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  #16   ^
Old Mon, Aug-18-03, 11:44
red1cutie's Avatar
red1cutie red1cutie is offline
"Natural Mystic"
Posts: 5,905
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 178/108/120 Female 5' 1"
BF:45%/17%/15%
Progress: 121%
Location: T.O.
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Thanks for sharing the article Nat!

Peace
red
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  #17   ^
Old Fri, Aug-22-03, 14:23
atlee's Avatar
atlee atlee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 1,182
 
Plan: SPII IS/BOAG
Stats: 186/136/140 Female 5' 5"
BF:A lot/18%/20%
Progress: 109%
Location: Jackson, MS
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Hmmm... what would be some signs of overtraining with weights? I have been so exhausted all the time lately, and my weight workouts have been just horrible -- not finishing sets, having to decrease weights, major DOMS, that kind of stuff. I've been pushing the cardio more than the weights for the last two months, and have made some gains there, but it seems like I'm losing ground in the weight room, and it just frustrates me to death. I've blamed some of the poor performance and general exhaustion on the heat, and on my general stress levels, and on lack of sleep, and on TOM, but now I'm wondering if overtraining might not be playing a role here.

I'm not doing all that much (weights 2-3x/week and cardio 3x/week, on alternating days, with 1-2 rest days), and I've been kind of lax about it lately due to stress/tiredness, but that overtraining article (and a couple others I googled) set off the alarm bells. Part of me says, "excuses, excuses", but part of me says that it sounds a lot like what I've been struggling with lately...
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  #18   ^
Old Fri, Aug-22-03, 17:33
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by atlee
I have been so exhausted all the time lately, and my weight workouts have been just horrible -- not finishing sets, having to decrease weights, major DOMS, that kind of stuff.
Overtraing is overtraining, and it sounds like you've got some of the classic symptoms. I know when I first realized I had allowed this to happen to myself I was reluctant to really believe it - this happens to 'athletes' not to average people like me is what ran around my head.

The best way to tell for sure is to take a week or 10 days off from all workouts and catch up on some rest. If you go back to working out and it's enjoyable again and you notice that you're stronger you know you were overtrainging. I've come to realize that simply shortchanging myself on sleep is enough to push me over the edge.

I've also learned to incorporate a week off every 3-4 months, to keep this from happening again.

-Nat
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  #19   ^
Old Fri, Aug-22-03, 23:18
atlee's Avatar
atlee atlee is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 1,182
 
Plan: SPII IS/BOAG
Stats: 186/136/140 Female 5' 5"
BF:A lot/18%/20%
Progress: 109%
Location: Jackson, MS
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Natrushka
Overtraing is overtraining, and it sounds like you've got some of the classic symptoms. I know when I first realized I had allowed this to happen to myself I was reluctant to really believe it - this happens to 'athletes' not to average people like me is what ran around my head.


Whoa, yeah, that's it in a nutshell! I mean, it's not like I'm running triathlons or climbing mountains, and "overtraining" is only when you start getting stress injuries, right? (Not when you start CAUSING stress injuries to others, which is about the point I've been at lately...) So obviously I'm just looking for excuses to get out of the gym, because there's no way I could possibly be overtrained, when all I do is run on the stupid elliptical and lift weights a couple times a week. Never mind that I feel like &*$%, my workouts suck, I'm starving all the time, I'm craving protein, I'm dropping weight I'm not trying to get rid of, and I'm having to take naps in the middle of the day. Nah, nothing wrong here at all.

But boy, it's hard to give yourself permission to relax about it, isn't it? I went to the gym tonight anyway, even after reading this thread, and it wasn't pretty. But I'm so afraid of gaining back the weight, and losing the discipline and drive, that taking a long time off is a little scary. I took a three-week vacation when I got married at the end of May, but other than that I've either been in the gym or feeling guilty about slacking. Maybe I need to realize that it's not just my head making excuses, but my body trying to tell me that it's worn out. Nat, you're the second person to tell me this week that I need to start listening to my body -- maybe I should get a clue, hmmm?
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  #20   ^
Old Sat, Aug-23-03, 09:55
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Talking Clues for sale - cheap!

Quote:
Originally Posted by atlee
I feel like &*$%, my workouts suck, I'm starving all the time, I'm craving protein, I'm dropping weight I'm not trying to get rid of, and I'm having to take naps in the middle of the day.

But I'm so afraid of gaining back the weight, and losing the discipline and drive, that taking a long time off is a little scary. I took a three-week vacation when I got married at the end of May, but other than that I've either been in the gym or feeling guilty about slacking.


