As a marathon runner, I know what it’s like to push your body to the limit. I know the desire to run an extra mile when feeling strong, or to squeeze in the last long run before a big race. We also know what it is like to narrowly avoid serious burnout and injuries due to inadequate refueling and recovery.
No matter what kind of athlete you are, you’ve probably seen an “overtraining” warning.Several Runners ignore signs of overshoot Until their bodies protest and shut down..It’s hard to find me in the waitroom, but Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor Beth Scaleki Many people who go to the gym point out that they can’t do strength training for two days in a row, otherwise they’ll be overtrained. How is overtraining different from general fatigue?
The term “overtraining” is used to mean “tired” and “painful,” but in reality, overtraining syndrome (OTS) is a serious month-long medical condition and endurance. Well documented only by one athlete. Here’s what you need to understand about stressing your body until you have a true overtraining syndrome, and what to do if that happens:
Causes of Overtraining Syndrome (OTS)
OTS Response to excessive exercise without adequate rest.. This is where confusion and misinformation occur. What exactly is considered “excessive” training and what is “appropriate” recovery? Before going into the details, it’s safe to say y.Not at risk Serious OTS just by lifting the weight for 2 days in a row; flat 6 days a week is a good weight training frequency For athletes preparing for it.
Overreach and overtraining
You have to push yourself to see the profits, right? There is a fairly wide threshold for pushing your body in a tactical and advantageous way before it becomes seriously harmful.
Unlike overtraining, “overreach” is a more general term for doing more work than you can handle.Common to many people Practice “functional overkill” in sports. This is intentionally working harder than what you can recover from before, reducing your workload after a few days or weeks. If an athlete overreach for weeks or months at a time, there is a risk of physical injury and overtraining. For more information, Table 1 in this guide Shows the difference between functional overreach (good), non-functional overreach (bad), and overtraining syndrome (really bad).
Some Term Note: Overtraining Syndrome Relative energy shortage in sports (RED-S) and Female athlete triad.. RED-S focuses more on nutrition than the current hypothesis about OTS, but the causes and symptoms of these conditions are closely related in nature.
How to tell if you’re overtraining
If you’re training consistently and hard and you’re aware of poor performance, you may be at risk of overtraining.
Signs of OTS (according to HSS And that National Library of Medicine).
- Abnormal muscle pain after training
- Previously unable to train or compete at a manageable level
- “Heavy” muscles even at lower exercise intensity
- Delayed recovery from training
- Stagnation or poor performance
- Mood swings: depression, anger, or confusion
- Poor sleep
- Lack of energy and motivation
- Immune weakness
- Irregular menstrual cycle; missing period
- Weight loss; loss of appetite
- Constipation; diarrhea
- Long-term general malaise
If you suspect you may be suffering from OTS, you should contact a sports medicine expert who can put you on the path to recovery.
Recovery from overtraining syndrome
Your body needs time to recover and function as before. Your best bet is to identify and prevent overtraining as soon as possible. In addition to working with professionals, there are some other training needs to keep in mind here:
- remaining. You may need to move away from your routine, even if that means dropping out of the race or competition.
- nutrition. Reducing training does not mean that you should stop fueling yourself. Evaluate your diet and consider working with a dietitian to ensure that you get what you need.
- Change your mindset. What made you overtrain in the first place? It is important to learn to listen to your body before returning to the figurative (or literal) ring.
Ignoring the signs of overtraining, your body will eventually revolt. Don’t be on the sidelines forever. To reach your goals as an athlete, you need to master the balance between pushing yourself and recovering yourself.
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