Over training - Myth or Truth

Nastycrow

Nastycrow

Mr. BlobTitz
Staff member
Originally posted by: wanz
Date: August 06, 2008 at 03:11 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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I have been training for an amateur MMA event for 6 weeks. This last 7 days, I have been doing cardio, grappling, bag-work and cross-training every day. Today, my forearms are pretty tender and my hands shake while I am gripping something as simple as a glass of water. I have several questions regarding this:
1. Is there such a thing of over training? If so, is this a sign of over training?
2. I am taking the day off of training today to let my muscles recover. Is this enough?
3. How many days before the fight should I stop strength and cross-training? I still plan on running 3-4 miles/day to keep the calories off, but I don't know when to cut off the other hard core training.
Thanks in advance,
 
Originally posted by: ddog323
Date: August 06, 2008 at 03:31 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Randy Couture said he used to over-train when he was younger, and now he does it 'right'.
I've had 'the shakes' when i've had low sugar before.
 
Originally posted by: Phenom
Date: August 06, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Over training is very much real, it happens whenyou work your body past its limits over and over but don't take enough time to rest. guys with wrestling backgrounds tend to be the ones who over train the most. I know for my first fight I was way over trained and felt like crap the week of the fight.
taking a day off should help a lot, maybe tomorrow light drilling, padwork etc. you don't have to kill yourself everyday, somedays you can do that but you need to listen to your body and when it says hey take it easy listen and take a day off. Over training weakens your body and thats when you become really succeptable to injuries also it beats down your immune system, and its easier to get sick. Don't take what I am saying to mean that you shouldn't push through a little fatigue, because I'm not, you have to be able to push through a little pain and fatigue but when your hands are shaking from holding a glass of water its time to ease up a little.
Everyones different, I usually will have my last really hard strength training workout 8-9 days before a fight, then my last really hard conditioning workout will be a week before the fight. The week of the fight I stick to drilling, light rolling, pad work and stretching. I try to relax and sleep as much as possible, let your body recover. I will run but usually just to keep the weight down, depending on how much weight you are cutting the week of usually will determine how much you run and at what intensity. If you are fighting on a saturday and the weigh ins are friday I recommend maybe a light run on thursday but only if you need it and I emphasize the LIGHT part, if your weight is looking good then I would skip running that day.
24 hours out from the weigh ins I will stop fluid intake. The morning of weigh ins I wusually eat a half of a balance bar or something like that to get the metabolism running then Its weight cutting time.
 
Originally posted by: ulloa4h
Date: August 06, 2008 at 04:07 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Over training is a Fact, and so is irrelevant training. Contrary to what many people may think, you don't need to run 5 miles a day to "get in your cardio." Unless you plan on running during a fight, running should not be something that you practice religiously as a part of your training routine...Too much running can damage your knees. Too much heavy bag training or knuckle-hardening training can damage your hands/wrists. Train hard, train smart, but know when to say when.
 
Originally posted by: wanz
Date: August 06, 2008 at 04:20 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Thanks for the feedback guys. The only time I have done running in my training is when I took in too many calories. I learned early on that running is not the type of cardio you need for this sport. Station-based training circuits witht he 20 lbs weight vest has really paid off. I started training at 170 lbs and will fight at 145 lbs (currently at 155 lbs). So I will use running as a way to simply keep the weight off without tearing down my body too much. Then I will lose the last 9-10 lbs via dehydration starting 24 hours before weigh-ins.
Phenom, I will take your advice on the training the week before the fight.
 
Originally posted by: Archean_Life
Date: August 06, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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When I used to run competitively, I used to write "recovery training" in my training journal so that I would plan for recovery and remember why I was taking the day off. Also, recovery training days are good days to stretch, and/or do something with low or no impact, like light and easy running striders in the grass, yoga, chi gong, mediation, swimming, or easy aqua training (eg. punches and kicks in the pool).
 
Originally posted by: Brick
Date: August 07, 2008 at 09:35 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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wanz said:
Phenom, I will take your advice on the training the week before the fight.
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It's good advice, one you will get from experts in many sports. Back when I was into competitive swimming, we called it "tapering" the week or so before a big end-of-year meet. Slowly backing down your workouts so you are not killing yourself shortly before your competition. Your body is so used to expending so much energy every day that when you back it down, you should feel great going into fight day.
 
Originally posted by: Halvy51
Date: August 08, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Fact. Overtraining happens when over zealous competitive people don't know when to say when. This is where a good coach or trainer comes into play, but you also need to listen to your body. If you are tired, take a day off or just go do something out of the ordinary to give your body a break. Sometimes you can overtrain mentally too. It goes both ways. Too much training is just that, too much. With experience you will get to know your body and know when you need to throttle it back a bit so you don't overtrain.
Overtraining will lead to injuries, sickness, and mental anguish. Your body will hurt, shut down, you'll feel sluggish. Mentally you'll get down because you know you are training as hard as ever, but end up hurt or sore, or even worse, don't feel like doing it anymore.
 
