Overtraining


Definition

Overtraining can happen when you train too hard, too often, to the point that it becomes impossible for your body to fully recover. In other word, overtraining can be defined as an imbalance between your physical activities and your body recovery.

Signs

Here are few common signs of overtraining:

  • Fatigue and muscle soreness
  • Stiffness
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Depression
  • Loss of motivation to exercise
  • Decreased aerobic and strength training performances
  • Becoming more prone to injuries and infections
  • No strength or muscle gain observed for an extended period of time

Overtraining And Over-Reaching

Over-reaching (short-term overtraining) is an important component of training for improved athletic performances. Over-reaching involve a hard training or overload phase and a regeneration or recovery phase. During the overload phase a planned overtraining is achieved, and then a recovery must follow in the regeneration phase.

Causes

Overtraining is a common problem in weight training, but it can also be experienced in other disciplines.  The major causes of overtraining are either too much training or too little recovery or a combination of both. There are also other non-training related factors that can play an important role in increasing the risk of overtraining, these factors may include social, educational, occupational, economical and nutritional etc.

Preventions

Proper Diet:

  • Stay away from saturated fat; instead eat more proteins, essential and healthy fats (EFA) or  EFA supplements and healthy carbs like veggies, fruits and whole grain products to have more energy.
  • Eat less food more often: try eating a small meal every 2 to 3 hours to ovoid starving yourself.
  • Use supplements to help you get all the essential nutriments you need. The most popular supplements are: protein supplements (powders, bars, ready-to-drink...), creatine (creatine supplements), Vitamins (vitamins supplements)...
  • Drink enough water to stay hydrated.

Proper Training:

  • Split your workout routines so that different sets of muscles are worked on different days (never train the same muscle groups on consecutive days).
  • Choose the right intensity and volume of your workout so you won’t end up overtraining.

Proper Rest And Recovery:

  • Take some days off from training to allow time for recovery.
  • Sleep well.

Please help us serve you better: feel free to contact us here if you have any thoughts, questions, information, requests, or recommendations about overtraining.

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Related Articles:

  1. Weight Training Routines

  2. Cardio Training

  3. Workout Without Weights: Exercises And Tips

  4. Workout Splitting
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