Overtraining? What does it mean?

[Falcon]

Hey Mark,

I was doing some research on what exactly overtraining is, people tend to throw it around a lot and our administrator on another board says it refers to hormonal issue. He says it's very easy to overtrain but I've heard it's so difficult that some of us can't even do it. He says it's why when you have hormonal issues you have eye twitching, loss of strength and so forth. But I just can't seem to agree with him. I can't seem to find any good articles on it on the internet and the ones I've found says every athlete overtrains and it refers to muscle tissue and all this but I'd take your word for it before I would their word.

Thank you.

[Mark Rippetoe]

There is a book called Practical Programming for Strength Training that deals with it extensively. Wait a few weeks for the second edition.

[Goat]

Wait a few weeks for the second edition.

I am beginning to get antsy.

[elVarouza]

Damnit Rip and I just bought your DVD a few months ago! Don't you know that if you release new stuff I'll be forced to buy it too?

[Mark Rippetoe]

You're a quick study, elV.