Overtraining

[Gojugrasshoper]

Hi,

Is it good practice for me to kettlebell everyday?

Besides being out of action with an injury at the moment, i have been training daily(kb)for about a month solid. Lost bout 10 pounds and lookin pretty lean. I have been reading the forums and there is a lot of talk of overtraining, and affecting your nerves/nervous system...
Pardon my ignorance i'm not really up on the topic..i try and listen to my body and if i'm tired i go easy, but could i be doing damage??

Any help advice will be appreciated.

GG.

[Michal]

It depends on a couple of things but I think that generally you should have 1-2 days off in a week.
And I assume it is obvious to you that you can't tax the same muscles with high volume every day?

[ad5ly]

Everyone is different...so it may be OK to KB everyday as long as you feel up to it..You did not state what your goals are..etc...I would also add that you do not press everyday...or any heavy lifts...intersperse the week with swings or snatches...space out the pressing....You also indicated that you have an injury...so make sure your well on the mend and avoid for the time being any activity that will further injure you. If you have visited this site before... you will have read about ETK. I strongly advise you purchase it...It is a well structured program..that leaves out the guess work...and if you follow instructions... you should not overtrain. If you are winging it on your own...you could be hurting yourself through the accumulation of all those successive days of training...REST days are important..(but not neccessarily fun) I would add REST days simply because you may pre empt major/minor injuries BEFORE they occur....Dennis

[mc]

Agreed over work depends on a lot of factors, and it's worth reading up on program design - or simply getting a tested template for kb practice like Enter the Kettlebell - to make sure you're treating your body right.

As Kenneth Jay and Michael T Nelson both point out, most folks hit over reaching from time to time before getting into the real sickness of overtraining.

So, you could do some kettlebell work every day without ill effect (in fact the opposite) just like some folks ride their bike to work every day. it's just what you do.

As you ramp up intensity however - if you do, and depending on your goals - you need to think about appropriate recovery. Enter the Kettlebell handles this by varying the amount of work you do on alternate days, and varying the kind of work you do on those other days, and then ensuring there's a rest day.

It's also appropriate in a real program of work to factor in a back off week for something called "active recovery" - where you let your body recover and adapt to all the work you're putting it through.

If you're new as you say to these concepts, and are getting into working out, it's a really good idea to pick up a resource like Enter the Kettlebell, read up on "over reaching vs overtraining" and if you can, see a certified kb trainer to check your form.

hope that helps,

mc

[Steve B.]

The key word here is practice.
You could practice almost every day like GTG style training.
Do you have a workout plan or are just doing what you feel on any given day?
If you follow the party's methods you should never be overtrained.
I suggest you read "Enter the Kettlebell"and follow the programs outlined in it if you are not already.
IMO i feel a day or two a week of rest or easy active rest (like walking) is a good thing.

[mc]

isn't it nice when there's such consensus!

mc

[Judoman]

I have forund after years of training. Personally, I do better with the "less is more" approach. Example ; I did a push up routine years ago where you do 20 pushups every hour your awake till you do 200 a day. Did this for two weeks. After a couple days off, I maxed out. Lost about 15 reps, from 65 down to 50. Then, on my own, I did a routine where I did 20 push ups, 20 sit ups, 10 pull ups, 20 sit ups, 10 bar dips, etc, for 5 sets, 3 times a week. Two weeks later, 103 push ups in a row. More rest . As far as weights and kettlebells, same thing. Mike Mahlor suggests Mon. Wed. Fri. with any type of resistance. I agree. Even two days a week is good. Never go to failure. Later.

[ad5ly]

Judoman,

"less is more" is a good safe approach. So someone could practice KBs everyday...as long as they do not do full blown "workouts" everyday....So "practice" is the operative word here. The ETK system gives you 2 OFF Days per week...I allways ensure that I have at least one off day per week...but mostly I take 2 off. For beginners, over-enthusium can be your worst enemy...Dennis

[avilezj]

Here is the thing. When you are working out, or practicing strength, as it should be called, you are damaging your muscle cells. You need to recover from this. So basically you can't train every day. If you strength train, then 1-2 day off would be enough. Of course, everybody is different, so you might need more or maybe can handle less rests. It's up to you.

[avilezj]

Another suggestions are:
Every once in a while (8-12 weeks) take a full week rest. When you come back to train you will be even stronger
If you have an injury, recover from it first. It might get worse if you don't back off.