Overtraining

[jorbjorb]

Anyone have any good articles or videos on over training?

I workout about 4 times a week and play hockey about twice a week.

I don't think this is over training but I would still like to read up on it.

Just trying to stay healthy over here.

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[Caeldan]

There's nothing really specific to say this is the line.
Anything I've read in the past usually is along the lines of listen to your body and sometimes the best workout for the day is a recovery day.
It really depends on what you're doing in the workout too.

If you're finding you're getting sick easier, needing to drag yourself out of bed more than normal or getting random injuries outside the gym that are bugging you then it's probably time to cut back a little

Like deadlifts for volume daily vs doing barbell curls daily is going to have a marked difference on recovery time

 

[Kitten Mittons]

Persistent muscle soreness
Persistent fatigue, this is different from just being tired from a hard training session, this occurs when fatigue continues even after adequate rest
Elevated resting heart rate, a persistently high heart rate after adequate rest such as in the morning after sleep, this can be an indicator of overtraining
Reduced heart rate variability
Increased susceptibility to infections
Increased incidence of injuries
Irritability
Depression

Happens to me once in a while, I usually end up taking a week off because I'm simply unable to continue working out because of the symptoms above.

 

[Havre]

It's a very interesting topic, but I doubt if you will find much good information about it. I haven't. Not saying what Kitten Mittons posted is wrong, but that is typically the kind of vague answers you will find. Right now there are speculations that maybe the Swedish Cross-Country skiing team was overtrained last year. They honestly don't know.

Impossible to say if 4 x workout + 2 x hockey is too much or not. If you go straight from 5 years sitting in front of the TV to 4 x 3 hour high intensity workout sessions and 2 x 2 hours of hockey working night shifts you would probably struggle.

To do some sort of exercise 6 times a week normally isn't anything close to "overtraining". "Normal" people won't push themselves to the limit when feeling tired week after week. Top athletes thinking they need to be mentally strong might.

 

[Kitten Mittons]

To do some sort of exercise 6 times a week normally isn't anything close to "overtraining". "Normal" people won't push themselves to the limit when feeling tired week after week. Top athletes thinking they need to be mentally strong might.

I do agree with this. Most of the time it's just an excuse. But when you notice a difference in your mental state and your body literally quits on you and you can't do things continuously that you've been doing easily before, you probably need a break.

 

[ColePens]

I mean.. I bet we all go through it. That desire sometimes makes you feel guilty even taking one day off. Soreness, irritability, etc. I think this one is the easiest thing in the world. BUt we all avoid/ignore it.

 

[Jim Bob]

If you are in the gym four times a week and on the ice two times a week, it's unlikely that you are overtraining.

The bigger issue might be under-recovering.

The big things to track there are:

- What are you eating and drinking? If your diet is less than ideal (more processed foods and sugary drinks than foods with one ingredient and water, for example) or if you are undereating for your activity level, that could cause issues.

- How are you sleeping? If you aren't getting the amount of high quality sleep you need, that could cause issues.

- What is your stress level like? Stress can cause all sorts of issues, as well.

 

[Ozz]

I mean.. I bet we all go through it. That desire sometimes makes you feel guilty even taking one day off. Soreness, irritability, etc. I think this one is the easiest thing in the world. BUt we all avoid/ignore it.

I've said it around here before, but the best thing one can do for themselves over time is to learn to listen to their body and not be afraid to take time off even if it feels too frequent. Even if it's just half the week, many would be surprised at what it could do for you. The ironic part is, mentally and physically, it can help FAR more than making sure to get in those 1 or 2 extra workout sessions would.