As you know, training the body without taking adequate time for rest and recovery can impact athletes and exercisers. Excessive training may even lead to what is called "overtraining syndrome." Signs of overtraining include:
- Lack of energy
- Feeling drained
- Loss of enthusiasm for the activity or sport
- Increased number of colds
- Reduced training intensity and performance
- Increased incidence of injury and or/headaches
- Insomnia
- Constant muscle or joint soreness
If you think you may be training too frequently or too hard, you probably should do something about it. Overtraining is REAL!
Whenever you're engaged in physical activity, it's important that you listen to your body. Are you working yourself too hard? Do you need to give yourself permission to rest? Is it time to tap the brakes a little? The secret to a successful exercise program is the ability to identity the symptoms of overtraining and then look at your workouts and activities to eliminate the cause of your overtraining.
Am I at that point? I believe that I am. Recently I've begun to experience signs of overtraining. Remember, for the past three months I have walked or run 5 miles every day. That included the days I spent at the gym engaged in heavy lifting. I've begun to experience fatigue, reduced performance, sleep disturbances, and constant muscle soreness in my legs. In fact, I took some Ibuprofen the other day because the muscle and joint discomfort was so bad. I certainly don't think that this is the best way to deal with aches and pain.
Athletes are used to exercising longer and harder than the average person. They push themselves in order to reach peak performance in their sport. But without adequate time for rest and recovery, these training routines can backfire and actually decrease physical performance.
On Monday I will be meeting with my massage therapist/sports physiologist at the school's health center. I'm scheduled to undergo a full body evaluation of such systems as my fascia, joints, bones, muscles, flexibility, strength, and central nervous system. If there are signs of systemic inflammation (which I am guessing is there), I should know it then. In the meantime, here's my plan as I tap the brakes:
- Continue to lift three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
- Walk only every other day and only on days when I haven't been to the gym (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday).
- Take Sundays off completely -- no lifting, no walking.
- I will continue to stay properly hydrated.
- I will be careful to consume enough calories, proteins, carbs, and nutrients to support my recovery and performance.
- If necessary, I will consult a sports medicine specialist.
In my opinion, the biggest sign that you are overtraining is when your mind and body feel like you're 20 years older than you are. I feel like my body is playing catch-up with all the accumulated stress done to it. We far too often push the accelerator with the belief that this always accelerates our improvement and muscle growth. That's not necessarily the case. It's when we return from a rest day that we often experience the greatest improvement.
Like everything is life, balance is essential. The one thing you don't want to do is damage your body to the point where prolonged recovery is needed. The body is pretty impressive (God designed it) and will bounce back and improve from most things as long as you give it the tools it needs.
Like tapping the brakes.