If you work out in the gym "naturally", that is, without the use of anabolic steroids, then you will have to constantly, rather tightly control yourself in matters of training, rest and nutrition. The fact is that all of these basic factors directly affect your recovery ability, which determines muscle growth.
For some athletes, the ability to recover is directly dependent on the use of anabolic steroids (by the word “anabolic” I mean prohibited doping, for example, steroids, growth hormone, insulin, etc.). And these special equipment give a huge head start to such athletes, in comparison with the "straight".
Exercising in the gym "naturally" will not be so easy for you than for those who have tried the "forbidden fruit", because your recovery (muscle growth) will go completely different from that of the "chemist". But let's start in order. So let's see how the training of a "natural athlete" differs from a "chemical" one.
A person exercising naturally (without the use of anabolic steroids) should always strive to complete their workout within 45-60 minutes, as longer loads are unlikely to lead to anything good. If you are trying to train according to the classic schemes from glossy bodybuilding magazines and are not able to put on weight on the bar at least once every two weeks, then this most often means either too frequent training or too long training (or maybe both together). In this case, you should reduce the frequency and volume of your workouts in the gym, that is, train less often and do less exercise. Because your natural regenerative abilities will not allow you to "drive horses" so quickly. And if you persist in this spirit, then you risk falling into a state of overtraining and then, in general, progress in training will stop for a very long time.
Signs of overtraining
- Complete absence or very slow growth of strength in exercises
- The fall of the former strength in exercises
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite (loss of appetite)
- Constant fatigue and loss of strength
- Weight loss
- Drop in immunity
- Increased resting heart rate
By the way, it is the frequency and duration of training that are the two most important causes of overtraining in straight people. This is a situation when a person's natural regenerative capabilities simply cannot cope with the excess amount of stress hormones and a plateau sets in (stopping any growth).
If it did happen to you, then the only thing that can be advised is a week of complete rest (it is necessary to completely exclude the power load). Then start training again, while significantly reducing the frequency and volume of the training load in the gym.
Another very important point concerns the volume of workload during training: - A “chemist” can train more not only in time, but also more in the amount of work performed per training than a “natural”! In each exercise, he can do not 2-3 working approaches, but as many as 5-6. This greatly increases the volume of training.
The Chemist can afford to use the basic principles of increasing intensity (work) in training, such as forced reps, supersets, weight loss sets, negative reps, and so on. This also monstrously increases the volume of work and its intensity.
Basically, all of these things can be good muscle growth stimulators if the recovery options can handle it. But here's the problem! "Natural" restorative possibilities are significantly limited in comparison with "chemical" ones. Therefore, all these supersets, negatives, and a large number of sets per workout most likely will not suit the "straight"!
Straight should have a smarter strategy in terms of work size in training. This work must be sufficient for growth. But not in any way redundant. Otherwise, overtraining will come. In general, you need to do 2-4 working sets in one exercise, without any "supersets" and "negatives". Perhaps in the future, when the recovery capabilities of your body increase, you can afford to do a workout a little more in volume (but not in time), but in the initial stages it is better to be careful.
