When building muscle people often worry about overtraining and some even indulge in it expecting quick results. But it may have adverse effects on your health if you don’t focus on proper nutrition. In this article we will talk about how to avoid overtraining and promote muscle growth.
The mindset of “more is better” is not what you need to focus on when building your muscles. This mindset leads you to overtrain yourself which can lead to injury. Muscle gain can be achieved with a balanced approach that can avoid overtraining and promote muscle growth.
To understand the whole concept let us first understand what is overtraining:
Understanding overtraining
When there is an imbalance between your training and recovery you will experience overtraining syndrome, also known as OTS. fatigue, depression, and decreased performance if not recovered after a few days are the signs of overtraining. Overtraining could affect your overall health and can have an adverse impact on your muscular, nervous and immune systems.
Signs of overtraining:
Here is a list of signs to identify that your training sessions are exceeding your recovery time.
- If you are persistently feeling fatigue (exhaustion) even after adequate rest.
- If you notice a decrease in your performance like strength, endurance and agility.
- If you witness increased irritability, depression or anxiety.
- If you are finding it difficult to manage your sleep like difficulty in falling asleep or experiencing restless sleep.
- If you are experiencing prolonged muscle soreness even after adequate rest.
- You will be more prone to colds and infections because overtraining will weaken your immune system.
- You will not feel hungry or won’t be interested in food at all. This can hinder your recovery process.
The science behind muscle growth
Understanding the sign behind muscle growth will help you to understand why an imbalance in training and rest interrupts your muscle growth process.
Muscle growth is the result of your muscle fibers recovering themselves after they have worked against an external force. The external forces that are applied to cause microscopic damage to your muscle tissues are usually weights, or resistance bands. The muscles then heal themselves and grow stronger than before leading to hypertrophy.
Your body adapts to the new changes and your recovery process plays a crucial role in muscle building. Along with recovery your muscle growth also depends on nutrition and the type of training.
Key factors in muscle growth:
- You need to increase the resistance against your muscles to ensure continuous growth. Increase the weight, frequency or intensity of your workouts gradually so continuously challenging your muscles.
- Ensure to provide adequate nutrition to your body so it can use it to repair muscle tissues. Prioritize the intake or protein because it is the building block for your muscle tissues, but do not forget to balance the other two essential macronutrients, namely fats and carbohydrates.
- Your body needs adequate rest to recover your muscles. Allow your body to rest, especially while sleeping. Maintain a sleeping schedule that would let you sleep for 7-9 hours per night for optimal rest.
Balancing training and recovery
Balancing recovery and training is necessary to avoid overtraining. Here are some effective strategies that can help you avoid overtraining and muscle growth:
Incorporate deload weeks:
Plan a de-load week where you will reduce the intensity, frequency, and volume of your workout. For instance, reduce the weight lifted by 50-60%; reduce the number of sets and reps, and pay more attention to mobility and flexibility exercises.
Deload periods ensure that your muscles are not taking much strain and are an effective way to allow your body to take rest after intense training. People often opt for deload days before starting a new training phase.
Rest day and recovery:
Take out rest days from your busy training schedule. Nothing is more important than your rest and recovery. If you won’t prioritize rest days you won’t recover; hence you won’t get the effective results.
Muscles need time to repair themselves for which glycogen stores need to replenish and your nervous system also needs recovery. Ensure you are gradually pushing your muscles towards your goal and providing them adequate rest. You can ensure proper recovery of your muscles by incorporating recovery such as light cardio, yoga or mobility work which can help to improve blood circulation which is crucial for treating muscle soreness and it will aid in recovery without putting undue stress on your body.
Nutrition for muscle growth and recovery
Nutrition, a key aspect of your health, is what you need to focus on while muscle growth and recovery. You need to attain a right balance between the three essential macronutrients, namely, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Protein:
Protein is the building block of muscle tissues; that is why including protein in your diet for muscle building is necessary. Include high-quality protein sources in your diet. Sources like lean meats (chicken, turkey, beef); fish (salmon, and tuna), plant-based protein sources (lentils, beans and quinoa) and dairy products like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are high in protein.
