If Rich was adamant about anything, it was overtraining. He simply did not believe it was possible to do too much work in the gym. Was that a controversial idea? Of course - but controversy didn’t hold Rich back from anything. In this article, we ask the question: Is It Possible To Overtrain? Let’s jump in and find out.
Overtraining Defined
One way to define overtraining is that it’s a failure to tolerate your training load, or in other words you have exceeded your ability to recover. That can mean your total volume per workout and/or the total number of days per week you train. With that taken care of, let’s look at Rich’s philosophy on overtraining.
Rich’s Approach
First of all, Rich advocated moderate weights and higher reps. That’s a training style that lends itself to serious volume. Compared to using very heavy weight or using extreme beyond failure techniques, you will find you can do more volume with Rich’s approach.
Plus, he believed the more you put into something the more you’d get out of it. He felt that was true in all aspects of life, not just the gym. His mindset was to do whatever it took, and in the case of his workouts, that meant training up to 3 hours a day, often 6 days a week. But it also meant getting plenty of sleep (including naps as needed), taking the right 5% Nutrition supplements, and eating 8-10 meals a day. His mindset was that there’s no such thing as overtraining, only under-eating and under-sleeping. His approach offsets these shortcomings by ensuring plenty of sleep and plenty of meals.
Situations Where You Can Overtrain
If you are 100% natural, you might find Rich’s level of training difficult. Also, if you’re older, say in your 50s or 60s, you’ll find you’ll most likely have to cut back a little. Also, if you work long hours at a physically demanding job, it might be difficult to go hit the gym for 3 hours. In other words, you have to apply that advice to your unique situation. However, that doesn’t mean to make it an excuse for being afraid of a little hard work. What Rich was saying is, don’t accept the thinking that says it’s easy to do much. Hard work pays off, and that’s as true in the gym as it is in life. Get in there, work hard, and if it’s 3 hours, it’s 3 hours.
Nutritional/Supplement Considerations
If you aren’t eating enough carbohydrates, you might find it extremely hard to do a 3 hour workout. That’s a great reason why Rich’s approach made sense. The fact that he ate so many meals per day, which included well-timed Real Carbs shakes mixed with a protein source (we suggest Real Carbs + Protein or mixing Real Carbs with Shake Time).
Rich’s Intra And Post-Workout Approach
Not to mention, he drank a 5% pre-workout before, and sipped All Day You May during his workouts. We would suggest adding Hydrate Stick to that, and you now have an outstanding pre and intra-workout combination. Finally, he was unwavering in the fact he drank another Real Carbs and protein source shake immediately after he was done. And we’re not talking 1 scoop either, Rich would use 2-3 scoops and, in his case, 10 egg whites (use Real Carbs + Protein, or add Shake Time to Real Carbs). Then, not too much longer after that he’d sit down to a huge meal.
Recap
Let’s be clear, Rich’s approach to training, eating and 5% supplementation lent itself to his ability to work super hard in the gym. If you're looking to do whatever it takes, you'll need to follow Rich’s advice. If you do that, then the answer to “Is It Possible To Overtrain” becomes a huge “NO”!
