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By now most people who watch exercise videos on YouTube have seen CT Fletcher. His no nonsense, take-no-prisoners, tell-it-as-it-is approach has garnered him a large viewing audience. Now it turns out that he’s a veteran, which I should have seen before because all the signs were there… Regardless, his recent installments have created some controversy as it pertains to “over-training,” so I’d like to add my two cents.
CT Fletcher is correct: Over-training is a myth.
Okay, I’m a throwback. In my era there were gentlemen like Tom Platz — known for having the greatest legs of all time in bodybuilding. Also known for squatting for three or for hours in a session. By many standards, back in the day even, they would say that Tom Platz was over-training. But this results — friends, mother fuckers and mother fuckees — are undeniable. Greatest pair of legs in bodybuilding history doing what many of you refer to as over-training.
Over-training is individualized. What may be over-training for one man is nothing but a regular workout for another. Over-training can not be generalized. Over-training is individualized to you. What you may call over-training might be my warmup. Understand?
I’m a veteran, United States Army. Proud veteran of the United States Army. I go to veterans hospitals on a monthly basis. I talk to many veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and almost down to the last man each one will tell me that the best shape they were in for their entire life was during basic training. In basic training you are forced to push your body past previously expected limitations. What you thought you could not do your drill instructor or drill sergeant made you do. He gave you no choice, and therefore, your body adapted to the regimen — the strenuous regimen dictated to you by that drill instructor — because he gave you no fucking choice. He dared you, he made you push, and some of you are scared to put that type of dictation upon yourself. You can’t do it. You’ll say that it’s over-training because you are afraid to push yourself that far. You will be amazed — amazed — at what the human body can do. …
I don’t advocate you do what I do. 100, 200, 300 rep sessions. … All I ask is that you give it a try before you say, “CT is full of shit and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” All I have is six world titles. All I can tell you what I’ve done, what I’ve put into action in real-life situations. Not what I think about. Not what I theorize about. Not what I talk shit about. It’s what I have done.
What have these so-called experts in these fields done? … What have you put into application? In most case, not a God-damn thing. Flapping gums don’t mean shit. What have you done, mother fucker, besides talk shit? …
Flex your biceps. What have you done? … Over-training my ass.
What is over-training? That’s the problem. If you ask 10 different people that question you’re probably going to get ten different answers. That’s because, like Mr. Fletcher said, the vast majority of people will never reach the point where they “over-train.” There are so many different factors that determine how a person’s body will respond to an exercise program that terms like “over-training” become relative.
How much sleep do you get a night? Are you eating enough calories to feed your muscles? Are you psychologically strong or weak? There’s a reason why people turn to personal trainers: each person is unique. To prove it, I’ll use CT’s “basic training” example.
CT says almost all the veterans he spoke to mentioned that Basic Training was the physical fitness pinnacle of their lives. As someone who went through Infantryman Basic Training in Fort Benning, Georgia, I can say that I don’t know if that’s the case for me.
Going into Basic Training, I was a cross country runner. I was running over 50 miles per week before I went into the Army, so my mileage actually dropped significantly when I enlisted. I went from running roughly a 10:05 two-mile to probably a 11:30 two-mile. However, with push-ups and sit-ups and three square meals I day, I put on about 25 lbs. and my upper body strength increased dramatically. Was I in “better” shape or “worse” shape? I don’t know. I was in better “Army” shape, but I was in worse “cross country” shape.
I was 18 years old then and I’m 34 years old now. I might be able to run a 12:00 two-mile before puking all over the place, but I can dead lift much more weight than I could as a kid. My upper body strength puts my younger self to shame. Am I in good shape? Again, it all depends on my individual goals. Right now my only real goal is to be able to max the Army Physical Fitness test if someone told me I had to take it on a moment’s notice. It’s not to look like CT Fletcher. Given that, I’d say I’m where I need to be.
Here’s perhaps the most important lesson from CT’s speech:
What you thought you could not do your drill instructor or drill sergeant made you do. He gave you no choice, and therefore, your body adapted to the regimen — the strenuous regimen dictated to you by that drill instructor — because he gave you no fucking choice.
The mind plays much more of a role in achieving your physical fitness goals than, in many ways, the genetics you were born with. When you can put yourself in the psychological space where failure is not an option, you’re exactly where you need to be. When you’re honest with yourself you can then gauge whether or not the pain you feel is because you’re pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone or you’re pushing yourself in ways that will result in bodily harm. When you listen to your body you’ll know when you’re not getting enough rest and need to ease off, and when you can go full throttle. As CT says: What might be “over-training” to you might be another man’s warm-up.
Embrace pain. Make it your friend. Laugh at it more than you cry at it and it will reward you. In the mean time, take a moment to watch CT’s latest video. There are many words of wisdom in his little clips, even if they’re littered with expletives.
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Douglas Ernst Blog 
I love this. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Rebellious Qi! I appreciate it. Happy lifting. 🙂
I have been training for 23 years. I have diaries for every year including what muscle groups I train that day. (example……monday legs/shoulders tuesday bis/tris wednesday chest/back) I dont keep track of excersices performed or weight I am using. I always was told by everyone I overtrain. I was 6’2″ 170 lbs when I started 23 years ago and I am now 6’2″ 285 lbs. I have never ever missed a week of training. I just ended a streak of almost 4 years straight without two days off in a row. at the end of every year I do the numbers of days trained that year and off days and how many muscle groups I trained that year. (example last year I worked out say 320 days out of 365 and I trained a total 570 muscle groups……….I count legs/back/chest/shoulders/bis/tris as the 6 major muscle groups. I do not keep track of abs or calves although I do them 3-4 times a week) every year is almost identical to the year before. I never skip a major muscle group. so at the end of every year I pretty much train legs 95 times/back 95 times/shoulders 95 times/chest 95 times/bis 95 times/tris 95 times. give or take that is the average. one year I took only 18 days off all year and lifted each muscle group over 100 times each. its like I competing against myself. I come to the gym everyday and lift accordingly to how I feel. My workouts where I am going through the motions only are few and far between. I am almost 40 now. I can say that I agree with CT that overtraining is a myth. I believe when you take one day off it is actually a 48 hour rest. some weeks if I feel my upperbody is aching I will not do a second muscle group after legs. I usually train two muscle groups a day 6 days a week. I constantly switch which muscle groups I am pairing up to keep shocking my body. I also constantly change the excercises I am doing for a muscle group and superset some days on a particular muscle group and other days I will do a set for chest and immediately follow with a set for back. I do pauses sometimes and sometimes if I have the time I will go extremely heavy. I am a single father of a son who is handicapped and special needs so somedays I have no choice but to superset and get in and out. I also have quite a setup at my house for training in case I cant make it.although I believe once in a while I maybe should of taken a day off instead of training but those are few and far between also. impeccable form is a must and I go to bed very early and get much rest. I also am a mason and get a hell of a workout during the day at work and I love it because it is a different way of working out my body that the gym cant provide. then I will still go the gym right after work. I agree the more you push your body the more it adapts. Through my twenties I had more time and would workout 90 minutes to 120 minutes and I was more of a power lifter then. I consistently made gains every year and continued to until I got full custody of my son. I ate high calories and foods loaded with carbs. I never worried about protein because I eat 8 meals a day and always eat steak and chicken. the size of my meals are small. this speeds up my metabolism and I never feel sluggish. I consider myself now as more of a bodybuilder then power lifter. I continued to get stronger every year working out sometimes 29 or 30 days in a month. at 258 lbs during my twenties I ended up having a 475 lb bench, 625 deadlift and i could squat 485 for 4 reps ( and I go down all the way squating, ALL THE WAY DOWN ) this is another thing people would say my knees are gonna be shot down the road. they are absolutely 100% fine. I believe when you squat and stop at parallel you put too much strain on your knees. I even do pauses when I squat and actually go all the way down and count to 3 and go back up (no bouncing). anyways I know everyones body is different but training everyday and doing everything twice a week worked year after year. I have plateaued now nearing 40 years of age but not from training. from stress of being a single father who works full time and dealing with issues everyday regarding my son. but I am still at it. just had to make changes. If you push your body to the limit and beyond granted you your eating enough, doing perfect form and getting plenty of sleep it will respond and push past what you thought you could never do. absolutely. the most time I have ever taken off was about 6 years ago I attempted to take a week off and couldnt. I got to three days and said screw this. Lifting weights has always come easy for me. I see all the people after there done saying “thank god I am done today” where I am the opposite and love when I am about to start and do not want to finish. hope this makes sense to you all.
“What may be over-training for one man is nothing but a regular workout for another.”
You, sir, are a fucking moron. Do you get paid by the word so that’s why you post bullshit articles??? No SHIT overtraining for some is just a regular workout for others. Do you feel more intelligent pointing out that someone who has a max bench press of 100lbs can’t do the same workout as someone with a max bench press of 400lbs??? NO FUCKING SHIT, SHERLOCK.
