Overtraining Can Thwart Muscle Growth

You know that pumped up feeling you get after a heavy lifting session? It's not the result of muscle growth but of the increased blood flow going to the exercised muscle. Muscle grows during your rest period, not during your training session, hence the importance of sleep in relation to muscle growth. But muscle growth can still be thwarted despite getting enough sleep--if you overtrain.

When you lift heavy weights, you create very small tears in the muscle fibers. The muscle tissue then repairs itself by forming scar tissue over the small tears. Eating the right nutrients and getting enough sleep allows the muscle tissue to begin repairing itself. But if the muscle tissue is broken down again before it's had the chance repair itself, you and your muscle become the victims of overtraining.

Generally, it is recommended you take somewhere between 48 to 72 hours to recover from a total body strength-training workout. Of course, many factors come into play, including fitness level, age, and workout intensity. Only you know your body best. You probably won’t lose muscle if you overtrain, but you probably won’t grow your muscles either.

Check out Jen Heath's 7 Factors of Overtraining: How to Balance the Extreme Body if you think you might be a victim of overtraining. She offers some great tips about getting back on track.