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A
little competition never hurt anyone, did it?
What exactly is overtraining?
What causes it?
What does overtraining look like?
Recovering from overtraining syndrome
Overtraining treatment
Don't overtrain!
Rest, nutrition and metabolism
Yes, you can. But
sore muscles from a long bike ride or aches and pains from a touch football
game do not constitute overtraining.
So how do you know
if you need to cut back? It's hard to tell if your exercise regimen is
doing you more harm than good.
For most people who
keep fit with daily exercise, pushing themselves to a level where the
training is causing exercise performance to decline is not very likely.
In fact, many recreational athletes don't actually monitor performance
other than by how well they keep up in the Monday night basketball game
or if their clothes still fit.
A little competition never hurt anyone, did it?
What if you are training for a marathon, or a long bike race, or maybe
a triathlon? When you add volume and intensity to your workouts, your
body sends you messages about how well it is adapting.
It is well known that
in preparing for competition, athletes train more often and/or more intensely
in an effort to make their bodies perform better. This is the way to improve
performance, but there are limits.
What exactly is overtraining?
An expert panel from the United
States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the American
College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) answered this question by defining
the differences between overload training, overreaching, and overtraining.
- Overloading
Planned pushing of training limits that is necessary to achieve improved
performance.
- Overreaching
Unplanned, excessive overload without adequate rest. This is a short-term
problem marked by poor performance in training and competition.
- Overtraining
Untreated overreaching that results in chronic decreases in performance
and an impaired ability to train. This is a long-term problem associated
with prolonged overload training without proper recovery time.
Over training occurs
when an athlete spends too much time training and not enough time resting
and eating the nutrients needed to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged
during intense exercise.
Experts explain that exercise is only the stimulus for building fitness.
He adds that many athletes don't realize how essential rest and proper
nutrition are to this process.
What causes it?
The USOC/ACSM panel states simply, "Failure to adapt to overload
training is the primary cause of overtraining syndrome." You train
harder, but your body does not adapt to this stress by improving performance
(i.e., faster race times, ability to lift more weight).
It's not only about training. A number of other factors, many of which
have been difficult to prove in controlled studies, seem to contribute
to overtraining:
- poor diet
- preexisting medical
condition (cold, allergies)
- monotonous training
- frequent competition
- environmental factors
(altitude, temperature, humidity)
- psychosocial stressors
- heavy travel schedule
What does overtraining look like?
According to the USOC and ACSM, the main symptom of overtraining is an
unexpected loss of performance that cannot be attributed to illness or
injury. An overtrained athlete is training as hard, if not harder, than
usual for the same or poorer results.
Athletes who are overtraining may exhibit any number of the following
symptoms, with mood disturbances, depression and muscle soreness leading
the pack:
- mood disturbances
(irritability, anger, anxiety)
- depression
- muscle soreness
- elevated morning
resting pulse rate
- persistent fatigue
- loss of energy
and vigor
- loss of appetite
- frequent minor
infections
- weight loss
- heaviness in the
limbs
- increased injuries
- insomnia
- reduced concentration
That's a long list
of symptoms that are all common to numerous other conditions. Because
none of these symptoms are unique to overtraining, they must be considered
in the context of a specific athlete's training regimen and personal life.
In addition, there is no medical test to determine if you are overtraining.
One symptom alone may not mean you are overtraining, but several symptoms
combined with a drop in performance are pretty good indicators.
Be warned most athletes are not aware when they are overtraining. The
symptoms typically come on gradually over a period of several weeks.
Experts suggest monitoring your training by asking yourself the following
questions:
- How is my resting
heart rate? Check your pulse each morning when you get up. If it becomes
elevated you may be overtraining.
- How is my appetite?
Eating less than normal may indicate overtraining.
- Can I get through
the day without taking naps? If you are not sleeping enough at night
and are feeling fatigued all day, your body may be telling you to cut
back your training regimen.
Recovering from
overtraining syndrome
There's really only one way to recover from overtraining - rest. The amount
of rest required depends on whether you have been overreaching (training
too hard for a short time) or truly overtraining (training too hard for
an extended period).
In the overreaching
stage, reduced training and/or a few days rest should be enough. Rest
days can include recreational exercise activities. This is also a great
time to take a look at your nutrition and see where you can improve it.
Overtraining treatment
Overtraining is a chronic, long-term condition that will require rest
and complete cessation of training. Keep up your activity with recreational
exercise. It's hard to stop training entirely, but it's often necessary.
Again, proper nutrition is important.
Recovery can take anywhere from two weeks to several months, in severe
cases.
Don't be afraid to rest. Too often athletes think taking a few days off
will cause them to become unfit. In fact, fitness gains are not lost that
quickly.
Don't overtrain!
As usual prevention is the best medicine. Here are some tips on how to
avoid overreaching and overtraining:
- Develop a training
program that includes enough rest for your body to recover from intense
exercise. Adequate rest is especially important during heavy training.
- Keep records of
how your training relates to your performance. This will give you the
chance to notice that you are working harder for the same or poorer
results.
- Feed the machine.
Replenish your carbohydrate stores after a workout, otherwise you will
start your next workout at a disadvantage. Eat protein to rebuild muscle
that has been damaged during exercise, and eat carbohydrates to fuel
your body.
- Ask a certified
trainer for help planning your training program.
Training limits are
unique to each individual. Studies have shown that athletes of equivalent
conditioning respond quite differently to the same overload in a training
regimen.
Listen to your body.
Rest, nutrition
and metabolism
We've all heard of metabolism. We think of it as how our bodies use the
food we eat, but there's much more to it.
Metabolism encompasses the entire process of the build-up and breakdown
of energy and tissues in the body. There are actually three stages of
metabolism.
- Equilibrium
A fully recovered state in which energy is neither being depleted nor
replenished, and structural tissues are not being damaged or repaired.
- Catabolism
Energy is being depleted and tissue damage is taking place (i.e. during
exercise).
- Anabolism
Energy is being replenished and tissue repair is taking place (i.e.
resting and eating a healthy diet).
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