How to tell if you're overtraining/under recovering?

[rgvbaptist]

@cozicup To add to this, is your form strong on these lifts? Are they super familiar to you and have you had critique on your form? Obviously the volume is the main issue and sounds utterly exhausting, but I wonder if you could be even more fatigued than anticipated without proper body mechanics.

 

[soulsearcher57]

@cozicup I'm a proponent of self-experimentation. In your shoes, I'd try working up to the 6x a week over the course of a month or so. Once I hit 6x I'd maintain that for about 6-7 weeks, then re-evaluate. Sounds like your body could just be like WTF U DOING TO ME? It might adjust if you plan it out a bit slower. This slower increase often works for me, at least. My body takes a bit of time to adjust but once it does it's chill.

 

[cozicup]

@soulsearcher57 I like how you put that! It makes a lot of sense. Before I started I questioned if I could handle it but figured the way to find out was to try. So next week I dial it back a bit and continue the experiment.

 

[soulsearcher57]

@cozicup Excellent!

 

[thestvn]

@cozicup it seems like you already know the answers.

But I'm also only used to doing 4x a week. Maybe I need to work up to 6x a week? Or maybe my sleep schedule doesn't support that much training time? Maybe I'm not eating well enough either?

probably all of the above. or you had an off day. how do you feel about continuing at this pace?

the real question is: what are you in a position to change? you can eat more or you can train less or both. sleep is harder to fix but it's worth working on as well.

 

[cozicup]

@thestvn We are moving eventually, we live in an area with a really slow real estate market so it's taking time. My current job is the best job for me in the area. I like it but the schedule sucks. When we move I will have a different schedule, rotating shifts, but I will be able to improve my sleep dramatically that way.

I have been eating more, even though I would prefer to try to eat less. I have issues with bingeing so it feels safer to let myself eat when I feel hungry than end up bingeing later.

I WANT to be able to do this program, but you're right. I kinda do know, 6 days a week is probably too much for me. The original DFW is 3x weekly just the C&P days. It would be a lot more manageable. I could also cut the volume significantly on the swing days since they're kind of the optional extra added to make it the remix version.

I want to be able to push through and get into better shape. I have a hard time seeing myself as an active person, even though realistically to most people working out 4x a week probably does sound active. So I'm sort of mentally fighting with myself feeling like I should be pushing through it because I'm just being lazy.

 

[thestvn]

@cozicup if you have the time, do the 3x version and then throw in some LISS like walking on the off days. that way you're still being active without pushing yourself past what your body can accommodate right now.

I also struggle with the conflict between eating enough to fuel my activity and keeping my calorie intake low enough to lose weight, especially cause I have a health problem that makes it hard to do both. I ended up focusing on losing most of the weight first and then ramping up my activity later. I actually just switched to maintenance calories after several weeks of struggling in a deficit, which resulted in my first time bingeing in almost a year. physically I was fine, actually, but mentally I just couldn't stay in a deficit with everything else going on. right now I care more about staying consistent at the gym, keeping my symptoms at bay, and keeping up at work. I can live with the belly fat for now if it means I'm succeeding in those areas.

all that to say: everything involves trade-offs. also, it's okay to set aside a specific goal temporarily. sometimes the goal is to get your life in a place to start working toward your real goal.

 

[cozicup]

@thestvn Oh man that really helps. On both counts. I've already been kind of mad at myself about quitting tracking and working on being in a calorie deficit, and now I'm getting on my own case about am I being lazy or am I genuinely doing more I can manage.

I think it makes sense to set aside the goal of a 6 day a week program if 4 days of week one has left me feeling fried. It's like when I first started working out and started with a goal of 1x a week, then as I built on the habit built up to 3x a week, then added the cardio day.

I know I can manage 4 days of something a week. If I give myself a little grace then I can do things like a nice trail walk with my dog or yoga and give myself à little more time to recover. I'm 41 and I feel all this pressure to finally get fit and attractive before it's too late. Which is really dumb. I think this is actually my mid life crisis.

 

[podpkid]

@cozicup Same here. Except mine feels like both an existential crisis and a midlife crisis, ‘cause I’m 35 and a breast cancer survivor!