempo, repetitions, sets, total tonnage, intensity and the list goes on!
2. Take advantage of therapeutic modalities-Prehab, regab, chiropractic care, massage, EMS, contrast baths, there are plenty of other therapeutic modalities at your disposal.
3. Use good technique when lifting-Repetition is the mother of skill! Every time you do a rep correctly you become a “better lifter.” You also greatly enhance your chance of staying injury free.
4. Get 8 hours of sleep-Serious training athletes should minimally opt for 8 hours of sleep.
5. Proper nutrition and sound supplementation-You are what you eat! Proper supplementation is important for the hard training athletes. I use Metroflex Sports Products available here (provide link)
6. Take advantage of psychological modalities that enhance recovery like visualization or meditation-See yourself succeeding daily in your visualization. Your mind is a movie theatre, play a positive movie of you succeeding, making it vivid and real. Your central nervous system cannot tell the difference between a real and imagined experience. Research shows a negative experience occupies more room in your mind than a positive, so it can be easier to recall. Now that you know this play the positive over and over! Sometimes I lie on my couch and thinkof a blessing God has given me for every year of my life, I always feel great afterwards. Visualization is succeeded through relaxation not strain. Perception is reality! Remember God created you in his image you are his master piece!
7. Avoid all stressors that adversely affect your training, just say no to negative energy!
In the book of Samuel when David decides he is going to battle and defeat Goliath his older brother scoffs at with a mean spirited wise crack.
Look at Samuel 17:30And he turned from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
David turned from the negative energy and spoke to the others. What’s this mean? If we look at it deeply, it is telling us avoid pissing contests, negative energy has no place in the attainment of positive goals.
8. Avoid tobacco, alcohol and narcotics-Numerous studies shows these products can have damaging psychological effects when abused. I am not saying you can’t ever have a beer but the reality is a couple beers will acutely lower your testosterone levels, think what would happen if you drank on a regular basis.
9. Properly cycle training efforts-Prioritize and periodize. The best way to avoid overtraining is periodization and proper planning of training. Intensity must be cycled if you could just increase it week after week people would bench press 5000 pounds. Increasing your bench press 5 pounds a week for three years would results in a 780 pound increase. If you do the bar now you would beat the current raw world record by 110 pounds in three years.
Periodization is simply purpose driven training. You will not bench press 500 raw and run a 5 minute mile, well I won’t say you can’t but you would be the first. Prioritize and plan training accordingly, of course this is where a qualified coach helps. Concurrent training is common at commercial gyms where men hope to get as strong, explosive, lean and muscular as possible all at once, it never works. Bulking phases add muscle, strength phases get you stronger! Manage training objectives, instead of riding a concurrent road to failure.