How to tell if you are overtraining? Overtraining occurs when an athlete doesn’t adequately recover after repetitive intense training and can include fatigue, declining performance, and worse an injury. It is admirable to hit endless miles to succeed but too much training without sufficient recovery can hinder your progress. Ultimately you’ll become depleted rather than stronger.
There are two categories when you overdid it during your workout, which are Overreaching and Overtraining.
Overreaching is a muscle soreness above and beyond what you typically experience when you don’t sufficiently recover between workouts. It normally happens after several consecutive days of hard training.
Overtraining is when an athlete ignores the signs of overreaching and continues to train. Many athletes believe that weakness or poor performance signals the need for even harder training but it only breaks down the body further.
Image via : The New Daily
Understandably, it’s hard to differentiate overtraining if you are just feeling fatigued after a challenging training session. Thus, here are some warning signs of overtraining;
-Unusual muscle soreness after a workout
-Inability to train or compete at a previously manageable level
-Sense of ‘Heavy’ leg muscle
-Delays in recovery in training
-Performance plateaus
-Inability to relax
-Lack of energy
-Poor-quality of sleep
-Increase in tension, stress, or anger
For health-related signs of overtraining;
-Weight loss
-Constipation or Diarrhoea
-Irregular menstrual cycles
-Increased of blood pressure
Image via: Training Peaks
Regardless, if you notice some symptoms of overtraining or hoping to stay safe as you increase the level of your workouts, the best fix for overtraining is to avoid doing it in the first place.
Here’s what you can do to avoid overtraining;
1.Listen to your body- Work closely with your cycling coach or partner and let them know how you’re feeling, or just ask yourself if your body feels ok?
2.Keep a training log- Record your feelings of well-being as well as how much you are exercising. Once you increase your training load, note down how you feel each day in a training log that can help you recognize the signs of overtraining so you can reduce the load and rest.
3.Balance training with time for recovery- Adequate rest is not a sign of weakness, everyone needs at least one complete day of rest every week.
4.Enough calories and nutrients- Your calorie intake should cover what your body needs for training and muscle repair. Evaluate your food habits and make sure you’re getting enough of what you need.
5.Drink lots of water- Dehydration plays a part in muscle fatigue. Ensure you are drinking adequate fluid with the goal of having light-colored urine. If possible, avoid fluids such as caffeine and alcoholic beverages that add to dehydration.
Overall if you are already experiencing symptoms of overtraining, to recover from it you will need good sleep, proper nutrients, and mental health.
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