What a fucking moron you are, LoL.
If you litter your comments with expletives, abuse the caps-lock button and end with “LoL,” you might want to take a step back and ask yourself who the real moron is.
I hate to inform you, but that’s not what CT Fletcher (or myself) is talking about. If you think a little harder, I have faith that you can figure it out from your basement in Ohio. So “LoL” all you want. Myself, CT Fletcher and guys like Mike Rashid don’t really care. You’re better off trolling somewhere else.
Touche! Death to trolly character assassins. I watched various videos of MR. Fletcher. It was like being awoken from, too long of a stupor. I’m a Persian Gulf Vet. I was a grunt and a paratrooper. There were no limits then, and I never felt more wonderful. I woke up, and here I was, set-repping my training like t.v. dinner trays, starving myself for losses that I’ve never accomplished more than doing the hard work it takes to beat the masses with the muscle. I got the fuck up off my ass, and though ibuprofen be my continual bed med, I’m doing this shit like I’m 19 again, and this time like then, for all the right reasons once again. Like A MAN said: “Anyone can pity the weak, but jealousy has to be earned.” FUK’EM ALL!!
Thanks for the read — and your service — Orlando! And great quote, by the way… 😉
ct fletcher has more juice in him then arnold did! so over training is not a problem.
And the flip side of your assertion is that you’re drinking a lot of jealousy juice — so over-training is a problem.
I have friends who are very much of the CT Fletcher mindset — who are not on steroids — who have incredible physiques. Good luck with the jealousy juice, Greg.
U obviously have not stepped foot in a gym u tit!
Oh, look what we have…another Mr. Anonymous Troll, this time from the UK. Personal attacks are all you have? Perfect. Using your logic, CT Fletcher has never stepped foot inside a gym. Classic.
I wish I could punch you on the mouth!
I can understand your frustration, but their ranting and raving says more about them than it does about me.
Sorry mate, that wasn’t aimed at you, that was aimed at that other sarcastic bastard. I 100% agree with you. I’m from south africa, thanks for the awesome article.
No problem. Thanks for reading!
Punk won’t even use a name when posting such a cowardly comment.
I went from doing a normal 1 day a week arm workout to twice a week wednesday and sunday and have had better gains in the last 3 months to what i had in a whole year!so i must say over training is over rated!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. As CT says, everyone is different, and what might be considered “over training” to some is not to others. It’s good to have a certain knowledge base to work with, but once you have that the real fun can begin. That’s when you start experimenting with what kind of workouts your body responds to best. All too often “over training” isn’t really defined. It’s just this nebulous phrase that becomes a euphemism for “a workout regimen that I think is too strenuous.”
I’m glad that your new workout routine is working out for you and wish you continued success!
“Over training is a myth!!!”
Well I wish I’ve discovered CT videos on my teens, 20′ or 30′.
Why? because I’m just turning 40 in two months and with his training method I’ll be a freaking giant!
It just work! period…
If you eat right, sleep right, lift right, and “most Important” you got the right mind set, you just get amazing results, that’s it!
I’ve tried it for 4 weeks and I was getting stronger and stronger bigger as well but also I’m a Martial Arts/Boxing fanatic, and let me tell you, that will teach you about over training lol
The only reason sometimes stop CT’s training method is for old injuries regarding man to man combat training, nothing else.
But if you watch stupid videos about how to get six packs in 5′ a day or train one muscle a day to get fake pictures results, which most of this guys “are” or “were” pumping clembuterol into the blood stream (steroids) to get ripped, because also have a history of competing in bodybuilding (light weight,haha!) but they will never admitted publicly or in any videos or forum (do your research it’s all online)
There is not “Shortcut to anything” lol
Blood, sweats and tears everyone, pure hard work and discipline, it’s not about genetics.
You get out what you put into it. You’ll reap what you sow!
Keep it up Douglas Ernst great blog!
Blessings, Joy and strength
Migs
Sydney, Australia
I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for taking the time to read ad comment, Migs. I appreciate it.
Powerfull! i am moved by this, Im an aspiring football player and I know now if i train like this, (which i have been doing) ill make up for all the years that were stollen from me through lies. Thanks Douglas!
Powerful? You’ll be the one who is powerful if you focus like a laser on your dreams, Gregory! 😉
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. Getting enough sleep at night, eating enough calories to support your training, and listening to your body is the way to go. If you haven’t watched Mike Rashid’s YouTube video, I suggest heading over there. The guy knows his stuff.
Here is problem you do not understand: Anyone is completely delusional who thinks CT benched 650 lbs NATURALLY. He has always been on cycle. These days he is just bit smaller because he cut with diet but he is still on still steroids. Maybe he has less dosages now or doesn’t use anymore but he got his muscles trough steroids and all that he learned from real life experience in training comes as advantage from using drugs.
Person who is on testo+steroids+hgh has is on totally different level with recovery compared to natural. Overtraining means you train muscle heavy when it hasn’t got enough rest for next day. Overtraining doesn’t mean doing many sets in one day.
Taxing too much of your central nervous system, your tendon and joint with not proper rest will eventually lead eather accident or if it doesn’t it won’t make you progress. Their advantage with frequency and intensity is phenomenal with drugs.
As for what comes for volume (sets). It has nothing to do with overtraining. Doing too much volume for naturals is just not progressive. You need more rest days and since you will run out of strenght you will do 20-40% rm which is just endurance and has nothing to do with muscle hypertrophy. Again for drug athlete they can overcome this by needing less rest days and having more strenght endurance to push many sets over 60% rm.
And here is the problem that you do not understand: Your definition of “overtraining” is not the definition that large swathes of the population use. That is CT’s point. How many people believe if they do “more than three sets of 8-10 reps” of a few exercises that they’ll overtrain? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people in gyms whose idea of overtraining is so broad and so … wrong that they inadvertently put ceilings on what they can accomplish.
All of what CT (and Mike Rashid) says is based on getting enough rest, getting enough sleep and being smart about listening to your body. Both CT and Rashid say as much in their videos.
And finally, you say that CT is “still on steroids….but maybe he … doesn’t use anymore but got his muscles through steroids.” So he definitively does steroids, although maybe he doesn’t. Got it.
If that is what he meant or if that’s what he thinks is overtraining then I can agree 100% with him. There is no limit how hard you can train. Muscles only grow if you have enough intensity in your true 60-90% rm.
Actually If person is not training hard enough then he just won’t get results. It’s 100% fact that person who train hard 5 months with intense training + proper nutrition gets more results than someone who has been in 10 years in gym doing moderate training. With hard I meant you train with proper weight.
As for what comes for his steroids in his current state it’s just hard to tell. All muscle loss won’t happen just like that if you stop using drugs if person still feeds them with proper nutrition.
I’m obviously not too versed in steroids, but when it comes to testosterone supplements I’d have to say that it doesn’t bother me. As men get older they produce less, so if someone went to a doctor and got their T-levels raised through prescription drugs then I don’t think I’d have an issue with it. For whatever reason people are okay when women take estrogen as they age, but when you mention men taking testosterone there seems to be a cultural aversion to it. Perhaps I’m wrong, but that’s been my experience.
I worked in a gym that was open to the public for a couple years during graduate school, and it seemed like the vast majority of people do a few sets, look in the mirror for minutes on end, do a few more sets, drink some water, talk to their friends and then leave. People like yourself, who are experienced and knowledgeable, don’t really need a kick in the butt. You know how not to “overtrain” and can avoid those pitfalls. However, I’d say at least 85% of people who hit up the local gym will never push themselves anywhere close to having to worry about overtraining. If CT and Mike Rashid get them to kick it up a notch those gym-goers will see more results but still safely stay away from any sort of exercise danger-zone.
Anyway, thanks for adding your perspective to the mix, Excoo. I appreciate the input.
I completely DISAGREE with pretty much everything you have said. A military Vet myself and a new product of the overtraining myth.
Starters……I’ve gained more in the past 3 months than I did in the amount of a year. Period.
Second, I work at a Federal Prison and I am willing to believe that CT and Rashid are NOT on roids. We have guys in here that are pretty damn ripped and muscular like them and obviously don’t have shit for supplements with the exception of raw materials in food.
Third, this overtraining is the EXACT same type of workout that convicts do because they are limited in time in the gym, so they are doing biceps, triceps, chest, whatever 4-6 times a week. There is a reason most of these guys come out of the Pen looking like monsters. This is also why CT’s style is referred to as Penitentiary style workouts.
A guy posts an article backing what he feels works and giving credit to another man that is giving a wealth of knowledge to the public for FREE and you trying to rip on him smh. Maybe you can’t handle overtraining? Because it’s definitely not for the mentally weak!
ISYMFS
Thanks for kindly taking the initiative and saying what basically goes through my mind when I read some of the anti-CT comments.
