Overtraining is an extremely common mistake which ends in tragic consequences. Those who are determined to go beast mode fall prey to overuse injuries most often. The biggest half-truth: You’ll build quicker if you intensify your training, elevate your energy expenditure, and increase your lift weight. Neglecting rest, recoup, and recovery is the main causes of overtraining. Allowing your body time to repair between sessions is the best way to prevent it.
Signs of Overtraining
You must balance the time you spend training and the time you devote to recovery. Pushing your limits to a certain degree is critical but you must give yourself time to recover. Many experts agree that at least one full day of rest is the best way to go. Rest and recoup are twice as important if you have beat yourself into the ground. Your muscles can suffer irreparable damage when you don’t allow it time to rebuild after an injury.
If you believe that you are experiencing any signs of overtraining, take time off to heal and consult a physical therapist. This will prevent further damage and get you back in the game faster.
Insomnia and sleep disturbances can result from overtraining.- It may become too difficult to complete your traditional routine.
- Overtraining can cause symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Your muscles may be sorer for longer than usual.
- You can experience unexplained and/or sudden aches.
- Instead of being pumped up at the end of your workout, you may feel like crap.
- Your appetite can dwindle or even vanish.
- Your motivation may disappear, or you can experience mild to severe depression.
- Overtraining can deplete your immune system causing you to catch every bug in town.
Insomnia and sleep disturbances can result from overtraining.
A Note about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Overtraining, chronic fatigue syndrome, and adrenal fatigue has several similar symptoms. You may experience random muscle and joint pain that does not disappear quickly and/or returns often. Both anxiety and depression can be a result of all three conditions.
Overtraining can cause you to develop chronic fatigue syndrome and adrenal fatigue. Each can also exacerbate the others. These are additional reasons rest and recovery are vital to your game plan.
Overtraining Prevention
Dedicating sufficient time for rest and recovery is only one way to prevent overtraining injuries. Remember that recoup time includes proper rest at night, post-workout breathers, and at least some mental relaxation. Your mental well-being is directly tied to your physical health and potential. Getting a goods night’s sleep will also improve your mental health and set you up for tomorrow’s success.
It is important to create warm-up and cool down routines. Warming up primes your muscles for action and gets your juices flowing. Cooldown sessions signal your body that it is time to rest. It helps bring your heart and breathing rate back to normal.
Another principal element of effective recovery is nutrition. Ensure you consume the right balance of both macro and micronutrients. Follow a dietary program which is high in lean protein, whole grains, veggies, and fruits. Eat fresh or minimally proceed foods and stay well hydrated.
Clean protein for dinner helps your repair muscle through the night. Carb replenishment is necessary to maintain high energy levels. Your body requires energy for protein synthesis. Track your dietary intake alongside your physical routine to monitor progress. This will make it easier to pinpoint successes, mistakes, and let you know when it’s time to change up a bit.
Record your Routine & Recovery
Make note of your routine off days and stick to them. Base your number on your condition and health goals. Choose sets of muscles to target on specific days. Then allow those to rest while you put others to work. You might target your core, lower and upper body on separate days.
Most experts agree that at least 48-hour rest between muscle groups is optimal. It is also essential to remember what works for your buddy might not be effective for you. Below are a few examples but you should choose what works best for you.
- Chest & Back
- Arms & Abs
- Shoulders & Traps
- Lats & Legs
Hormonal Timing
Your cortisol and testosterone hormones are related to your mental and physical health. Test hormones begin to plummet about an hour into your routine. You can avoid this drop by limiting your session to just under an hour.
As T levels decrease your cortisol increases. It is catabolic in nature, while testosterone is anabolic. In other words, you stop building muscle at that point and your body begins to break it down. Cortisol is thought to play a major role in weight gain. Increased levels can dramatically impact on your libido as well.
Take-Away Training Tips
There are three central factors in which impact your progress and success. Your external load which includes physical aspects such as lifting weight and distance run. Internal loads such as heart rate and perceived exertion. The third includes regeneration routines and practices maximize your recovery time. Consider these vital overtraining prevention take-away tips.
- Qualitative and qualitative sleep is vital to repair.
- You need balanced nutrition and hydration facilitate healthy growth.
- Massage and hydrotherapy can help speed post-workout recoup and injury recovery.
- Manage your exercise loads, dietary intake, and rest routines.
- Kick ass, rest well, for accelerated growth and performance.
- Know when to push and when to recoup.
- Don’t beyond your limit too often. Leave a bit of fuel in your tank.
- Increase your workout intensity and weight in reasonable increments.
- Keep down stress and time your sessions to reduce cortisol levels
- Implement warm-up routines and cool down workouts to prevent injury.
