Fear overtraining with WSB?

[Tarheel]

I've been doing a lot of thinking about by new program for Jan untill the first week of March, and I've been playing around with a modified 9 week basic WSB program. But it just seems like so many hardcore lifts that its going to be very taxing.

Is it pretty easy to overtrain with WSB (I get the feeling that it is)? I will be doing zero band work and zero chain work, so that should help me, but I'll be replacing some of the assistance work with partial olympic lifts on dynamic days mostly.

If I dont set a PR each week, that would be the best sign of overtraining, right?

 

[Liftbig]

you shouldnt overtrain. when i trained in high school i overtrained all the time. now that im training westside i dont.
as long as you keep an eye on howmuch your doing and listen to your body youll be fine. the key is switching stuff around to keep from overtraining. like on accessories i do something for like 2-3 workouts then swith to somethings else.

 

[makedah]

I'm a veritable Amazon in some circles (and in my own mind ), but I'm probably the weakest one here, and I'm not overtrained on WSB.

I found it to be very taxing, but as you know, that's not the same as overtraining; I got overtrained in the past, so I know what it feels like. I was fairly new to the heavy weights when I started WSB and my GPP sucked (it could still use some work!), so it took me 2 to 2.5 months to get to the point where I could do cardio on my non-training days. I had to get accustomed to the workload, which meant taking it easy for a couple of weeks, but I never got overtrained.

Getting "stuck" at a PR doesn't necessarily mean overtraining (although I guess it could) it could mean any number of things. Spatts has described being "stuck" for a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden getting a big jump in her numbers.

The way I understand it, you can only get PRs on a max move for a certain number of weeks before your CNS "stalls." It may mean it's time to change up the move. Even if you've switched up moves, it may mean that you've got a "weak link" that you have to bring up before you can go forward. For example, my squats or gms won't get much better until I can hold more weight on my back.

 

[spatts]

I often wonder if I'm training enough. Seems I get great results on less work than I ever did in other regimens.

 

[dg21]

I agree with Spatts. Using the westside methods going into my last meet, I didn't do a whole lot of work in the gym. I did 3-4, sometimes 5 exercises and that was it. I made gains but I wonder if i could benefit from a higher volume. I am working on that question now.

You can train westside and still have a low overall volume and not worry about overtraining. Just listen to your body, but also don't be afraid of training hard as hell.

And how come no chains or bands. They are a great tool.

 

[b fold the truth]

You must remember that you do NOT train to failure but on 2 sets per week...IF you hit failure then. There is a line between volume and intensity...you have to find the right spot.

B True

 

[Vulgar_Display_Of_Power]

Another thing that no one has mentioned yet.....

If you start to feel beat up or sluggish, Take a day or so off.

My personal opinion isthat on this style of training, you can take a little time off here and there and come back just as strong or stronger.--Unlike a progressive w/o where you miss a workout or two and comeback and the weights required are suddenly much higher than when you took off.

Just my two cents worth.


Later..

 

[powerlifterjay]

I think if you follow it to a tee you will not overtrain. IN fact you may ask yourself if yoru doing enough. Problem, at least with me, is when you modify it. The way i train , then do westside my way i can end up overtrainig. Not so much my lower body but upper. I personally do not feel like westside gets enough quality back n shoulder work. Just my opinion.

Does it work? Yes. Just make sure you do it right for you. If you feel overtrained, back off. Less is best.

 

[Vulgar_Display_Of_Power]

OOOPS- On e more thing!

Start looking into all the recovery and extraworkouts that are recomended with the westside routine.

Ill admit its a pain in the ass to try and find time to do, but if you can, It does wonders and help you get back to the iron that much quicker.

Look into it.

Later..

 

[makedah]

Oh yeah, even if you don't think you want to use bands yet for lifting, buy some for AR. On the Women's Board, there's a great sticky on using bands for active recovery. I use it esp. on my hams (pull-throughs) and I think it really helps.

The size band you order depends on your strength. Here's the pressure chart at Jump Stretch: http://www.jumpstretch.com/PressureChart.htm

Click on the link for each band to see how much resistance it gives.