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Overtraining is when you get so tuckered just thinking about getting out of bed in the morning that you want to weep. So lacking in energy you mainline sugar just to move one leaden leg. So bereft of enthusiasm that the idea of doing the most beloved physical activity has the effect of causing nausea and a headache. So low in immune functioning you get more colds and flu than normal. So worn out you can’t even sleep. And last but not least, so lackluster your performance gets worse and worse. Personal best? Now you’re striving to just finish.
If these symptoms apply to you, just stop. Really. This is for your own good. TAKE A DAY OFF. At least one a week, preferably between your hardest workout days. And if you won’t take a day off, for Pete’s sake, crosstrain.
The problem is not just about your body’s lack of rest so it can repair all the damage that occurs to your tissues as you train, the problem is also one of food and insufficient muscle energy stores, the mojo that makes you go go.
If you’re an endurance athlete and you continuously deplete the energy stores in your muscles every day your glucose/glycogen levels never get a chance to top back up, especially if you’re not eating enough carbohydrates, which converts to glucose in the body. You’ll get to a point where you completely run out. And you won’t be able to access your fat stores because the body requires glucose to burn fat. Your system will actually break down your muscles to make a glucose-like substitute to use as a fuel that allows itself and fat to be burned.
Understandably, your muscles can only take so much of this exhaustion, wear and tear, and being carted off to be used as firewood before something gives. Often that something is a part of your body that pops, tears, or snaps. That’ll likely be your weakest link—maybe your feet, hamstrings, or Achilles tendon.
There’s also your mental state to consider. Likely you’ll be down. Really down. And there’s your attitude. As you latch onto people to get a tow down the hall from the kitchen to the living room, you’ll probably snarl at them as they ask how you’re doing. Bad attitude.
Here’s the good news. Even though you might not have ever heard of overtraining and so never realized it could be a problem, now that you know, assess yourself. If your resting heart rate is up and you’re tired, crabby, sore, insomniac, depressed, down, sick, and your performance is suffering, you are likely overtraining. Fortunately you can make changes to get back on your feet and moving again.
- If you’re an endurance athlete eat plenty of carbohydrates. You’ve got to or you’ll run out of energy faster than those little windup toys. Great sources of carbs include chocolate milk, fruit-flavoured yogurt, beans, chick peas, anything fruit, corn, potatoes, bagels, whole-grain breads, cereals, granola bars, fig bars, pastas, Gatorade, and the like.
- If you lift weights, you definitely need to give your muscles time to recover between workouts, at least a day. The recommended amount of training for a ‘body area’ per week is two to three times, with days off in between. If you’re strength training an area more than this, you’re overtraining.
- Take at least one day off a week and/or try crosstraining so different muscles are worked. Both techniques allow muscles to rest, recover, and build up energy stores.
- Strategically place your recovery days between high intensity or long distance days.
- Mix up your training days by spacing hard with easy days.
- Keep track of your heart rate or rate of perceived exertion. If your resting heart rate is higher than normal this is an indication of possible illness or overtraining. Ease back. And if an activity you normally do is suddenly giving you a higher than normal heart rate for the same pace or if the activity feels much more difficult than normal, this is a sign you may be overtraining.
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Photo Credit: Jasper Greek Golangco
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