Everyone has an opinion when it comes to working out, especially when it comes to weight lifting. While some people are devoted to free weights, others are devout machine users, and other stick to body weight exercises. Regardless of what mindset you follow there is always the “myth of over training.” And that’s exactly what it is, a myth.

Everyone develops differently when it comes to lifting. Some people have amazing genetics, gaining muscle mass quickly in certain areas quickly and with a minimal amount of work. The trade-off of these genetics is that other muscle groups may not develop as quickly. The “myth of over training” claims that you can push yourself too hard, working too much on particular muscle groups and hampering the growth by not giving the muscles time to heal. Obviously there are different opinions regarding this concept, but if you want the results you have to be willing to do the work, right?
The majority of men and women who start hitting the gym on a consistent basis aren’t working towards titanic goals, they just want to get in shape and be happier with their bodies. For those men and women, working towards those goals, they can take the process as slowly as they like, working slowly and methodically on their bodies in their own time. But for the men and women who want to see drastic changes in their bodies, regardless if it’s gaining mass or leaning down, over training doesn’t exist.

If you’ve been focusing on a particular muscle group once a week, legs for example, and you haven’t seen any results then it’s time to change it up. Free weights one day and machines the next day maybe. There’s no rules or regulations that say you can’t do legs every day if you want to. Will it hurt? Absolutely. But if your diet is on point, you’ll see results. It’s almost impossible not to if you work hard enough. Hard work trumps good genetics every time, so there is no excuse for not getting the mass or definition that you want. You just have to work harder for it.
Obviously the more you lift the more you’ll have to rest so be prepared for that. If you’re going to workout back-to-back days, working on the same muscle group, make sure you’re able to get at least eight hours of sleep so the muscles have time to heal and grow.

So the next time someone claims they don’t have the genetics for mass, or that they can’t get aesthetic cuts, ask them how many times a week they’re training or lifting. Obviously if you don’t enjoy the process then training five to six times a week isn’t going to be fun for you, but if you’re not enjoying the process then maybe this isn’t the kind of thing for you.