Over Trainning Ect

[old] ninja · Post by **[old] ninja** » December 16th, 2004, 4:09 pm

hi all, I have recently taken up rowing in my college and love it. We train 4 times a week on the water including 2 early morning sesions (ie on the water at 6:30ish). We also have a running and circuts session once a week. However since I don't really bother going to my lectures and have given up my job I have been training alot. In a typical week I would cover in the region of 200k between cycling, rowing, erging,swimming and running along with 3 weights sesions on top of club training. This wasn't really that tireing since I have always been pretty fit. However about ten days ago I began feeling worn out and a bit unwell. I took a day off training due to a hang-over. The next day dissappointed with myself for messing up my sechdule I covered 65k. Since then I have been absolutely exhausted.I haven't been able to go to the gym, 26 seconds has fallen off my time for a 5.5k run(down to 18'50),and my form on the water has been efected. I intended on going to the gym today but instead fell asleep. Should I be worried?Am I ill or just in need of rest?I am one of the fastest among the novices in my club but since this I have been slipping behind. Should I change to heart rate trainning?I want to get my 20 min erg split down to 1'40 by febuary(currently at 1'48.6). Has anybody got any advice? Many thanks, Anto

[old] Almostflipped · Post by **[old] Almostflipped** » December 16th, 2004, 4:26 pm

200k a week as a novice.....wow, yeah I'd say you are a good candidate for overtraining. Well true overtraining is a pain to get out of, but there is more than one item that needs to be looked at when speaking of this. My first recommendation is that you speak with your coach about this and have him/her help you review your training/dietary habits to decide the best course of action. Now for some general info. I would evaluate your current diet. Have you increased your daily caloric intake since you have begun training? Have you lost weight lately without trying? About 80% of the symptoms of overtraining can be linked directly to nutrition. Take a week to write down what you eat each day and figure out your current caloric intake (www.fitday.com has been recommended to me as a method to track caloric intake, I have not tried it yet though). Next you need to figure out what your actual caloric need is. You can find methods to do this with a quick google search (remember the total is a combination of calories burned from exercise and about 2000 more for basic functions of life). This will take a few days to put together, but if you are going to pursue a high level of training it is vital to your success. Without an even balance in calories the body cannot recover and rebuild. Its the same concept as trying to drive your car without gas, it simply won't work. Second, and you aren't going to like this, cut your training by no less than half. If you are currently exhibiting symptoms of overtraining then continuing to train will only make it worse. What needs to be understood is that true overtraining involves changes that take place in the bodies biochemical reaction to stress and exercise. In other words, its not simply that you are tired; its that your body literally is no longer capable of producing the necessary level of enzymes to provide energy. Restated one more time, its a true physical reaction as opposed to being mentally weak. Cut your miles in half for a week, and see how you feel. If you feel that you have recovered after that time slowly (and i'm talking no more than 10% per week) increase your mileage until you begin to feel a bit tired again. Then take a step back and hold there for awhile. Should you not feel better after a week, cut your miles in half again and repeat said process until you are ok. Most of all though, speak with your coach about this. S/he will be able to provide direct advice and monitor what you are doing better than any of us can. And remember, a small break in training now can make you significantly stronger in the future and save you from having to take a significant break later.

[old] hwt · Post by **[old] hwt** » December 16th, 2004, 5:22 pm

Perhaps it would be a good idea to attend your classes?

[old] FrancoisA · Post by **[old] FrancoisA** » December 16th, 2004, 6:28 pm

Hi Anto, There is no problem with doing 200k a week (that should amount to less than 4 hours a day!) provided you are very careful with the intensities, that you take a day off (or a very easy day) every week, and that every 4 weeks you take a recovery week, where training intensity and volume are cut by half. I have skipped the recovery week in the past and have paid dearly for it: I ended up overtrained! Of course one has to gradually increase the volume of training to reach 3 to 4 hours a day, it can not be done overnight. Trying to achieve too much too soon is a recipe for failure. Since you are swimming, biking and running, I would recommend (even if you are not doing triathlons) the excellent book by Joe Friel: Triathlete's Training Bible. It has very good coverage of training intensity, periodization, recovery, planning your races and diet. As mentioned by Almostflipped, nutrition is very important (hydration even more so!); I would also recommend "Endurance Sports Nutrition" by Suzanne Girard Eberle. Do yourself a favour, get those books and study them; it will save you a lot of trouble! Francois Audet (46 lwt)

[old] Physicist · Post by **[old] Physicist** » December 17th, 2004, 9:00 am

200k divided between cycling, rowing, erging, swimming and running is a bit uninformative? If the bulk of that's on the bike then it's not a particularly hard schedule: if it's mainly running and in the pool then you're training like a nutter! I'd suggest you draw up a training plan with your coach, and stick to it. Plenty of mileage won't hurt as long as it's at a suitable intensity. Factor in some rest days, and if you miss a day then don't try to compensate for it the next day, just accept it and move on. Having a definite plan can really help you steer clear of just doing more and more distance for the sake of it. As someone who's dabbled with overtraining I can tell you it's worth avoiding if possible. Try and finish most of your sessions with energy in reserve - you should get off the water/erg thinking "I could definitely have gone a bit quicker if I wanted" rather than "thank god that's over, when's the next session?" And very important to look at your nutrition. Eat plenty and make sure you're getting in protein and carbs straight after a workout. Like Almost Flipped I think this is often at the root of simple overtraining problems (though I'd love to know where the figure of 80% came from?) Good luck. And that's an awesome run time!!

[old] Almostflipped · Post by **[old] Almostflipped** » December 17th, 2004, 10:35 am

Figure came from Ed McNeely (Canadian NT Strength and Conditioning Coach) at the Jim Joy Conference last week. Basically listed the symptoms of overtraining and one by one went through and explained the links between each symptom and poor nutrition. Worked out to between 70-80% of the symptoms. This is not to say nutrition is the sole cause or that good nutrition will definitely ward off all these symptoms. Just to say that if you have poor nutrition, then you can expect these symptoms to start rearing there heads soon.

[old] Blue44deuce · Post by **[old] Blue44deuce** » December 18th, 2004, 2:57 am

And go to class. There's always time to train.

[old] honorcaddy · Post by **[old] honorcaddy** » December 18th, 2004, 6:47 am

Unless you have an acute illness, such as a seasonal respiratory infection, then you are almost certainly overtraining. The cure is probably to take a couple of days off, to give your body an opportunity for muscle cell recovery, restoration of normal matabolic pathways, and immune system recuperation. In other words, you are worn out from overdoing it. So, you need to get some extra sleep, drink plenty of water and juices, eat lean meat or fish with salads and vegetables and a few extra pieces of fruit every day, reduce your training for the next three to five days to nothing more than moderately-paced walks. The prevention is to talk with a reasonable-minded coach about this experience and plan how to avoid it. I noted one especially good piece of advice - go to your classes.

[old] ninja · Post by **[old] ninja** » December 20th, 2004, 4:10 pm

hi again, I took the last few days off and got some extra sleep.Then I did a 20 min test and took 3.5sec off my average split yesterday.This is strange as I haven't really trained for a week and suddenly I become as fast as some seniors in my club. I bought Lance Armstrongs trainning guide so I can use the nutition section in that.Thanks for all the advice and a merry christmass to you all. Anto

[old] TomR/the elder · Post by **[old] TomR/the elder** » December 20th, 2004, 6:41 pm

Your good 20 minute test is not a total surprise. You trained hard, tapered a few days, then raced. The few days off allowed your body to adapt to the previous hard work and also to rest, leaving you ready for a fast test. Tom