He lost weight do to HEART SURGERY idiot!! Wow do research on the man before u bash him
so that means i can workout more than once a week ? and is good to workout when u r soar
I don’t know your level of fitness/health, but if you are a healthy person then there’s really no reason why you should limit yourself to working out once per week. I can’t imagine what you would ever do once a week that would tax your body so much that you’d be out of commission for that long.
There’s a difference between being sore because your muscles are a little achey and being sore because you’ve injured your body in some way. Also, if you’re incredibly sore from working out a particular muscle group, then you’ll probably want to do a different muscle group that day. If your back and biceps are sore, make it a leg day. Or do some cardio.
Whatever you do, you have to be smart about it. Listen to your body, and be honest with yourself as you attempt to interpret what’s going on.
Great article and good to inform people who CT is if they don’t know. It gives others a chance to take advantage of a wealth of knowledge that is out there. A military Vet myself and a new product of the overtraining myth.
I’ve gained more in the past 3 months than I did in the amount of a year. Period.
This overtraining is the EXACT same type of workout that convicts do because they are limited in time in the gym, so they are doing biceps, triceps, chest, whatever 4-6 times a week. There is a reason most of these guys come out of the Pen looking like monsters. This is also why CT’s style is referred to as Penitentiary style workouts.
Good information to put out there. I am a firm believer in this type of workout. I don’t understand why little trolls want to comment on here and try and bash the author. Maybe they are upset with thier results and don’t have the heart for this type of intensive training. Who knows.
ISYMFS
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, TJ. I really appreciate it. I usually just cobble together bits and pieces from different training philosophies and then incorporate them into my workout regime, so I haven’t followed some of Mike Rashid’s workouts to a tee. However, I have used the “overtraining is a myth” mentality since learning of CT, and I must say that I’m very happy with the changes to my physique since doing so. I don’t know if I want shirtless pictures of me floating around the internet…but I may just post some sort of “B.CT.” and “A.CT.’ pics this spring or summer if things progress at their current rate.
Anyway, thanks again for adding to the conversation — and thanks for your service.
A buddy and I at work watch the CT Fletcher Video and have started to use the OVERTRAINING methods. Now 3 weeks in.. I feel that we have benefited from these techniques. Unless you try it then how would you know. Be open… some things work for some people. I am making gains and thank CT for the valuable insight.
Get over yourself…
Another anonymous troll who adds absolutely nothing to the conversation. Bravo. Slow clap for Mr. Anonymous, posting comments from his basement in Iowa.
This is getting ridiculous. The definition of overtraining is training a the body/ body part too frequently and thus resulting in a plateau over a long period if time (weeks/months). Your levels of stress increase rather than decrease, your testosterone levels decrease and you have trouble sleeping and making gains. Going very hard on a body part during one training session is not over training it’s just training hard. The use of PEDs can help people counteract the effect if REAL overtraining. Bioscience is bullshit especially when it comes from individuals who are clearly are using/have used PEDs in the past.
Since you’re not the same Anonymous guy who posted before, I’ll respond. I’m not sure who or what you’re saying is ridiculous, but I think we basically agree. I believe CT and Rashid’s point is that the general population doesn’t really understanding what real “overtraining” is. CT often refers to “egg-headed mothaf***kers” who don’t get who he’s targeting. Most people in the gym don’t have personal trainers…but they still sort of cobble together ideas from friends, family and online resources. The result? They think that if they train arms two days in a row they’ll “overtrain.” Well, no, not really. Far from it.
I worked in a gym for two years during graduate school to pay the bills (and then for another year part-time while I looked for a job upon getting my degree), and the vast majority of people need a kick in the rear — the kind that CT provides. Obviously, he’s not for everybody. However, I still think his “go hard” mindset is sorely lacking among a population that goes home the second it breaks a sweat.
It’s not over training. It’s O V E R – G A I N I N G!
I find this article motivating and find Mr. Fletcher an inspiration to us all. It is very annoying to see trolls comment on this page. I know they are full of negativity and doubt and this page does not need it. The article was very motivating for me. I am currently an active duty marine infantryman who done 2 deployments and getting out within a few months honorably. Some of these people have no idea what overtraining is. So I will leave you with this keep up the great work.
Thanks for your service, Phillip! You guys are the ones who are truly inspirational…
Good luck on entering back into the civilian world. It needs more guys like you and CT Fletcher in it! If you ever need an ear, feel free to stop by this little old blog.
It’s funny how when you look at CT Fletchers videos he always says…”Everyone wants to talk shit but not do shit” just like the assholes who comment and just talk shit.
I just think it’s funny how people can look at CT Fletcher, Big Rob and Mike Rashid and say they have no clue what they’re talking about. It’s like, “Ummm, even if you want to go down the stupid ‘steroids’ route…you still need to lift like a monster to look like that.”
Like CT said, overtraining is individualized. What might be “overtraining” for one guy isn’t for another. It’s something that the person doing the lifting needs to determine. The vast majority of people exercising in gyms throughout the country are nowhere close to “overtraining.”
Great article bruh. I recently completely switched up my workouts from the usual 3sets of 10reps etc to burnout sets 10sets and its made the biggest difference, not to mention its helped me be lean and shed fat in the process. Im 30yrs old, so this stuff helps the notion that i will be carrying a cane or lose my strength go away! lol
Ps. Its easy to allow fools who hide behind a mousepad and keyboard to knock you off your game, but you were better than that. Especially when they dont have the ability to create a similar website! lol
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Tugboat. I really appreciate it. When I turned 30 my metabolism slowed down almost overnight. It was kind of weird. I actually had to watch what I put in my body for the first time in my life. It was a real eye-opener.
I’m glad to hear that you’ve made a lot of gains since you’ve started pushing yourself harder. I think we all sort of hit that plateau from time-to-time and it’s easy to just “maintain.” I’m guilty of it, too. Congrats on busting through yours. It looks like you’re well on your way to being one of those 70 or 80 year old guys who looks like he’s 20-30 years younger than his real age. Keep up the good work.
Ive started taking this new diet pill called “hard work man up get swole and push yourself to your limits. Then start counting the reps” overtrainig is a term weak minded lazy people use to justify a simple dont work hard trip to the gym for socializing. Geting bigger and stronger is hard freakn work. Thats why so many dont push their bodies to the edge and then keep going. Please keep you 3×10 working out 3x a week comment for another site that actually cares what yall have to say. As for me I will now and as long as I can overtrain eat and sleep accordingly. I would like to add know the difference between sore and injured. Then adjust properly.
great article.
By the way thank you for serving in this countries military and for my freedom!
firm hand shake for miltary people and a huge hug for vietnam veterans. Thank you for the comforts we take for granted everyday.
JD
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, JD. I appreciate it! Good luck on making all those gains. I’m sure your hard work will pay off.
As an exercise science student who goes by what is fact and not bro science, there is indeed a such thing as overtraining. Want to experience this? Go to the gym every day with no recovery days in between, lift weights within 80% of your one rep max each day for every body group, and if you like you can even eat an improper diet, and try sleeping for less than 8 hours a night, and you sir will indeed burn out and face overtraining, It does exist. However, what CT said was true about “one mans difficulty, can be another man’s piece of cake”, that is pretty obvious as no one starts off at 100 on day one. That requires progressive overload paired with proper nutrition. I wouldn’t recommend trying to overtrain to grow however.
What does it say about someone who chooses “The Truth” as his avatar? What does it say about a guy who looks at CT and flippantly dismisses his advice as “bro science,” when the results speak for themselves? I better stop before I get of track…
CT, Mike Rashid, Big Rob and others have said — endlessly — that all of this is predicated on having a proper diet, adequate sleep, etc. When you couple that very basic message with the idea that one man’s “over training” is another man’s warm up, it’s not hard to extrapolate what their definition of “over training” is. The vast majority of people in your local gym will never push themselves to the point where they “over train.” They use “over training” as a crutch to avoid pushing themselves.
Anyone who listens to CT’s videos and really thinks about what he’s saying and follows through on his advice will see gains.
I know I’m anonymous but I have to say this because I have noticed what some people have said on this and can not believe what I am reading. I am in no way a professional or expert but have had experience in a wide range of aspects of lifting. Firstly, great article. I enjoyed reading every word of it.
Secondly, I’ve been working out HARD for 4 years straight now with experimenting with supplements as mild as protein shakes and supplements as harsh as testosterone booster and GHRP-6. I have not had the greatest diet in the world up until a month ago and most importantly I worked out twice a day 7 days a week. Never once did I feel this “over-training” I hear so much about. I’ve seen unbelievable gains from purely hard work, of course when I wasn’t on the hard core supplements. I’ve “laughed at the pain”, as CT puts it, while I’m working out. The biggest thing I think that was stated is a person’s mentality. You can only do as much as you put your mind to.
So I suggest push yourself and try new things as the article as stated. If you want to see any serious gains, you must push yourself and have your mind believe you can do it.