Originally posted by: ulloa4h
Date: December 05, 2008 at 12:18 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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http://msn.foxsports.com/story/8881908?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002
This article is about people that religiously run everyday for decades at a time. Although this is a cute story, it is also a great way to injure yourself, unless you are some kinda Freak of Nature..
 
Originally posted by: Phenom
Date: December 05, 2008 at 02:05 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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I run usually 2 to 3 times a week for the first part of my training for a fight to get my baseline cardio good that and I enjoy running. Then after that I will run when I feel like it. I don't do it for cardio for my fight I just use it as something to help clear my mind I throw on my ipod and start running. It also helps keep my weight down.
 
Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: December 05, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Overtraining can be true.
People who attempt to workout hard and diet religiously every day regardless of fatigue or possible injury are generally the ones who are most at risk for overtraining.
You have to listen to your body and sometimes the best workout for your body is just a day of rest from your "routine" to let your muscles recover.
The only muscles you should (or can) work every single day are your abs and your back, because they recover fastest.
You can try to do a limb exercise like curls every single day, but eventually you're going to either hit the point where you're decreasing the weight load due to fatigue... or injuring yourself by trying to lift the same amount you would lift healthy with incredibly strained muscles.
Don't get me wrong... it's good (and necessary) to exercise when you're fatigued. It's just bad to habitiually do this though because your muscles are only meant to break down so much. If you continually break them down and just ignore all pain (not hurt, pain) then you're dramatically increasing your risk of serious injury.
 
Originally posted by: dombrow3
Date: December 05, 2008 at 03:31 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Weights should be 2 days on, 1 day off.
Training MMA, listen to your body. Never train more than 6 days a week though. I would probably go with 5.
 
Originally posted by: ManU4ever
Date: December 08, 2008 at 12:30 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Great points about over training guys! I'll add that knowing your body is number one and listening to it is number two. So often athletes who train for intense competition are taught to push past pain and mental blocks, so over training is a problem for some who don't know when to say when. If this is your problem (ie. being a tough guy), then learn to think while training. What does your body struggle with, when does it perform best, how much rest/sleep am I getting on godd days vs. bad days, etc. Considering these things during training as well as before and after. Also, listening to a training partner and even more so, a trainer/coach is wise. They can tell you things you may not know or what to admit to yourself.
OSU
makes a good point about training/working your back and abdominal muscles everyday (nearly). The reason for this is b/c, throughout the day, the most blood circulation occurs in the mid-section. More blood in turn runs through those muscles, allowing them to heal and replenish faster. This is also the reason its the #1 area for weight gain, more fat can be carried to that area as well (depending what you eat and how you live).
Aside from rest/recovery, don't forget the importance of stretching, not just to reduce the risk of injury but to help stimulate blood circulation to all parts of the body (resulting in faster recovery).
 
Originally posted by: LighthouseKeeper
Date: January 07, 2013 at 05:56 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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So how can you tell if you're overtraining? Feel sore or tired all the time? I've been training pretty hard recently and am starting to notice a general tiredness... maybe it's time to rest?
 
Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: January 07, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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LighthouseKeeper said:
So how can you tell if you're overtraining? Feel sore or tired all the time? I've been training pretty hard recently and am starting to notice a general tiredness... maybe it's time to rest?
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Well, you can genearlly only overtrain if there is something you are training for...
(I know that sounded stupid/condescending)
I will try to explain via example.
Back when I was running track, we were always training with big events in mind... if we had a routine dual meet coming up, we'd train balls out throughout the week and if our times sucked at the dual meet, it wasn't a big deal. If conference or sectionals were coming up, we're taper off in the days leading up to those meets in order to ensure our bodies were at optimal levels going into those events.
The last thing we wanted to do was run ourselves ragged to the point where we were 80% going into the big fight/meet/game/whatever.
If you don't really have a goal outside of general health, I would say that you can't really overtrain unless you train to the point of injury?
In general, if your event level performance is being hindered by your training schedule, you are overtraining. This can either be due to fatigue or injury.
 
Originally posted by: Moves_Like_Rashad
Date: January 07, 2013 at 01:37 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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This was discussed in great detail on another site ( a weight lifting site) I used to frequent. The general consensus among the more educated & experienced lifters was that over training is more or less affected by caloric intake than anything else. We discussed common themes & attributes among lifters, various athletes as well as those who work in physically demanding fields (military, physical labor) that dont often allow for keeping a routine of any kind. It was generally agreed that sufficient consumption of calories can compensate a great deal for other areas where you might be lacking.
 
Originally posted by: madictionary
Date: January 07, 2013 at 08:34 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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OverTraining is the Truth like Brandon Vera. Rule of thumb, the more physical your job, the less time you need to spend in the gym. Like if you lift heavy boxes all day, you don't need to spend much time on the Treadmill or Elliptical Machine. Just concentrate on building the muscles that do not get used as much at your job.
 
Originally posted by: mmahiro925
Date: August 23, 2013 at 12:05 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/over-training-myth-or-truth.4296/
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Check out 8weeksout.com lots of great info about S+C and the science behind overtraining. The website is authored by Joel Jamison who trains a host of UFC fighters
 
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