Workout Intensity During the Final Weeks of Competition Prep
Nancy and I are probably working out too hard as she attempts to lose those final pounds for the competition.
Bodybuilding | Bodybuilding 2006 | Contest Preparation | Overtraining
In this conversation, Nancy Arnold and I discuss the intense workout regimen we have been undertaking as a final stage in her contest preparation. As will become even clearer in later podcasts, Nancy has struggled with weight loss in this competition. The current workout regimen was designed in part to break the plateau. To watch, you can click on Nancy's picture to download the 28 MB Quicktime file.
However, truth be told, the workout is clearly doing more than removing fat. It is hard for both of us to recover from this workout regimen, and I am doing more than double Nancy's calories. I suspect we are overtraining, not an uncommon occurrence in the final phases of bodybuilding contest preparation.
The danger of overtraining is that it removes muscle and generally drains you for the day of competition.
Additional Links
- Tom Venuto discusses a dressing down he received from a fellow bodybuilder for overtraining nine days out from a 2005 competition.
- Tom Venuto discusses the need to resist overtraining during the final phases of competition preparation.
- Wikipedia provides an overview of overtraining symptoms and several possible causes. Nancy and I currently fit this profile.
- The Physician and Sports Medicine provides an in-depth treatment on overtraining.
