Over Training, or, Under Recovering?
, by Sandesh Prasannakumar, 4 min reading time
This is a really interesting topic, some say overtraining exists, others say it’s total nonsense and there are some who will say there’s the potential for under-recovery and overtraining.
It’s all sounds a bit complex like, but it doesn’t need to be.
Common sense will tell you overtraining can occur because training 20 times a week would put you in the ground! We don’t need to be a pedantic smart-arse about it to realize that’s true, surely?
Overtraining is rife among gym rats, Cross-Fitters, etc because they don’t appreciate how important giving the body time off to recover is. Their attitude is ‘more is better’ which couldn’t be further from the truth.
I’m a BIG volume guy so I love training in big sessions and I like frequency, I only have one day a week off….. but I know my body can tolerate that - I’ve built up to it; I eat and sleep according to my training schedule and body’s needs and of course, I’m using all of the right supplements at the right time (more on the last two key points in a bit).
In reality, most people are not doing these things, so they find that their body goes into a downward spiral where they ache all of the time, they feel weak, low on energy, lethargic and all the other s**t-sides associated with being in an overtrained state.
So where does this leave us then?
We all have a specific training tolerance that we can build up to and develop with gradual overload, provided the right ingredients are going into your mouth on a daily basis and we recognize how important sleep is like.
So if your training volume is X you can look to bump it up by maybe one session a week and see how ya’ body responds to it. You’ll need to factor this in on a nutritional front like, and don’t forget your supplementation for recovery too.
To avoid falling into a state of being under recovered there’s a lot ya’ can do to immediately dot all the I’s and cross all the T’s.
- Eat enough of the right food, at the right time to support workouts and re-fuelling after training. NO protein-fasted am workouts for instance! (Why people do this is beyond me like)
- Stay hydrated. Be very aware of how much water you take in each day!
- Manage cortisol and find the time to chill the f-out!
- Limit stimulant use. Avoid ‘pre-workouts’
- Help the body relax
Recovery is one of the major categories where supplementation does really come high up on the list like. In some areas, a good diet will do ya but with recovery we really want to be using supplements in my opinion man.
Here are some of my ‘must-have’ supplements for recovery.
1) Matrix Recover 2.0: This will give you the nutrients needed in the correct, scientifically proven dosages after your workout. This is like a ‘one-stop-shop’ for post-workout recovery. Give the body around 30 minutes to ‘stabilize’ after your session and then take a serving onboard that is representative of your workout. See the product page on the Genetic Supplements website for a bit more info here.
2) Immune Support & CNS Recover: I’ve no spleen, so I designed this to be the ultimate in immune system support products. Keeping the Central Nervous System healthy is SO important for preventing a state of under-recovery from setting in. If you let your CNS get burnt out then muscle contractions will literally go to pot and ya’ immune system will start to suffer big style! If this is the case and we’ve pushed too far then we have my CNS Recover product to save the day…….trust me, if you’re CNS is frazzled this is the baby for you!
3) EliteSleep: Sleep really is where recovery will happen. This is because our anabolic hormones will peak during deep sleep and your CNS will switch off allowing your muscles to properly relax. That’s IF ya’ doing things right man. Oh, you use pre-workouts and can’t sleep properly? Awesome things pre-workouts aren’t they? What a crock of shit! Anyways, off-topic again……..So, use my EliteSleep product or ZMA, avoid caffeine 6 hours before bed! Put the Adrenal Fatigue 24/7 pre-workout in the bin and let those muscles RELAX.
Add in some long Genetic Epsom Salts soaks in the bath and you’ll have a great recovery regime in place. Also, other things which we can do to enhance our recovery would be:
- Frequent deep tissue massage ta’ break down scar muscle tissue
- Yoga to keep help the body stay supple. I have to admit I’m advising this from a remote perspective here by the way. I know a lot of people who employ yoga in their relaxation-regime but the Big Fella’s not one for the ‘Downward-Facing-Dog’ like but give it a go and let me know how it helps ;0)
So, get your ‘recovery game’ on man and your growth will start to flourish again!
Trust me on this one
