Are your workouts bothering you? Are you feeling fatigued all the time? Do you have trouble sleeping? Let me tell you something, these are all signs of overtraining.
Now, it is not always easy to distinguish when we are suffering from overtraining since it can simply be confused with the fact that we are tired from normal physical effort.
So, let’s try to understand what the symptoms are, how overtraining is generated, and above all, what are its consequences.
What is over training?
Generally speaking, athletes train to increase performance.
And as we’ve been seeing for a long time, performance gains are achieved through higher training loads.
However, and as we also know, increased loads are only tolerated through interspersed periods of rest and periodization of recovery.
So, overtraining is considered as an accumulation of training load that leads to a decrease in performance, where we will need from days to weeks for a full recovery.
That is, an overload followed by an appropriate rest can ultimately lead to performance increases.
However, if the overload is extreme, sustained over time, and is combined with some additional stress factor, overtraining syndrome may occur (1).
Why is over training generated?
Based on the above, the causes of overtraining are the following:
The training sessions are excessive and not suitable for your current physical and athletic state of preparation and even your style and way of life.
Training sessions combined with an excessive number of techniques are not suitable.
Training sessions that are too frequent and with insufficient recovery time.
An overload in taking sports supplements, which can cause exactly the opposite of what we should expect.
What are the symptoms of over training?
If you don’t feel like always, first of all you should rule out any other type of pathology; not only the conditions associated with training, and always with a doctor.
Now, if there is no underlying pathology, the symptoms and consequences of overtraining can manifest themselves in different ways, for example with:
- Severe pain and muscle pain, in many cases accompanied by joint pain and tendonitis.
- Extreme tiredness during training, manifested as an early stage of stress, irregular heartbeat, and difficulty in recovery after training.
- Weakness accompanied by a lower immune response and the consequent ease of contracting common diseases such as flu, sore throat, etc.
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, a total rest is recommended, at least for a period of one week, giving priority to food.
The body must have a constant and complete intake of all essential foods for physical restoration (proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals).
And the mind must escape a little from the constant thought of having to train more and more.
How to prevent over training?
Here are some helpful rules to prevent overtraining syndrome.
If you are at risk of suffering from this condition, try to follow them, you will avoid falling into a situation that in the long run can be much more expensive:
- In the first place, follow an adequate and balanced diet, incorporating the different foods in the appropriate quantities, and depending on the demand and training objectives.
- YOU DON’T HAVE TO TRAIN CONSECUTIVELY FOR TOO LONG; In addition, during the training session it is essential to hydrate and regain lost fluids.
- TRY TO RELAX AND ENJOY A GOOD MOMENT WITH A PROPER RECOVERY between training and training. Never dedicate a series of muscle building training to the same muscle group in a row.
- IT IS VERY USEFUL TO ADAPT THE TYPE OF TRAINING TO YOUR LEVEL AND LIFESTYLE; This is not always feasible, but of course a training load dose is always recommended taking into account the physical and mental efforts you put in every day, for example at your workplace.