Once again, great article and I’m glad I stumbled upon it. I just wanted to add my two cents.
Hi, thank you for sharing this with us. It’s great to read this and prepare the mind for a “stupid pump” at workout. I’m now “overtraining” since about 2 months. I must see say that all my friends at gym were spotting me when I tried to tell them what I’ve read… Now 2months later, with this result a lot of them suddenly want to become my gym buddy. My body really reacts very good to this type of training. It’s like dope (like mike rashid says 🙂 ). I will be continuing doing this. Thanks again for sharing this info with us. Great as mind preworkout!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Deadly Snake. I’m glad that the knowledge you’ve gained from CT, Mike Rashid and Big Rob is paying off in the gym! I’m also glad if my post has helped you in any way. That’s great news. Keep up the good work!
Hi Douglas, I wrote a blog about how CT Fletcher has inspired me to use the overtraining technique. I think what you say is absolutely correct, and I am going to write my own post about my view on it. Would appreciate it if you could take a look and like my blog. True inspiration. Amazing blog. Please read my blog at, I am new to this but hope to build up an enthusiastic community: http://blogyourfitness.wordpress.com
Hi blogyourfitness. I’m glad to see that CT and Mike Rashid have inspired you to push yourself to new levels of fitness, as well as to start a blog! That’s great news and I wish you the best of luck. I’ll make sure to check in on your blog from time to time to see how you’re doing.
Thanks Douglas, my blog is going to talk about those two quite a lot I think, huge inspiration for me. I’m going to write a post soon about the workout I have been following for the last two weeks, inspired by both. Check it out if you get a chance, and keep up the good work!
I fucking love CT!!! Fuck all the “overtraining” haters! There is no such thing as overtraining, it is motherfucking LOGICAL, that by sleeping well and eating well, it should be IMPOSSIBLE to “overtrain”. Overtraining is a myth, advertized by all the so called workout gurus, who wants you to buy theire commercial crap. FUCK YO ASS OVERTRAINING, i had hit a plateau untill i discovered CT, this man is a fucking motivational BEAST!
Douglas, i am about to start CT’s “armed warfare” workout, but cant seem to find any information on, how the rest of the workout should be? Am i supposed to workout just as i’ve done it, with an exception of the arm day, where i follow CT’s armed warfare ? For example monday/thursdag chest and back, tuesday/fridays legs/shoulders, and then wednesdays/saturdays armed warfare??
Btw, love your article! Ct is an inspiration and WILL revolutionize bodybuilding in the future!
Thanks for the comment, Pedro. Like you, I started incorporating the “overtraining” mindset into my own workouts and was very happy with the results. My own problem is a.) I love running/rowing, so I do way too much cardio to put on CT-Fletcher mass, and b.) I don’t have the discipline to eat enough to get huge. Regardless, for my fitness goals I think the strategy that CT employs is a recipe for success. In terms of overall fitness, I think I’m in pretty darn good shape for a 35-year-old, and in terms of how it’s shaped my body…my wife seems happy with the results. 😉 That’s the only feedback I really care about.
In regards to the “armed warfare” workout, I’d just give it a go exactly with what your gut is telling you. You’ll know pretty quickly if the Wednesday/Saturday armed warfare plan works for you. That sounds pretty logical to me.
Again, thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate it.
This entire thread was a maddening litany of ad hominizing circle jerking and petulant post-mongering. So allow me to contribute:
More than a time or two I noticed this blogger mention someone commenting from their “basement”, and from a state said blogger, presumably, believes to be somehow lacking in vitality and/or sophistication. Iowa and Ohio, for example. Care to explain those seemingly unnecessary inclusions in your retorts, D.E.? Meanwhile, I’m from Miami. Where there are no basements.
Also embarrassingly sophomoric was the repeated references to one’s avatar…says the guy who employs Brad Pitt from Fight Club fame…yet actually looks like a long(er)-faced Adam Sandler. On a good day. YOUR…good day.
“But…but…but the results speak for themselves!”…he writes incessantly. What results, looking like an overgrown gorilla? “And CT is all natural, too!” Because you say so? Pay attention: the “results” the vast majority of men seek are those emulating the physiques of fashion and fitness models, olympic swimmers, sprinters, et al., and not prison extras from a Coen brothers movie. Most folks would not be served by training under the operating assumption that they’re evolutionarily advantaged to pack on massive amounts of muscle. Never mind the nutritional requirements that would be encumbered by such a “fitness” philosophy. Further, I’m sure CT Fletcher is perfectly heart-healthy, and him and his gargantuan proportions will surely endure a long and salutary life. Just like all the other “big men” that came before him. Not.
Finally, and most pertinently, the title of this blog entry is a complete contradiction. Hint: Non-existence and individually dependent are not the same. To his credit, CT wastes little time in pointing out the individualized nature of over-training(freely conceding its existence), which makes it all the more curious as to why DE insists on titling this article as he did.
Slow clap for Me3PO and his ability to liken my face to Adam Sandler’s. Good one! When I was in the Army (at the height of his popularity) I got Adam Sandler jokes quite frequently. Perhaps I should have put up some pictures of my time in an infantry battalion (or me without my shirt on) instead of Brad Pitt? I’d do that if I felt as though I had to prove a thing to trolls like you. It’s telling that I hit such a nerve that you wasted precious time out of your life looking for pictures of my face on the internet. It would be interesting to see what you look like. My bet is that there is a very telling reason why you have such antipathy towards “big men.”
I’d like to see you call CT Fletcher an “overgrown gorilla” to his face.
You’re upset at me for calling out trolls like you who post from their mom’s basement, but yet your “gorilla” remark has no racial connotations, right? And how dare I mock people, according to Me3PO, whose first comment out of the gates is “You sir, are a fucking moron.”
Get a life.
Here’s some Adam Sandler for you: “I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”
Before I begin, I would like to thank you for posting my comment. It would’ve been really easy to simply ignore and move on, but you didn’t. So much appreciated. Now on with the show:
“Slow clap”– Again with the slow clap nonsense…time to dig deeper in that army issue tool box of yours.
“liken my face to Adam Sandler’s. Good one!”– It wasn’t intended as a cheap shot, nor an especially clever one, but rather, a telling and stark juxtaposition to the aesthetics you apparently sought to convey in your avatar. And considering you repeatedly mocked the avatars of others, I thought it fair game. That punctuating “on a good day” bit , however, was indeed a cheap shot.
“Perhaps I should have put up some pictures of my time in an infantry battalion”– Sure, that’d be fine. Cool, even.
“I’d do that if I felt as though I had to prove a thing to trolls like you.”– Troll? Directly and unambiguously addressing the content of this blog post and the discussion that followed is not trolling. Your reflexive recrimination, on the other hand…
Further, I didn’t ask you to prove anything. Well…except me wrong. Which you didn’t. Because you can’t.
“It’s telling that I hit such a nerve that you wasted precious time out of your life looking for pictures of my face on the internet”– Are you (hilariously) referring to those 4 seconds? Meanwhile, how long did it take you to write this reply?…more than 4 seconds, I’m sure.
“It would be interesting to see what you look like.”– 6’4″/225 lbs. @ 10% BF. I’ve gotten Ashton Kutcher before, but I think they were being a bit too generous. Just a tiny bit.
“My bet is that there is a very telling reason why you have such antipathy towards “big men.” “– Antipathy? Try sympathy, instead. I’ve been a fairly lean 255 before…when I was a 23 year-old knucklehead. And I well know the feeling of others making false assumptions about me based on my size. Looking like a linebacker may be ok for those who are paid to actually be linebackers, at least for a time, but for the rest of us it just screams insecurity issues. I’m also keenly aware of how proportion, much more so than pure size, truly makes for enviable physiques, and a mesomorphic 6’4” quickly begins to look really…stupid…at anything above 230. As it is, I could stand to drop a few.
Here’s an easy metric for assessing how stupid-big one may potentially look: put on a suit. If you look like a thick-necked vegas bouncer, then congratulations…you look stupid. You may not BE stupid(I’ve actually worked as a bouncer), but you’ll certainly LOOK stupid. Although, intelligent folks will tend to turn back before allowing themselves to be gorilla-ized. Otherwise, perhaps the meathead bunch is your proper milieu, in which case…godspeed.
“I’d like to see you call CT Fletcher an “overgrown gorilla” to his face”– I don’t understand, because all words should be implicitly backed by violence? Perhaps I’m in the unashamed minority, but I am thoroughly unfazed by the idea of someone being able to “kick my ass”. Especially if that somebody is an overgrown gorilla. Smartly, I avoid physical confrontation, while guilefully allowing truth to rise in its own time.
“You’re upset at me for calling out trolls like you who post from their mom’s basement”– Damn, now you’re bringing my mother into this…well she died this past Christmas, so there is no mom’s (fictitious) basement anymore. Also, calling out trolls is perfectly fine, but my point, which apparently escaped you, is that you did so by throwing other entities under the bus. Simply stated: your whack-a-troll game needs work.