Good news is clues are cheap today

You're dropping weight you don't need to drop and I don't mean to frighten you but that weight is probably not body fat. You managed a break when you got married and it doesn't seem to have negatively impacted your progress, except perhaps it made you push things a little too much. If you incorporate a planned 7 day break every few months then the longer breaks where you are forced to take time off wont happen.

The body is a machine, and it does best when it is given time to rest. The word overtraining makes the whole scenario seem implausible, I totally agree. Instead think "under recovering" and it's easier to swallow.

Many of us find that if we actively plan and talk about what we will do when we return to working out it helps keep us focussed and pushes those fears that we will slack off or lose the descipline to the background. From personal experience I can tell you that by the end of the week you're itching to get back in the gym. I'm coming to the end of 10 days off right now, and I can't wait to start lifting on Monday

-Nat
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  #21   ^
Old Sun, Aug-24-03, 21:28
pltrygeist pltrygeist is offline
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Posts: 39
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 195/195/212 Male 6'0
BF:11%
Progress: 0%
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Excellent suggestions on preventing overtraining and cortisol excesses. I feel overtraining is usually the result of "under-resting".

In particular DHEA and related compounds are the most exciting of what you mentioned it’s my opinion that DHEA and metabolites are some of the strongest cortisol controlling agents I know of because of the PPAR-gamma, uncoupler protein and brown adipose tissue affected. There is some evidence that GABA derivatives are being examined to do the same thing. Very exciting future developments.

I would only add that anyone interested in using dietary supplements to lower cortisol do so only after reading extensively on the subject. You don't want to affect cortisol one way or the other without knowing exactly what you're doing. There is lots of room for error.

Thanks for the hard work on the article.
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  #22   ^
Old Sat, Aug-30-03, 04:46
timco timco is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 195
 
Plan: Atkins / Protein Power
Stats: 215/152/150 Male 68 inches
BF:
Progress: 97%
Location: New York City
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Very helpful post! Thank you Natrushka.
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  #23   ^
Old Sat, Aug-30-03, 07:19
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
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Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
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pltrygeist and Tim, you're both welcome

-Nat
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  #24   ^
Old Sun, Jul-23-06, 07:55
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BawdyWench BawdyWench is offline
Posts: 8,791
 
Plan: Carnivore
Stats: 212/179/160 Female 5'6"
BF:
Progress: 63%
Location: Rural Maine
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I'm dusting off this old thread because I have some questions. I've had the ASI (adrenal stress index) test done and found my free cortisol is depressed for the first two readings. (This is a four-times-a-day test.)

I was told my adrenals are fatigued and have been put on a load of supplements. I'm taking DHEA, Adreset, Astragalus, and Isocort, all to help out my tired adrenals. I'm also on estrogen and progesterone.

I had been taking glutamine (around 20 grams) for about a month last December, and had good results. For whatever reason, I stopped taking it. As of today, I'm starting again.

How does this relate to everything being said here? Sorry for being so dense!
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  #25   ^
Old Sun, Jul-23-06, 11:31
mike_d's Avatar
mike_d mike_d is offline
Grease is the word!
Posts: 8,475
 
Plan: PSMF/IF
Stats: 236/181/180 Male 72 inches
BF:disappearing!
Progress: 98%
Location: Alamo city, Texas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Natrushka
The best way to tell for sure is to take a week or 10 days off from all workouts and catch up on some rest.-Nat
Hummm ... I have always had the "skin Tags." I find it hard to take a complete day off from exercise, much less a week-- I would go bonkers.
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  #26   ^
Old Sun, Jul-23-06, 12:15
BawdyWench's Avatar
BawdyWench BawdyWench is offline
Posts: 8,791
 
Plan: Carnivore
Stats: 212/179/160 Female 5'6"
BF:
Progress: 63%
Location: Rural Maine
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Me, too! Hate those little buggers!
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  #27   ^
Old Sat, Aug-12-06, 05:04
kwik's Avatar
kwik kwik is offline
New Member
Posts: 9
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 310/305/110 Male 5 feet 10 inches
BF:
Progress:
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wow awesome article. thx!
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  #28   ^
Old Thu, Mar-01-07, 15:06
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Ruralgurl Ruralgurl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 437
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 225/190.5/150 Female 5' 7"
BF:
Progress: 46%
Location: British Columbia
Talking

OOps out of practice

Last edited by Ruralgurl : Thu, Mar-01-07 at 15:12. Reason: doubled up
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  #29   ^
Old Thu, Mar-01-07, 15:10
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Ruralgurl Ruralgurl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 437
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 225/190.5/150 Female 5' 7"
BF:
Progress: 46%
Location: British Columbia
Post Good Info!

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Natrushka we thank you for all your work!
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