What are the benefits of running? Why start running? If you are here, it is because you have surely asked yourself this question at some point. Do we answer them together?
Let’s consider the following statement: “most people lack progress due to undertraining” what does this mean?
I will explain it to you with a simple equation that you can apply to all areas of your life: ADAPTATION = STAGNATION
If you don’t get a more comprehensive workout, your body has no reason to progress.
When a person joins the gym, they build their workouts around 20 to 30 minutes per day, plan a lot of rest, and decide what exercises to do based on who they think is watching.
And even every so often they often miss their workouts at the gym. Without a doubt, that person is under-trained. But… What is Subtraining?
What is under training?
We can define subtraining as a state of stress generated by training that is not enough to achieve the goals of body development and physical fitness.
This means that certain people tend to train less than the effort threshold that the body needs to be able to advance in its development, whatever the discipline.
Unlike over training, there are no negative side effects in a physical sense, but undertraining can lead you down a path of demotivation and a sad picture of self-stagnation.
So, let’s see how undertraining occurs in order to take the appropriate measures to combat it.
Why does under training occur?
Here are the biggest culprits when it comes to establishing the reasons for this condition:
Very long rest periods
Many beginners tend to stick to a generous 2-minute rest between sets, and even longer.
This is fine under certain conditions and up to a point, but when we are just starting out and want to continue to advance in our weight training, we must shorten this time to allow the body to shake enough to boost its development.
A low training intensity
We have already defined what TRAINING INTENSITY is and we have divided it into load intensity and effort intensity, right?
Well, beginners who do not respect a minimum training intensity cannot advance with their results.
That is, if you do not make an effort to perform your training using challenging loads of weight, and you live it without great surprises, obviously you will not be able to achieve satisfactory results.
A constant repeat rate
Some beginners often ignore repetition speed as a factor in gaining muscle mass.
If you perform your exercises only doing big speed impulses, you don’t change the lifting speed every so often, and combine it with a low load.
There is no doubt, you will end up under training, although you work the power in the long run it will cause you to end up stagnating in your workouts.
Workouts with low training volume
Again, many beginners think that they can develop their arms, for example, by performing a few sets of an exercise without much weight.
Obviously, this will end with an under-training situation.
It is necessary to add a greater volume of training if you are not thinking of taking a big jump in terms of load, if you do not do it, you will not be able to continue advancing.
A low training frequency
Some beginners tend to maintain a training frequency of less than three times a week.
This is not something that is necessarily bad, satisfactory results can be obtained even under a training schedule of 2 times a week, obviously it depends on your goals.
So why am I mentioning it as a problem that can lead to an under-training picture, you ask? Because if we combine it with one or more of the above factors, without a doubt, it will be another trigger.
Summarizing the causes of under training
So, not being able to handle the necessary loads, resting an excess of time, training at a low pace, duration or frequency; it is the fastest way to become an under-trained person.
It is very difficult to get thinner, stronger or bigger by accident.
Progression is the name of success, and sadly many people hope that just showing up to the gym will be enough to make them look their best.
If this is your situation, it is time for you to be honest with yourself. How far have you advanced in recent times? Do you really want to train accordingly? Would you like to achieve the goals you set for yourself long ago?
If the answer is Yes, I want to move forward, then I leave you a series of tips that you can apply to get out of that “Comfort Zone” and train as you really should.
Tips for overcoming an under-training chart
First of all, you should ask your coach to rearm your routine considering your own goals without neglecting the aspects that we mentioned before.
If you do not have access to a coach, find out as much as you can. Start training the weakest parts of your body (and not just the prettiest) using the right load and doing it at least twice a week.
Start using a stopwatch and reduce your rest periods between each set and exercise. And don’t wait too long before training again, a good indicator is to do it immediately when the previous training no longer hurts.
Start with a good rhythm, even holding the negative movement for three or four seconds in most lifts will be very good for your exercises.