OVERTRAINING

Guest Post Article By Mike "The Machine" Bruce

I am writing this not only for all the new guys that may just be starting out but also for all you vets out there that have been training for a long time.

I have been training for 20+ years now on all different levels and yet still I go to far at times and don't listen to my body or pay attention to the signs of overtraining.

Yesterday was a prime example: I am a salty dog when it comes to training and I can't just do a wokout and just go easy. I always seem to be going all out at all times. Well I have had a great couple of months and have achieved many personal bests at the training compound. But lately my motivation has somewhat diminished a tad. I have not been sleeping well, my body has been aching in places that I have'nt even worked directly and I have just felt not up to par. I began seeing the fact of the matter is that it is time to take a break.

I know better and should have done just that, but being the stubborn, salty dog that I am I pushed onward yesterday and ended up hurting myself. Nothing big, but I either pulled on one of my lower ribs or tweaked something along that playing field, so now my body made me take the break that I should of taken a while back.

 

 Taking a week off from working out is actually one of the best things you can do to improve yourself. Your body will thank you for the much needed rest. You will not lose any strength or size. When you are at rest is when your body actually builds itself back up from all of your training. After the week off you will probably come back even better than you were before.

Pay close attention to your body and the signs of overtraining:

* sleepnessness,
* lack of motivation,
* strength loss,
* weight loss,
* body aches [not the aches of training]

Don't be afraid to rest for a week and take this time to do things that maybe you have been slacking on such as hobbies you like to do, spend more time with your wife or kids if you have either one of them, don't even think about working out, just relax and eat some good food,cheat a little bit from the norm but don't go overboard.

The body is an amazing gift that god made for us to take care of and belive me if you feed,train and rest the body the right way it will RESPOND many times over, mould it, tweak it to the way you want it to be. What better gift is that but to have total control of yourself?

Best Regards........Mike "The Machine" Bruce
www.mikethemachine.com