Ezine #178

Overtraining Test

Q: You’ve mentioned that the Anabolic Reload workouts are particularly effective at priming fast muscle growth if you’re overtrained. But how do I know if I’m overtrained? Is there any sort of "overtraining test?"

A: If you’ve been training fairly hard and heavy consistently for at least two months, we can almost guarantee you’re overtrained…

The Anabolic Reload workouts are designed to provide an optimal dose of muscle-fiber activation, slow-twitch and fast-twitch, with moderate weights and brief workouts.…

That strategy allows your anabolic hormones to fully regenerate, or “reload,” and you get jacked new growth within a week.

In Anabolic Reload we tell the story of Nautilus machine creator Arthur Jones and how he guaranteed to put a full half-inch of permanent muscle size on even advanced bodybuilders’ arms with only one workout…

And he made good on the claim almost every time he was challenged — because almost every bodybuilder is overtrained with slow to no growth. 

His size-adding success had to do with a few days of full rest and then a brief “anabolic reload” workout.  

Remember, exercise that is excessive or too intense for too long can cause your body to overproduce cortisol.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that can disrupt your metabolism as well other hormones, like testosterone… 

And that can slow or even stop your gains…

Researchers, in an article in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, found that your pulse rate can signal too much stress…

Here’s the overtraining test: In the morning before you get out of bed, take your pulse.

Find your pulse on the side of your neck or on your wrist and count the beats for 60 seconds (or 20 seconds and multiply by 3).

Compare that to your resting pulse rate during the day — one minute around noon.

If your waking pulse is more than 7 beats higher than your midday rate, you may be stressed out and overtrained.

This is a good excess stress indicator because your cortisol spikes in the morning — and if it's surging out of the normal range, your pulse rate elevates.

If you're in the high-stress zone, you’re a prime candidate for Anabolic Reload workouts.

And even if you’re not indicating overtraining, it’s still a good idea to use our Anabolic Reload workouts for a few weeks every two or three months to prime renewed freak-physique muscle growth.

Latest release: For science-based POF programs with more frequent body part hits, check out the new Anabolic Reload Mass Workout e-book HERE.

Till next time, train hard — and smart —for BIG results.