Click Here For Your Free High Intensity Training Magazine Subscription
High Intensity Training How To Avoid Overtraining
Overlap - The Inevitable Factor
By Kevin Dye
The longer I've trained, four plus decades now, the more crucial Mike Mentzer's teachings have become to keep my progress alive. Mike was one of the few to acknowledge overlap and the part it has to play as trainees advance from beginner to super-advanced. The dogma of "do more" - volume and frequency - is senseless. The reality is, as one advances we all need to do less as we become bigger and stronger. Logically, "if the trainee continues with the same volume and frequency he'll ultimately hit a sticking point, or, may even regress".
As with all things in life, during the initial stages we are faced with abundance of nuances as we acquire new skills. Like learning to drive a car. In the beginning there are so many factors to focus on it can be mind-boggling! From peddle arrangement, steering, spatial awareness, etc. ... for the novice driver his head is reeling trying to mesh the multitude of tasks together so he can safely and efficiently navigate a car through the traffic. But ultimately they all blend together and he is able to drive effortlessly with minimal effort.
The same principle apply to bodybuilding; everyone starts by learning a host of skills, from the feel of each exercise, which ones are best (and which to avoid), how many days are ideal for recovery, etc. But eventually we find our sweet spot, where we get the mix right. But no matter what, that is fleeting as the body is a dynamic organism, never in a static state, what is ideal today may be the straw that broke the camel's back next week. Therefore the bases of every successful routine one uses comes down to honing over time.
Mike knew; "for some, even one set for certain body parts may prove more than the individual can tolerate or even need." This becomes increasingly important as one gets closer to their genetic limits. Advanced trainees need to be aware of "the reality of 'indirect effect', i.e., when growth is stimulated in one muscle, growth is stimulated through the entire musculature - though to a lesser degree; and the larger the muscle being worked, the greater the degree of indirect effect".
Throughout my training life it's been a continual process of cutting back, as needed, so I can get the "most bang for my buck". I no longer have the luxury to do whatever I like on a whim. Instead I focus solely on those moves which deliver the best results. All trainees need to remain "cognizant of the crucial importance of properly regulating the volume and frequency of his workouts because of the body's strictly limited capacity for tolerating the 'wear and tear' of high-intensity training stresses".
Recently I had a stark realization... my arms were bigger void of direct arm work! I'd became frustrated seeing them zigzag between 17 and 17 3/4", so I decided to drop all direct work and just focus on my torso and delts. In 3-weeks they became bigger and fuller! Clearly they received enough stimulus through indirect work, the extra stimulus directly training them hampered my efforts. That suits me fine as I have always had a love/hate relationship with arm work as they lack the "life on the line" edge of either back or leg work. Consequently the added recuperation pushed my chest to a new high of 52 1/4"!
I became aware of the importance of indirect effect back in1983, when Ray Mentzer achieved (legit) 20 1/4 inch arms without a single curl or tricep extension. Working for Nautilus later that decade, I'd often omit arm work for my clients, especially those who had years of training under their (well worn) belt. Always mindful of honing my clients workouts, as well as my own, I knew "the precise amount of exercise required to stimulate growth isn't nearly as much as people have been led to believe or would like to believe".
Mike formulated his Consolidation Routine to address overlap. Instead of watering down ones efforts, as the masses are prone to do with the volume approach, Mike rightfully said; "your purpose is to go into the gym as an informed, intelligent, rational human being and perform only the precise amount of exercise required to stimulate growth". With all the inevitable overlap between muscles you don't need to work every muscle every workout. All chest work taxes the triceps, as does back work on the biceps. Adding direct work, if already sufficiently worked, can become the tipping point which defeats your efforts.
Mike deemed pulldowns the ultimate bicep-builder as it works them uniformly from both ends. Compare what you can curl, any style, to what you are capable of using on pulldowns. The curl pales in comparison. Likewise with incline or decline press or dips. No amount of tricep extensions or pushdowns come close! The leverage factor limits what anyone can curl or extend, where compound moves better mimic how the body functions, allowing a longer rate of progress at a steadier pace.
Work in any gym for a period of time and the commonality is "the majority of volume bodybuilders are performing a random, arbitrary number of sets". Is it little wonder few get anything for their efforts? Gyms - on a whole - work on client turnover to survive. When Mike and I discussed my dismissal from a Nautilus gym early 90's, he comforted me by saying; "you aren't the first and you won't be the last". Seems I was a threat to other trainers as I cared for clients results, using logic over profits...which was frowned upon! But the night I left at least six members left with me. It's not my nature to take money under false pretenses, and like the 1980 Mr. Olympia fiasco, where Mike washed his hands of the scene, I did the same with the commercial gym scene.
I urge trainees to see how precise they can get their workouts, after providing the stimulus "it is the body that produces growth but only if left undisturbed during a sufficient rest period." Something has to improve for the body to adapt, with strength improvement top priority for size increases. Mike sums it up perfectly; "The principle that I am advocating, the one that makes it possible for the bodybuilder to actualize his potential in a very short time, is that neither "more is better" nor "less is better," but "precise is best."
Note: For more information please read the book "Heavy Duty Memioir" by Kevin Dye.
If you have any questions or comments, please email us.
Click Here For Your Free High Intensity Training Magazine Subscription
Disclaimer: This information is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.
High Intensity Training | Resources | Personal Training | Contact
