How to avoid injuries in bodybuilding - part 4 - get sufficient rest.

In Australia we have a great phrase for working beyond what is normal and sufficient. It goes like this: "It's like trying to flog a dead horse". It can also be called "The Law of Diminishing Returns".

It's a point where any further activity will only produce less and less gains the longer the activity is still engaged in.

Unless, of course, you take a break and get sufficient rest.

I would not be too far wrong if I suggested that most keen bodybuilders train far too long and hard. Actually, by backing off a notch or two, their gains would be far more and their injuries far less.

It is a normal human trait to want to see quick gains and fast progress, not only in bodybuilding, but in most areas of our lives. I would like you to consider the term "more is less". There is a point in anyone's training, that to go beyond it, to do more, will only invoke The Law of Diminishing Returns where your progress declines rapidly.

You can push yourself to the point of injury - and therefore nil, or reverse, progress. Plain and simple, it's called overtraining, and can lead to taxed and painful joints, weakened immune system, fatigue and reduced or nil muscular growth. I'm sure it has caused many aspirants to throw in the towel and to give away promising futures.

Muscles only grow during rest. Your recovery time is just as important as your workouts and you should therefore give it similar attention. It is just as important.

To remain injury free in bodybuilding, always combine your workout schedule with sufficient rest, sleep, and excellent nutrition to reap the greatest gains possible for you.

Chest and back workout.

Bench Press.

25.0 kg (55.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
32.5 kg (71.7 lb) x 8 reps (12)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 4 reps (9)
42.5 kg (93.7 lb) x 2 reps (6)

T Bar Row.

45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 15 reps (20)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 5 reps (12)
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 3 reps (9)
70.0 kg (154.3 lb) x 2 reps (6)

Next time: biceps and triceps.

Chest workout 0004

Your rest periods are just as important as your weight training. When you are not training (resting) your muscles then have the opportunity to repair and grow. Too much training and no matter how fit and strong you may be, eventually your progress will slow, stop and even reverse in extreme cases.

If you train with enough intensity (working to momentary muscular failure on at least 2 or 3 sets), say for example you are working chest, you will not ordinarily need to train your chest again for up to two weeks. Anything more would just be counter productive. Don't believe me? Check the gaps between my bodypart workouts. Exactly! - and I'm making satisfying progress. Anything more would simply be overtraining.

Overtraining is one of the greatest mistakes made in any sport - not just bodybuilding.

Don't get me wrong here. Professional top level bodybuilders will work each bodypart more often - because they can. They are professionals. They eat, sleep, supplement, are managed, have trainers etc. What we talk about here is commonsense bodybuilding for the everyman and the everywoman. People who have jobs, families, friends, and a range of other time consuming commitments and responsibilities.

By spreading your training sessions out over slightly longer time periods you will give your body more time to recuperate and grow, make greater progress, lesson your chance of injuries, keep yourself from getting overtired as well as put the enjoyment back into your workouts. A case of less will get you more.

Enjoyment and progress, after all, is what it's all about.

Bench Press

40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 10 reps (10)
45.0 kg (99.2 lb) x 9 reps (9)
47.5 kg (104.7 lb) x 8 reps (8)
52.5 kg (115.7 lb) x 7 reps (7)
57.5 kg (126.8 lb) x 6 reps (6) *
62.5 kg (137.8 lb) x 5 reps (5) *
67.5 kg (148.8 lb) x 3 reps (4)
40.0 kg (88.2 lb) x 11 reps (16)

Leg Extensions

35.0 kg (77.2 lb) x 16 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 17 reps (20)
30.0 kg (66.1 lb) x 14 reps (20)

"Rest: the sweet sauce of labor." - Plutarch

"What is without periods of rest will not endure." - Ovid

"I still need more healthy rest in order to work at my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently." - Ernest Hemingway

Here's an absolute classic for you. So many great names. I think this would have been at Festival Hall in Melbourne (I think it's nickname was "The House of Blood") on a Saturday night. The commentator is Jack Little. I would go there occasionally with friends or family (or both!). What a wild place and what wild nights. Great memories! Click Here.