“but yet your “gorilla” remark has no racial connotations, right?”– Not from me, not in this context it doesn’t. It honestly pains me to see men build their bodies to impractically large dimensions when I know true body contentment settled about 60 pounds ago.
“And how dare I mock people, according to Me3PO, whose first comment out of the gates is “You sir, are a fucking moron.” “– Mock away…but leave Ohio out of it. Understand?
“Get a life.”– So you don’t encourage discussion on this blog? Would you also tell those who bothered to comment and praise you in this thread to “get a life”?
Again, don’t forget what I said about you and your tool box…
I tell people to get a life who show that they aren’t interested in having a real discussion, but instead come out with lines like “You sir, are a fucking moron,” or some other nonsense completely devoid of substance.
So because I questioned what it means for a guy to go around calling himself “The Truth,” that warranted looking up a picture of me and commenting on my face? Okay. Like I said, your jokes (if you want to call them that) are nothing compared to what infantry guys can dish out. Regardless, this is typically a political blog with the tag line “bareknuckled commentary mixed with pop culture.” It seemed appropriate to have a picture of Brad Pitt from “Snatch” in there somewhere. I wanted to use RDJ boxing in “Sherlock Holmes,” but I couldn’t get a screenshot I liked. Oh well. If you thought I was trying to pass myself off as Brad Pitt, then you were sorely mistaken. Although, like I said, I’m very comfortable taking off my shirt at the beach.
Your comment wasn’t geared towards having any real conversation about over-training, but instead was crafted to show everyone that you’re a smart guy. It was the equivalent of, “Doug thinks he’s pretty bright, so let me take him down a notch by Googling his name, finding a picture of him, and then making Adam Sandler cracks.”
Mission not accomplished, Ashton Kutcher. Like I said: I don’t have anything to prove to you.
There’s really nothing to debate with you. The only pseudo-lucid point you made is that over-training technically exists. However, the whole point to the post, which fair-minded readers can extrapolate from the text, is that “over-training” as the vast majority of gym-goers define it, does not exist. It is a myth. The vast majority of people will never truly push themselves to the point of overtraining because most of them do a few sets, work up a little sweat, pat themselves on the back and go home. And then they wonder why they aren’t seeing results.
This is abundantly clear to anyone who reads the post or the comments section, but for whatever reason you took issue with me mocking trolls from Ohio and Iowa. And yes, they were posting from Ohio and Iowa. I’m sorry if you interpreted that as some sort of weird attack on the good people of Ohio and Iowa. Having grown up in Illinois, I assure you that I don’t consider the Midwest “flyover country.”
Again, I have little patience with guys like you. I’ve had this blog for years. I have had incredibly fruitful debates with people who disagreed with me on a wide variety of subjects. Getting a lecture from you on how I run my own comments section is laughable. As you rightly point out, I could have easily deleted your comment. I didn’t. I let it stand, in large part because I want people to see what you have to say. “Prove” you wrong? On what? Your new joke about my “army issue tool box”? No thanks. It was lame. I’m confident most people can see that. For a guy who wants to have a “discussion,” I notice that with all you’ve written you still haven’t even quoted any text from the actual post. Odd.
How weird is it that it “pains” you to look at other men who, for whatever reason, want to be the biggest and strongest version of themselves that they can possibly be? Why do you give a rip what other guys do? Just because Me3PO thinks something is “stupid,” does that make it so? I don’t think so. No wonder you had to run to the defense of “The Truth”…
As I have already said, I have no desire to look like CT, but his message is one that is a recipe for success. It is bizarre that you would dedicate this much of your time and energy to dumping on such a positive message.
Bonus: Here’s some homework for you. Why don’t you watch retired Admiral William McRaven’s address to the University of Texas. Maybe you’ll learn something. His lesson about the Navy SEAL “circus” punishment is very CT Fletcher-esque.
“I tell people to get a life who show that they aren’t interested in having a real discussion, but instead come out with lines like “You sir, are a fucking moron,” or some other nonsense completely devoid of substance.”– Except, I said nothing of the sort. Instead, I was sharply on-topic, even if fogged by the spirit of the discussion that preceded my participation.
Allow me to succinctly serve up substantive, meaty slices of wisdom from my initial post:
‘Most folks would not be served by training under the operating assumption that they’re evolutionarily advantaged to pack on massive amounts of muscle.’
‘Never mind the nutritional requirements that would be encumbered by such a “fitness” philosophy.’
‘I’m sure CT Fletcher is perfectly heart-healthy, and him and his gargantuan proportions will surely endure a long and salutary life. Just like all the other “big men” that came before him. Not.’
That’s substance, which I fully and uncontroversially defend. And which you choose to continually ignore in favor of cliched rebukes. Meanwhile, other “fair-minded readers will extrapolate” and judge for themselves.
“Your comment wasn’t geared towards having any real conversation about over-training, but instead was crafted to show everyone that you’re a smart guy.”– I don’t look to obscure “political blogs” for intellectual validation. Period.
“It was the equivalent of, “Oh, this guy Doug thinks he’s pretty bright, so let me take him down a notch by Googling his name, finding a picture of him, and then making Adam Sandler cracks.” “– Speaking of “hitting a nerve”, you seem to be hyperfocused on this Adam Sandler comparison. For me, it was a single, throw away line meant only to dispose of your petty avatar fixation, and nothing more. Had you not mentioned it…I would’ve never googled. Meanwhile, what ever happened to that “bare-knuckled commentary” you were boasting about? And as for the “Doug thinks he’s pretty bright” business…well that’s just pure fiction. And projection. AGAIN, my main gripe was your contradictory blog title, and then closely followed by your subtle but obvious slights against “fly-over country”…no matter your attempts to retroactively claim otherwise. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. And quid pro quo, yo.
“The only pseudo-lucid point you made is that over-training technically exists.”– Otherwise known as actually. Hence my comment, and hence your inability to prove me wrong.
“over-training” as the vast majority of gym-goers define it, does not exist. It is a myth.”– Because you’ve conducted a scientific poll and the clinical studies to follow? Further, if “mis-defined” concepts is what’s really at issue then perhaps you should have titled your blog as such. Of course, such journalistic honestly would be at odds with your sensationalistic streak and would’ve probably amounted in less site hits. Don Draper 101? I shudder to think how you handle hot political topics…
“The vast majority of people will never truly push themselves to the point of overtraining because most of them do a few sets, work up a little sweat, pat themselves on the back and go home.”– Right. And the vast majority of people never mutter the word “overtraining” in their entire life. So what’s your point?
“Again, I have little patience with guys like you.”– Guys like me? This isn’t a “guys like me” situation. My comment was unique in mentioning the contradictory nature of your article.
“There’s really nothing to debate with you.”– Well you’re right about that…there is no debate, your title was absolutely misleading.
“Getting a lecture from you on how I run my own comments section is laughable.”– Right again. Ad hominem retorts and unfairly throwing others under the bus for cheap argumentative points by someone who proudly claims to be a professional writer is indeed laughable. In a Pagliacci sort of way.
“Your new joke about my “army issue tool box”? No thanks. It was lame.”– Hey, that’s (effectively) NOT “letting it stand”, now is it… Besides, it wasn’t intended to be haha funny. Just funny in that I knew you’d respond to it with passive-aggressiveness.
“I notice that with all you’ve written you still haven’t even quoted any text from the actual post. Odd.”– Your TITLE. What don’t you understand about your TITLE?? The rest is self-evident.
“How weird is it that it “pains” you to look at other men who, for whatever reason, want to be the biggest and strongest version of themselves that they can possibly be?”– Not weird; empathic. Can’t relate? And because the biggest and strongest version they can be most often comes at a deleterious cost.
“Why do you give a rip what other guys do?”– Friendly advice, maybe? Can’t relate?
“Just because Me3PO thinks something is “stupid,” does that make it so? I don’t think so.”– Subjectivity is overestimated by the uninformed masses, anthropologically and rigidly speaking. Meanwhile, consensus doesn’t lie. The overwhelming majority do not find CT Fletcher’s physique to be an enviable one. True story. Others may wish to insert their own adjectives in describing CT, but the message will remain unchanged.
“No wonder you had to run to the defense of “The Truth”…”– Ugh, NOT “THE TRUTH”…OHIO! What don’t you understand about O.H.I.O.??
“As I have already said, I have no desire to look like CT, but his message is one that is a recipe for success.”– Not exactly sure what his message is as there is precisely zero specificity in that high-T screed you quoted. Odd that you wouldn’t quote him more comprehensively as this is an entire blog entry devoted to his philosophical greatness. See what I did there.
“It is bizarre that you would dedicate this much of your time and energy to dumping on such a positive message.”– Because it is more nebulous bravado than it is useful positivity. Meanwhile, yours was the (mixed) message I was mostly dumping on.
