“There is no such thing as overtraining, only undereating” (bodybuilding adage)
“There is no such thing as overtraining, only undereating” is a famous bodybuilding adage that has been attributed to several people. The saying appears in The Gold’s Gym Book of Bodybuilding (1983) by Ken Sprague and Bill Reynolds”
“There’s no such thing as overtraining. It’s a word used by the weak-minded. There is only undereating, undersleeping, and the failure of will.”
“Dr. Squat” (Dr. Fred Hatfield) has been given credit (see the 2002 citation below), but there’s no information on his website that would indicate that he either coined the saying or popularly uses it. The Barbarian Brothers (Peter Paul and Ron Paul) received credit in a 1989 book for saying, “There is no such thing as overtraining. There is only undereating, undersleeping, and failure of will.” However, they were coming out with their first Hollywood movie in 1983 (D.C. Cab) and it’s unlikely that the 1983 Gold’s Gym book took the saying from the then relatively unknown bodybuilders. Jay Cutler, who won the title of Mr. Olympia four times, is often credited with the saying (that he has used), but he was only 10 years old in 1983 and could not have coined it.
Many bodybuilders disagree with the saying that there is no such thing as overtraining. A 1997 book (see below) called it “Groundless Theory 5: There’s No Such Thing as Overtraining, Only Undereating.”
Google Books
The Gold’s Gym Book of Bodybuilding
By Ken Sprague and Bill Reynolds
Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books
1983
Pg. 228:
There’s no such thing as overtraining. It’s a word used by the weak-minded. There is only undereating, undersleeping, and the failure of will.
Google Books
The Outdoor Athlete:
Total training for outdoor performance (2nd edition)
By Steve Ilg
Evergreen, CO: Cordillera Press
1989
Pg. 39:
“There is no such thing as overtraining. There is only undereating, undersleeping, and failure of will.” — The Barbarian Brothers
Google Books
Power Factor Training:
A scientific approach to building lean muscle mass
By Peter Sisco and John R. Little
Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books
1997
Pg. 170:
Groundless Theory 5: There’s No Such Thing as Overtraining, Only Undereating
One of the more recent misconceptions in bodybuilding regards the issue of overtraining and nutrition. There is no such thing as overtraining, so it goes, only undereating.
WannaBeBig Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Forums
prof
08-29-2002, 06:48 AM
It was Dr SQUAT who said there is no such thing as overtraining, and he used to squat over 1100lbs, BUT i think he wasn’t talking about “natural” bodybuilders. check out his site
www.drsquat.com
Google Books
Natural Bodybuilding
By John Hansen
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers
2005
Pg. 73:
In bodybuilding circles some believe there is no such thing as overtraining, only undereating and undersleeping. In other words, you can train as hard and as often as you like as long as you supplement it with enough nutritious food and sleep. THis philosophy was most likely started by a bodybuilder who also supplemented his training with performance-enhancing drugs. Extremely intense training tears down the body and demands adequate recuperation to rebuild it. Eating and sleeping more is not enough for a drug-free bodybuilder.
Google Books
LL Cool J’s Platinum Workout
By LL Cool J with Dave Honig
Emmaus, PA: Rodale
2007
Pg. 191:
Avid bodybuilders like to say that there’s no such thing as overtraining; there’s only undereating. The theory is that if you provide your body with more raw materials for recovery, you’ll recover better and more quickly.
Definitive Physique
The Hardgainer Has Four Pillars of Destiny
By Mike on 01 September 2011
(...)
In conclusion I will take a quote from the famous Jay Cutler “there is no such thing as overtraining, only under eating” Now although not precisely true, I do appreciate where he is coming from. The point he is trying to stress is that nutrition tends to be overlooked the most and it is the reason this was the first pillar on my list. I very much doubt any true hard gainer lacks the will required of him in the gym, simply by his very nature of being a hard gainer he is normally hungry to grow. Nevertheless, like all things in life we must have everything in place in order to succeed.
HardBody Success
October 10, 2011
“How to Get Bigger Muscles Faster”: Some ‘No-BS Advice’
(...)
Stuff Down Food as if it Stimulates Muscle Growth: When I was young, I bought into the words of an ignoramus pro bodybuilder who said the following.
“There’s no such thing as overtraining; there’s only under-eating and under-sleeping.”
Hey… as a young guy with too much time on his hands, I loved that notion. It gave me a great reason to eat like a pig and sleep ‘til I had drool on my pillow when I awoke. Unfortunately, my eating addiction grew along with my waistline. Even more unfortunate was the fact that it didn’t do much (if anything) for gaining muscle.