Ensure to consume protein-rich snacks every 3-4 hours to help maintain nitrogen balance, which is crucial for muscle gain.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy to your body. You need to fuel your body so it can do physiological functions as well as the training required to achieve your health goal. Carbohydrates helps to replenish glycogen stores in muscles, preventing fatigue and supporting endurance required for long-term health goals.
Consume complex carbohydrates that help to provide a stable energy source to your body. Foods like whole grains (brown rice, oats and quinoa), fruits and vegetables and legumes like beans and lentils.
Fats:
Healthy fats are important for your body because they help in the production of hormones including testosterone which support muscle building. Include healthy fat sources to add in your diet. Foods like avocados, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish (salmon and mackerel) and seeds are healthy sources of unsaturated fats.
Tips for better sleep for muscle recovery
Sleep ensures you rest properly and now you know how much you need to prioritize sleep so your body can recover. Rest, sleep and recovery are vital elements for muscle strength and it also helps to balance your training sessions and recovery which helps you to avoid overtraining and muscle growth. Lack of sleep could have adverse effects on your health by impairing recovery, reducing performance and increasing the risk of injuries.
Here is a list of tips for better sleep:
Maintain a regular sleep schedule:
To ensure you get adequate rest by sleeping for 7-9 hours, you need to ensure a better sleep schedule. A regular sleep would help you get adequate rest for recovery. Try to sleep and wake up at the same time even on holidays.
Create a sleep conducive environment:
To get appropriate sleep in time you need to create an environment that will help you get deep sleep for adequate time. Sleep in a room which is dark, quiet and cool.
Limit screen time:
Try to not use your phone 45-60 minutes before going to bed. Limit your screen time and ensure to keep your digital tool away from your bedside table. Make certain you do not use your screen after switching off the lights.
Manage stress:
Stress could hinder your muscle growth journey, ensure to keep yourself stress free by incorporating stress management techniques in your life. Some simple activities like meditations, deep breathing or journaling before bed can help calm the mind.
Monitor your process
Monitoring your process is one way to avoid overtraining and support muscle growth. Assessing your progress will help you understand your routine and if required it will also help to make adjustments to your training, nutrition and recovery strategies.
Here are some tips to monitor your progress:
Track your workouts:
You should keep a track of your sets, reps, weight and how you feel during and after your workouts. You need to identify the patterns of fatigue or decreased performance so you can determine whether you need more recovery time or not.
Listen to your body:
Your body will give you cues; that is why you need to pay attention to how your body feels. Some signs like persistence soreness, fatigue or lack of motivation may indicate that you need to make adjustments in your workout routine or lifestyle.
Adjustment in your training:
Identifying patterns can help you to adjust your training intensity or frequency which will eventually help to avoid overtraining. Try to focus on recovery days and incorporate more rest days and include cardio sessions in between your strength training sessions to focus on active recovery.
Consult a professional:
If you are a beginner at muscle gain journey, you must be facing some challenges to balance your training and recovery. Consult a professional who can help you create a program specifically designed for you keeping in mind your preferences and health goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can overtraining prevent muscle growth?
Ans. Overtraining can have adverse effects on your health as well as your progress of muscle gain. Overtraining is the imbalance of training and recovery. If your muscles are not recovered properly you will experience reduced performance, fatigue and other issues as well.
How can overtraining be avoided?
Ans. to avoid overtraining ensure to prioritize your recovery and get more rest days to allow your muscles tissues to heal.
How do I tell if I am overtraining?
Ans. If you are overtraining your body will give you signs. If you are experiencing persistent soreness, fatigue or decrease in your performance even after proper rest, you need to change your training routine because you are overtraining.