“Here’s some homework for you. Why don’t you watch retired Admiral William McRaven’s address to the University of Texas. Maybe you’ll learn something. His lesson about the Navy SEAL “circus” punishment is very CT Fletcher-esque.”– You and your “lectures”…
That is your substance? 1. Zzzzz. 2. Again, why do you give a rip if some guy wants to down 4,000 calories a day to pack on muscle while adopting CT’s system? 3. The last time I checked, if someone is doing what they love and they die at 75 instead of 85, that’s their deal. CT Fletcher said he’d rather be dead than not doing what he loves. How you define “quality of life” is not how CT Fletcher defines quality of life. Again, just because you think something is “stupid” it doesn’t mean that it actually is.
Aside from that, you took issue with my headline. Wow. That’s all you’ve got? Bravo.
I know. What would a Navy SEAL know about fitness and “overtraining,” right? What would the former head of SOCOM know about pushing the human body to its mental, physical and spiritual limits? What would a guy who went through BUD/S training teach the brilliant Me3PO, the Ashton Kutcher lookalike ex-bouncer who had issues because he was a big boy as a kid…maybe people thought he was stupid…so now he uses words like ‘milieu’ whenever he gets a chance and projects his inner frustration out on other guys who want to look like CT Fletcher by likening them to “meatheads” and “gorillas.”
You’re right: A guy who was raised in Illinois, has family there, served his country, is openly patriotic, has defended traditional American values endlessly on his blog, on various social media platforms, radio, etc. … thinks that people in Ohio and Iowa are stupid. Gotcha. Again, you’re a troll who will be here for a day or two and then I’ll never have to deal with you again. That’s why I have no patience for you. I’ve called out trolls from many states and a few different countries over the course of 900+ blog posts. Again, get a life.
Anyone who goes back through the comments will see that it was you who introduced yourself by throwing out ad hominem attacks my way. In regards to the others, I think my readers will forgive me for swinging back at the “You sir, are a fucking moron” drive-by trolls. They’ll also forgive me for responding to your “Pagliacci” jab by telling you to look in the mirror at the narcissistic clown staring back at you.
I’m also quite happy with my resume. I don’t know now how many times I have to say it: I have nothing to prove to you.
It’s always nice when a troll admits that he’s a troll. It makes my decision to ban him that much easier. (i.e., The moderator references his time in the Army, so the troll tries to find a way to make a dig that incorporates the moderator’s time in service). Translation: You are a troll. I will respond accordingly from here on out.
Don’t you have a CT Fletcher YouTube video to troll? Maybe you can prove how much you know about overtraining by referencing Debussy.
What a shame: The troll who admitted he was a troll spent so long on yet another long-winded reply, and now it’s gone.
Now the guy with the Webster’s Dictionary vocabulary — who decided to say CT Fletcher looks like a “gorilla” with so many words at his disposal — (while simultaneously saying there was no racial tinge to it), is gone. With so many choices offered by the English and French languages, Me3PO went to “gorilla” in the conversation about a big black guy.
Florida’s Ashton Kutcher, who thinks that calling out trolls from Ohio — who are indeed posting from Ohio — is somehow an attack on the intelligence of people from the heartland, sees absolutely nothing of note in his decision to immediately jump to “gorilla” when knocking the philosophy of the popular black guy. Interesting.
The bouncer has been bounced, which must annoy him because you can tell that he’s the type of guy who always needs to have the last word.
Perhaps one day I’ll get to see your modeling work, Ashton.
Cheers.
Side note for interested readers: In his last rambling post he wanted all of you to know that he went to a really competitive college and completed a very difficult major…and he was a tall thin guy — not fat — which may also explain his strange condescension for “big men.” But if you were thinking he was trying to prove how smart he was during the course of the conversation, then he wants you to know that you’re just projecting your own insecurities onto him. Classic. It will be sad to see him go. If he stuck around, then you would know it was only a matter of time before he managed to find a way to talk about the ‘de rigueur’ body building practices of the day. Hurrrrrm.
Update: I’m also a “coward,” according to bouncer-boy. Nothing says “coward” like using your own name on a blog for four years, dealing with the online stalkers who come with it, etc. And nothing says “coward” like enlisting in the armed services as an infantryman. Good one, brave anonymous guy from Florida who says he looks like Ashton Kutcher. You totally got me there. Point about Ashton needing the last word: confirmed.
Update II: Now “Good Will Bouncing” is trying to get his post up through new accounts. He really does want that last word, doesn’t he? Sorry, troll. Once you outright admitted that you were a troll, it was over.
You almost need a decoder ring to figure out just what “Me3PO” is saying. Trollish babble is rarely comprehensible. Also, it’s funny how, according to “Good Will Bouncing” (that made me laugh out loud.), it’s “bad” when you call out trolls from Iowa or the UK or Ohio, but it’s okay for him to make insulting comments about you and call CT Fletcher (a black man) a “gorilla.”
It may have been the screed that I deleted, but he went back to the whole Ohio thing and added that I must think I’m better than people who “aren’t lucky enough” to live in D.C. This of course is laughable to anyone who has read my blog. You know that I wasn’t a fan of D.C. culture (“I work on ‘The Hill’ so I know better than the rubes from Illinois, Ohio, Iowa…”), that I couldn’t wait to move out of the city, that I want to retire to Montana, etc.
Yes, the guy who was so careful with all of his words and so sensitive to random guys calling me a “fucking moron” out of the gates, somehow wasn’t all that careful with the “gorilla” remark and how that may be interpreted — especially since he said the whole thread was a “circle jerk” to CT Fletcher.
Here’s a fun little “Adam Sandler” anecdote, since he seemed to think I was bent out of shape about it: When I was in the Army I had a mean Adam Sandler impression, and because I look a little like him (or a lot, according to bouncer-boy), there was one guy who “ordered” me to do my impression every time he saw me. I did it the first…25 times because, like I said, I was pretty good at it. But then it just got old, and I refused. The guy then made me do push-ups every time I refused. Needless to say, I did a lot of push-ups. 🙂
My issue wasn’t with the idea that I look like Sandler (I’m comfortable in my own skin). My issue was some dude comes out of nowhere, sees a headline he doesn’t like and a few comments to trolls, and decides he’s going to Google my face and then try to hurl insults my way. Good Will Bouncing could have just said, “Doug, I think you’re headline is incredibly sensational and just flat-out wrong. Care to explain? Also, why did you mock that guy from Ohio?” but he didn’t. He started talking about circle jerks, my face and “prison extras from a Coen brothers movie.” Again, the popular black guy looks like a “gorilla” who we should immediately think “prison extra from a Coen brothers movie,” according to Ashton. Totally no racial element there at all, right?
If Ashton wasn’t a troll we could have talked about my time managing a gym years ago, my conversations with friends who are personal trainers, and a whole host of other things. But he was a troll, so he was banned. You’ll also note that he avoided Admiral McRaven’s story about the Navy SEAL “circus” punishment, which essentially validates CT Fletcher’s claims about overtraining, my headline, etc.
And then the guy who thinks he’s so smart actually thought he could post his deleted comment from another account with a new IP address and that it would somehow escape my radar. Nope. How do you like them apples, Ashton?
I was wondering if Xmenexpert had a Florida cousin; quite a diatribe if his only point was he hated your title!
Ha! It’s a shame that Xmenexpert wasn’t into health and fitness. This post would hit 150 comments in no time. Whether he actually said anything of note or just talked in circles is another matter…
But yes, you’re right. I’m not sure how a title that annoys someone is worth expending that amount of energy. I still maintain that for the most part it was an exercise (no pun intended) in showing everyone that he’s an awesome and witty guy. Again, his last two posts were deleted, but the overall picture message from his time here was: “Doug is an idiot, and I’m a tough guy Ashton Kutcher body double who went to an elite college, undertook a tough major and have 10 percent body fat.” Ummm, okay. Good for you.
I always like it when trolls say “What happened to bare-knuckled commentary?” in follow up messages sent to the spam box or when they get close to being banned. There’s a difference between having a spirited debate (e.g., back-and-forths with Lightbringer or Xmenxpert) and just trolling (e.g., Ashton Kucher wannabe). Maybe if Miami Bouncer actually quoted the text and asked questions about it instead of referring to “circle jerks” he’d still be allowed to comment right now.
The funny thing is, you know that his narcissism brought him back here, that he read the comments by you and Carl, and that he really wants to respond.
You forgot to mention that Platz and the rest of the morons saying that there is no such thing as over training, Were taking steroids by the tons that’s why they were able to train for hours and recover. Tell any natural human being to try any of those roider workouts they’ll be beyond over trained and fried. You sir are a fool to take advice from pathological lying heavy steroid users.
John, do you think it’s a bit odd that you’re calling me a fool when it’s blatantly apparent that you have a reading comprehension problem? Like others in this comment section, you’re kneejerk response is to hurl personal insults instead of actually citing a single portion of my piece and then responding to it.
