Overtraining and DOMS while on cycle

[diplodocus]

So Im in my 4th week of my first 500mg test enanthate cycle, and Ive been running Layne Norton's PHAT program till now.

Im pretty sure it was written for those on cycle since its a 5 days split with 2 power days and 3 hypertrophy days that are packed with volume, Id think it would be extremely difficult to fully recover during the workouts if natty.

With that being said, to my amazement I have experienced only very mild soreness even after the crazy hypertrophy sessions.

That is to say that if I would have done the same hypertrophy workout say for legs (while natty) it would have left me brutally sore for at least 2-3 days after the workout, but now on cycle if I even have any soreness it is barely noticeable and lasts only a day.

So basically what I want to know is, seeing how Im barely feeling sore after hypertrophy days with 25+ sets, would it be safe if I gradually add more and more sets until I start feeling actual soreness and DOMS the next day?

I was thinking that would be a good strategy since I want to absolutely maximize my productivity while Im still on cycle, but Im just worried about overtraining and burning out after a few weeks of adding even more volume to the hypertrophy days.


thanks!

 

[CJ]

Also be aware that your muscles and strength are going to increase faster than your connective tissue, so your risk of injury will increase.

 

[loafie]

Also be aware that your muscles and strength are going to increase faster than your connective tissue, so your risk of injury will increase.

That's a good point CJ, I also remember reading about that in my research before hopping on cycle.

Im pretty much feeling what Diplodocus is also feeling regarding not getting sore... So what Im feeling isnt a placebo then, the test is really making my crazy workouts leave me with barely any soreness.

With that being said, would you think it safe to continue adding sets (maybe 3 sets extra at a time) until I start feeling the soreness the next day?

 

[CJ]

You don't have to get sore to grow.

Why not try adding just a set or two for a few weeks. Don't make crazy jumps. That's a new stimulus in itself, then add in the Testosterone and extra food you're eating, you're good.

 

[SFGiants]

You don't have to get sore to grow.

Why not try adding just a set or two for a few weeks. Don't make crazy jumps. That's a new stimulus in itself, then add in the Testosterone and extra food you're eating, you're good.

As a powerlifter I just got more reps in especially on accessories.

On, flying through sets of 12 while off with the same weight could be grinding 8 reps.

 

[BrotherIron]

Soreness is not an indicator of getting bigger or stronger...

 

[diplodocus]

Soreness is not an indicator of getting bigger or stronger...

That's true, but I thought short of using strength increases, that soreness would be a very ball-park estimate of how hard Im pushing myself during my lifting sessions.

Now with that being said, since I want to maximize my productivity on cycle, how do I know if its safe to add several more sets of leg extensions or bicep curls etc without using soreness as a gauge?

 

[CJ]

I just reread your original post.

You say you're already doing 25+ sets?

No offense, but either you're Superman, or you're doing a bunch of junk volume. I know that after about 10 sets at most, I'm no longer doing productive work. We're all different, but 25+ sets seems a bit much.

Are you sure that you're doing the best exercises, at proper intensity/effort/weight?

 

[Gibsonator]

incorporate rest/pause sets.
dropsets.
forced reps.

 

[Jin]

You seem to over think things

Get to the gym. Leave it all out on the floor. Eat, rest repeat.

Steroids primary benefit is that they aid in RECOVERY.

I can’t even get my legs sore in cycle. I’ve tried. With both intensity (AMRAP with 405) and intensity (200 reps of squats). Separate workouts, of course...... except that one time.

If I did that on TRT I’d have to use the handicapped bar next to the toilet that the previous owner had installed.

If you feel you can do more, then I suggest hitting each muscle group more frequently per week rather than just adding sets per workout. Or train with higher intensity: a set of two with a weight you feel you COULD get 10 with and then aim for 15-20.

One tyoe of training requires endurance and discipline, the other mental fortitude and pain.

I can tell you that the one that is easier is the one I end up completing more frequently.

 

[Sicwun88]

Pyrimding is the key,
Whether it's weight,sets, volume?
In some form the muscle needs to be overloaded & forced to grow,
Always alternating the Technics
To keep the muscle confused,

 

[brock8282]

The fact you are doing that many sets is a good indicator that your are not working out hard enough, learn to get more out of each set before you add volume. Personally I never do more then 10 working sets per week for a given body part.

 

[diplodocus]

I just reread your original post.

You say you're already doing 25+ sets?

No offense, but either you're Superman, or you're doing a bunch of junk volume. I know that after about 10 sets at most, I'm no longer doing productive work. We're all different, but 25+ sets seems a bit much.

Are you sure that you're doing the best exercises, at proper intensity/effort/weight?

Im just going by whats in the the PHAT program, but you could be right that my intensity isnt high enough which is why Im able to do so many sets.

Should I aim for an RPE of 8 per set?

So for example lets say Im curling 30's and the program calls for 3 sets of 12 reps, and once I complete the first set of 12 reps I feel like I still have 3 reps in the tank (so RPE 7) I would basically either need to increase the weight of the dumbbell or increase the Time Under Tension so that the next set I do is an RPE of 8 instead, right?

 

[Blacktail]

I usually do 12 sets. Seems to be working perfectly for me.

 

[CJ]

Im just going by whats in the the PHAT program, but you could be right that my intensity isnt high enough which is why Im able to do so many sets.

My mistake, I thought you were doing 25 sets per body part, not per workout.

I still wouldn't sacrifice intensity for the sake of extra volume though. I'd work harder before I did more.

 

[diplodocus]

My mistake, I thought you were doing 25 sets per body part, not per workout.

I still wouldn't sacrifice intensity for the sake of extra volume though. I'd work harder before I did more.

Ok so lets say I start off by doing 30's for curls and for my first set I hit 10 reps at an RPE of 8, however the next set Im sligthly more fatigued and so if I am to hit 10 reps with the 30's then my RPE would become about 9 or 10 (again since we fatigue over the course of a workout) so then would the right choice be to drop the weight to say 27.5's (or 25's) in order to maintain the RPE of 8?

I think doing that makes sense, but there would be an awful lot of dropping the weight throughout the workout to maintain that RPE of 8 instead of trying to stick with one weight per exercise.

 

[brock8282]

I hate the rpe stuff. Very few people actually know how many reps they have left in the tank as most people aren’t used to pushing themselves past pain and exhaustion barriers. I take it you aren’t brand new to lifting so I will just say If you aren’t an advanced lifter I wouldn’t worry about analyzing reps in reserve. Take sets to failure or as close as possible to failure and try to beat lifts week to week. Most people’s 3 reps in reserve is really 6-8 when they are pushed to grind out sets.