By Ben Greenfield
Many people engage in what I would call “under-reaching”. Individuals who “under-reach” typically arrive at the gym and perform light exercise at an intensity that is insufficient to achieve weight loss or boost fitness levels. However, there is a truth to the mantra “Something Is Better Than Nothing”, and even under-reachers are doing better for their bodies than if they hadn’t shown up to exercise at all.
On the other hand, there are “over-trainers”. Over-trainers work out at a very high intensity, sometimes accompanied by a high volume that may include multiple exercise sessions in a single day. While high-intensity and high-volume training is not necessarily harmful, long periods of time (weeks or months) spent training in this mode, especially in non-elite athletes, can lead to inadequate or incomplete recovery, which can not only be very dangerous and detrimental to the body, but can also work directly against weight loss or fitness goals. If overtrained for long enough, an individual can completely crash, become chronically ill and fatigued, and be forced into complete rest for up to 3 months! Let’s look at three variables: 1) how overtraining occurs; 2) common signs of overtraining; 3) what to do if you’re overtrained.
Click to read more ...
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 3:28PM 
At some point this year, I will fall into a training slump. Whether it is a physical, mental or emotional slump is yet to be determined. I need to be aware of the cues my body is telling me and listen when it's saying it's had enough. When I follow these six practices below, the inevitable training slump becomes manageable and I can hopefully turn that slump into a catalyst for better training and results.
RSS