Really? So you’re saying that you wouldn’t take weightlifting advice from Platz or Schwarzenegger? Who’s the real fool around here, John? I suggest you look at the bodies of Arnold in his prime and then look at a modern bodybuilding magazine to see the difference in the bodies — then we can discuss who is taking steroids “by the tons.”
Who should I listen to: CT Fletcher and a decorated Navy SEAL like Admiral William Harry McRaven, or “John K”? I think I’ll go with the military guys, since they clearly know a thing or two about pushing the human body beyond self-imposed limits, and you’re just a troll who has to make himself feel better before he goes to bed at night by saying things like, “you sir, are a fool.”
Sleep tight, Johnny. My guess is that you’re really good at it.
Arnold and the rest of these bodybuilders would have never ever looked like they did with out heavy steroid use and that’s a fact. The human body has a genetic limit and 20 + inch arms at low body fat levels isn’t it. Have you ever seen how Arnold looked like off steroids after the 1975 Olympia? He looked like a a guy that was just fit not the mass monster he was. Sorry Douglas I don’t live in a delusional world I rather take advice from someone who got into shape naturally and has a body that any mortal human being can achieve. Not live in a world full of illusions thinking that protein powders, creatine and stupid over training like methods that you see in magazines is gonna get you 20+ inch arms naturally. Wake up and stop being so ignorant.
John K, why are you so angry? Why do you repeatedly go to personal insults? Perhaps you didn’t achieve the fitness goals you set for yourself in life, and now you take out that frustration on random bloggers who post positive and inspirational messages? Just a thought.
Once again, I see you didn’t actually cite the text from my piece and respond to that; instead you went to personal insults. That seems to be a pattern with guys like you. Sad.
Also, here’s a funny coincidence: your IP address puts you in very close proximity to Ashton Kutcher Bouncer Boy. Maybe you guys should meet up if you’re not friends already. You can eat deviled eggs and talk about how ignorant I am. It will be great.
Side note: I’d almost like to see the correlation between guys who use AOL accounts in 2014 and the guys who are unable to meet the power lifting goals that they set in the gym…
Your right my bad dude, I didn’t read it all I just read the over-training part. I am sorry if I offended anyone my goal was not to insult anyone. It was just to inform people that you can’t get professional bodybuilder results without taking huge quantities of the good stuff.
No problem. No harm, no foul. My personal opinion is that modern body-builders look strange… I’m not a body-building aficionado, but it seems like somewhere along the line judges stopped looking for guys who Michelangelo would be proud to turn into a sculpture and started looking for bio-freaks.
I firmly believe that the vast majority of people who go to the gym will never reach the point where they over train. While CT’s methods aren’t for everyone, I’m inclined to think that most people who seriously listened to his advice would see gains they could be proud of.
So…clarify something for me. Are you referring to over training for bodybuilding or general overtraining?
I lift 6 days a week for 2 hours in the am, run 25 to 50 miles a week, Do hill sprints two days a week, and interval training in the evening. Two years ago, I decided to reduce my mileage to 6 to 9 miles a week or just did the stair stepper for cardio and focused on lifting. I lifted every day for 2+ hours a day and never felt overtrained. I just felt strong. I would often lift twice a day. It’s gotta be nearly impossible to truly overtrain when only lifting.
Back to what I am currently doing (as listed above)…i am very fast and missed racing so i decided to up my weekly mileage. In my view, it is so much harder than only focusing on lifting. I got extremely strong when I pretty much cut the cardio. I think it.is very possible to over train when you add the running and cardio. When you are body building, you focus on different muscle groups every day so other muscles are.getting a rest day. I do assume you are not talking about cardio related activities though. I also assume you are entertaining a male audience because women who have had children (and some men who improperly lift or have been overweight) can easily destroy their abdominal muscle if they overwork because it has been stretched and can result in abdominal separation.
Anyhow, I agree that overtraining is often in the eye of the beholder when related to lifting, but is definitely a reality when it.comes to running. You are unable to perform well when your calves or quads are on fire. My legs have given out on me twice before and if I had tried to get.up and keep going, I would have injured myself.
Tina, I think you demonstrate my point quite nicely — over-training is personalized. If you are not embellishing your own workout routine, then I would say that there are plenty of people out there who would say “There’s no way you can lift weights 12 hours a week, run 50 miles on top of that (with sprint work), and not over-train.” Personally, I’d add that just saying you’re in the gym for two hours says nothing about what you’re actually doing, and saying your ran for “x” miles says nothing about the intensity of your run, but that’s besides the point. The point is that your workout routine works for you.
Is it possible to overtain? Yes. I suppose so. But once again, what does that mean? Everything CT says is predicated on getting enough rest, eating enough calories and listening to your body to know when the pain you feel is just random pain associated with pushing yourself and when it’s the kind of pain that will lead to injury (e.g., shinsplints).
As someone who used to run 80 miles a week (years ago) and lifted regularly, I find it odd that you would say that over-taining probably isn’t possible with weightlifting, but it is for running. Again, the point is that it’s all individualized. What might be over-training to you might not be for the woman next to you. Everyone’s body is different.
Anyway, my broader point is that the vast majority of people will never reach the point where over-training even becomes a serious issue worth discussing. They go to the gym for “two hours” and then they spend 90 minutes looking at themselves in the mirror. I’m not saying that’s you, but I am saying that when I managed a gym years ago I watched that sort of thing happen every day. If people adopt 1/3 of CT Fletcher’s training philosophy, then they most likely won’t over-train, but they will probably improve their level of fitness quite a bit.
Thank for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate it.
Thanks for the info enjoyed reading it
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Brent. I appreciate it.
Can you overtrain? Sure, I guess… Eventually. It’d take a hell of a lot to do so, I believe. When I first started working out, 10 years ago, I was in the gym 2-6 hours a day/6-7 days per week. I never felt “overtrained”.
Train hard. Eat clean. Sleep 8-10 hrs. (includes a nap or two), foam roll/massage/ice bath.
You’ll be just fine.
CT’s the man.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jake. I appreciate it. Well said!
Boom! It’s strange how this common sense advice seems to escape so many people…
I just discovered CT, Mike, Bolo (spelling?) and Rob. I’m guessing they have a pretty good size mob that they lift with. I am overweight turning 43 next month. I do have a large frame and a lot of muscle mass. I needed CT to enter my life and found him on YouTube. I have been going to the gym for months now, but being too cheap I forgone using a personal trainer. I’d browse YouTube Videos for direction and inspiration. I am adopting his mindset more so than his actual workout routines. People need to get their cage rattled. People need to throw themselves out of their rut. People need to to forget complacency. Life is short whether you live to be 18 or 80. I love the benefits of pushing hard in the gym. It makes the rest of my life so much easier. I think clearer. Heavy chores of the past become light chores of the present and future. Thanks to CT for spear heading his movement of pushing boundaries/over training and to you for furthering the cause!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Vanilla Gorilla. I really appreciate it.
The overtraining debate is one that is tough to answer one way or the other, but at the end of the day I think it comes down to this: Is CT Fletcher inspiring you to dig deeper than you would if you never ran across his YouTube videos? If the answer is yes, then I’m not sure why there are people out there who are dumping on his philosophy. People tend to forget that he stresses that an individual needs to listen closely to his/her body in addition to pushing it hard. I think as long as you’re very cognizant of how your body is reacting to your routine, then you’ll be fine.
Again, thanks for taking the time to comment. Keep pushing those boundaries!
I would say that overtraining is not a myth. I’ve working out for over 45 years. I started as a wrestler and every season I would get into shape pretty quickly but as the season wore on and the workouts remained the same I started to wear down. Our coach didn’t know how to ‘train down’ towards the season and many of us were burning out and not performing as well towards the end of the year as we did at the beginning. I believe overtraining is a reality. It happens when and if workouts aren’t varied in intensity. Everyone is different in their ability to recover. If you take an ectomorph, he might react and recover better to less sets and fewer workouts in his ability to get bigger or stronger.
I’ve been lifting weights since 1977 without ever taking more than a week off. I would take a week off in order to let my body rest and fully recover from the intense workouts I did. It took discipline for me to take a week off because I was addicted to training hard. But after the first few days I started feeling better and my mind started coming up with different ways to workout. I also got bigger and was more cut by the end of that week. And when I started my workouts again my body responded remarkably well. If you look at how Olympic athletes train you see a periodized method. They plan their workouts so they peak at the right time. If overtraining wasn’t real they all would just be training balls out all the time thinking that all out effort all the time would be the way to go. Outwork your opponent. But that’s not the way it is. It’s who trains hard at the right time and fully recovers and knows how to train down towards a competition (and who has good genetics and athletic ability) and peaks is the one who will win…
Thanks for the comments, Ivan. You make a lot of good points.
I think the key you’ve hit upon (also stressed by CT) is to listen to your body. If you’re listening to your body, you’ll know if you’re not getting enough rest, not mixing up the workouts enough, not eating enough calories, etc. And, like you also acknowledge, everyone’s body is different. You said “many” of the wrestlers hit burnout — but not all.
In many respects I agree with you. As a former cross country runner, I also remember our coach trying to get as many of us as possible to “peak” at the right time. But even that is hard to define. Heck, my energy levels tend to fluctuate with the seasons. Once fall and winter hits my motivation tends to totally fade and I have to force myself to continue working out. As soon as spring rolls around something just clicks and I’m rejuvenated. That has nothing to do with overtraining, but my guess is there are a lot of people who misdiagnose seasonal mood changes or energy shifts. As CT also states, the mind plays a huge role in how our body reacts to certain training regimens.
Long story short: it’s complicated. Regardless, thanks for the input.
And this is why context and reading the articles is important.
I saw the article heading (via WordPress suggestions) and thought “well that’s an odd attitude, of course overtraining isn’t a myth.” But I wanted to look past the headline and see just what you meant, and what CT Fletcher meant.
And having read it, I see gems like this:
as well as the remarks about personal goals.
I can agree with that assessment, no problem. I am not in nearly as good of shape as I’d like, and need to seriously work on my endurance (among other things); for now, what is normal for the likes of CT is almost certainly overtraining for me. I’d rather have that cross-country build than an Army build, so your basic training is likely overtraining for me. That will have to change if I ever choose to join (assuming I qualify), but until then… my goals are different.
But overtraining in general? Not a chance.
Thanks for the comment, SQP. That’s the problem, as I said earlier: If you ask 10 different people to define “overtraining,” you’ll get 10 different answers. My comment on the Navy SEAL “circus” punishment is a perfect example how the knee jerk conclusion would be that the men going through that should completely break down, but the exact opposite happens — they get stronger.
There are so many different ways the mind, body and spirit can respond to a workout regimen. Like CT said, it really just comes down to the individual.
It sort of reminds me how doctors can give two different patients with the same disease the exact same treatment with vastly different results. On the surface all things seem about equal, but one of them lives an one dies. What happened? Well, maybe one was mentally and spiritually drained. Maybe one just had a weird reaction to the drug and he’s a total outlier. Who knows?
Anyway, thanks again for the read.
You are utterly right my friend ! I’ve been accused of overtraining so many times when warming up actually ! Fuck average ! Big and dense muscles aren’t built off 15 minutes sessions of Pilates once a month 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to read. I appreciate it! Happy lifting. 🙂
There is no such thing as overtraining!!!
I’m 45 years old, 6′ 5″ and weight 275lbs. I have 21 inch biceps and rep out 405 and I train 6 days a week for at least 1.5 hours a day. That’s not bragging, that’s just saying it is possible naturally.
I’m a military vet AND I’ve served time in prison. To be certain, while I was in prison if you worked out…you worked out everyday, ate everything you could and slept….a LOT. That was 4 years ago.
Now, I train 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. I compete in Tough Mudders, Spartan Races, Muddy Buddies, Warrior Dashes, etc…and this is at my weight and age. Training is a mindset. If you are mentally focused, goal oriented, mentally strong…with the ability to push past whats “uncomfortable” to the point of what many would see as pain, then you will grow, you will get stronger, you will get conditioned. The problem is that a lot of internet gurus and their minions confuse “working out” with “training” and give a set range (i.e., 3 sets of 12). That shit doesn’t work for everyone. Some days I feel 10 sets of incline presses…some days 8….some days 12. I eat well, I get my 6-7+ hours of sleep, I work hard and I don’t stress about anything…I don’t think I have the energy, but I do know that all my gains in size and strength have come over the last 2 years when I stopped counting and started OVER training….and yeah…get back under that weight cause ISYMFS!!!!!
As a runner who also lifts, I completely agree with this.
When training for my first half marathon, I did all my weekly long runs for 16 weeks, building up to 12 miles, at target race pace. Some runners say to me, “Oh, that’s too fast for long runs in training, you’ll get overtrained or injured by doing that” without actually considering the individual or the bigger picture!
I’m type 1 diabetic, have been since I was a kid. By running at target race pace in training, it allows me to work out what I actually need to do to finish a race and not end up falling over with hypoglycemia before the finish line.
End result? Finished in under 2 hours, didn’t get overtrained or injured and my hba1c (blood sugar) result shortly after the race was the best it had been for over 20 years.
It’s good to see that many here consider the results and use some common sense before “flapping gums”.
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. I appreciate it. Your situation is an very fine example of what CT is talking about. Congratulations on your performance during the half marathon!
Good luck on your future races. Your personalized training regimen sounds like a winner. 🙂
Sounds to me very much like the Hanson approach. I’m following a modified version of their plan for Boston this year after a few years running with Higdon. I will say that you did not overtrain. Overtraining most definitely exists. It is when you train harder than your body can recover from, leading to injury. This is usually increasing either mileage or intensity faster than your body adapts to the increased load. If you work really really hard and don’t get injured, by definition you didn’t overtrain. Sounds like you found a way to get right up to the edge, perhaps, without falling over. Nice!
Hi Douglas,
First of all, I really appreciate the coverage you’ve provided of CT Fletcher’s training style. I have been weight training for over two years now, training 5 days a week, Mon. – Fri for about 2 months now. I originally started with a standard routine, then jumped to another and another. I’ve spent countless hours researching training styles and tactics to maximize results, subsequently resulting in more frustration than results. For me, sticking with the same routine made me bored, regardless of the results I would possibly receive, it lacked excitement. That was, until I discovered CT’s training philosophy.
So far, theses were the key factors I drew from CT’s training style:
1. Train with intensity, yet still proper form + short rests.
2. Go to failure on the last set of every exercise.
3. Train all parts of the muscle on designated days.
I train so hard that I’m literally dripping by the end of the routine, all of my workouts are under an hour with my rests at about 20 secs. I go for full ROM and get at least 6-8 clean reps per set. I know now what it means to eat clean and fuel my body, something I’ve never felt before: I’m constantly eating but never to the point of over eating, I eat about 6-8 small meals per day.
The bottom line: I feel the strongest I have ever felt, with the most gains I have ever gotten doing any routine I did previously. In my opinion, CT goes against the grain, and that scares people, especially fitness guru’s. What bother’s me the most is people who want to knock his methodology before trying it! Look at how many styles of weight training there are: high volume, low volume, split varieties, not to mention the back and forth over what exercises do or don’t work. Most experienced trainers give the illusion that logging your weights and following a strict regiment for some extended period of time is the only way to get results and eliminates the confusion about what to do once you get to the gym. For me, the excitement is deciding when I get to the gym what I do, with a previous understanding of all the parts of the muscle I must work that day! Is CT’s over training the only way or even the best way? I have no statistics to support this style of training other than my personal results. What I can say is this: you will never know your limits until you test them, and that is why I love this style of training so much!
I do have a question for you Douglas: what are your experiences with this style of training? Are you aware of any forums that support this style of training? Thank you again for your article!
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, Andrew. I really appreciate it!
It sounds as if we both have similar thoughts in terms of exercise philosophy. Long story short, I’ve always sort of gleaned aspects I like most from different programs and tailored them into something that keeps me motivated throughout the year. Like you, I don’t decide on what I’m going to do until that day. If my arms feel great, I blast my arms. If my legs feel great, I blast my legs. If I feel a little tired, maybe I’ll just do some cardio. The key is to do something.
I’ve gone through many different phases in terms of what pleased me aesthetically. My biggest problem has always been having the discipline to eat enough when I wanted to bulk up. I can’t remember the last time I had a job where I had a regular lunch break. I had a job for a few years where I was always on the run and the best I could really do was to eat a single protein bar during the day. That isn’t conducive to putting on muscle. So…in those days I was much more lean.
When I was in my early 20s I was eating 7 small meals a day and lifting some heavy weights. I put on a ton of muscle. At some point in time I just decided I didn’t really like that look and went back to running. As I said in the piece, these days I have no desire to look like CT. My goal is to be healthy and max the Army PT test at a moment’s notice. Mission accomplished.
I went to a wedding this past weekend and my friend jokingly (sort of) said it annoyed him that I always look good in a suit when we get together. I’d say that CT’s philosophy is working for me. I’m not putting on CT’s kind of mass, but every time I think I don’t have a few more reps in me I try to dig down deep and knock out a few more. That pays dividends over the course of time.
Anyway, I hope that sort of answers your question. Let me know if you have any more. I’d be happy to answer.
great article thanx for posting. u made some great points
I like training hard these days. Funny when I see people come into the gym, end their workout and im still going strong for another hour.
“I like training hard these days. Funny when I see people come into the gym, end their workout and im still going strong for another hour.”
Keep up the good work, man. Happy gains!