What is over training? Personal coaching near me Mulgrave
Exercise is good, we all know that, so the more we do it, the better, right? In theory we should keep getting stronger and stronger, fitter and fitter. This is not necessarily the case, as always, too much of a good thing can be bad in the long run. Exercise is no different; there is a tipping point where the more exercise you do, can be detrimental yo your body. We call this over-training and it’s the point where our activity levels exceed our ability to recover. We call this over training syndrome (OTS), and it leads to a decrease in fitness levels and leaves us at high risk of injury. You may be thinking, this can’t affect me; I’m just your average gym goer. Yet no matter your gender, age, skill level, experience etc. we all are at risk of over-training. This week we will go into some of the signs of OTS, and ways to combat it. Personal coaching near me Mulgrave
Signs of Over Training
Increased fatigue:
- Of course after training we get fatigued, however if we’re in an over-trained state this fatigue can continue on. We never allow the body the chance to fully recover and therefore are left feeling fatigued constantly. If you’re feeling more fatigued than usual this may be a sign of OTS.
Decreased performance:
- The obvious sign of over training, when we feel or notice a decrease in performance. We may be increasing the intensity of our training, pushing heavier weights however we aren’t completing it as well. Or you may just not be able to complete the same weights you were doing a fortnight or month ago. This is the tell-tale sign of OTS.
Nagging injuries/illness:
- When in an over trained state, we are overusing our muscles and joints. This can cause pain in certain areas, and leave us susceptible to injury. Excessive training also depletes our immune system, causing us to be sick more frequently. You may see in this time period an increase in the number of colds/sore throats and little pains here and there.
Insomnia:
- Sleep is our perfect recovery zone, however when in a stressed state (we are during OTS) we produce hormones that can cause restlessness. This leads to us being unable to sleep, and recover, it becomes a snowball effect!
Some other signs:
- Loss of appetite
- Moodiness
- Loss of motivation
- Headaches
- Constant soreness
Now how do I know if I am in an over-trained state? Personal coaching near me Mulgrave
Well any of the signs above can help let you know whether you are or not, but they can be vague. As sometimes you can have a decrease in performance just well because, rather than being over-trained. Going deeper into this, there is one good way to give you a better picture, and that’s taking notice of your heart rate. When we are in an over-trained state, our resting heart rate can increase. Therefore during a training phase it can be important to track your resting heart rate. Every morning look at your fitness tracker, or go old school and count the number of beats in a minute. Record this down, do this daily for a month or so. If you are already experiencing the above symptoms and see an increase in HR over the month at rest, this can indicate you are in this over-trained state.
Ok well what do I do now? Personal coaching near me Mulgrave
- Take a break: For over-trainers this is the hardest part, because they love their training, but taking a 2-3 day rest isn’t going to deplete all your gains! Taking a break can also mean moving from a 5 day split program, to a 4 day. Your body will love you for it.
- Reduce your training load; by reducing the number of sets, reps, intensity, this lowers the overall effort our body has to exert. Doing this for a week can really help.
- Plan your workouts better! A 3 day program with high intensity, good volume and the important exercises is better than 6 days of poorly structured workouts. This dispels that notion of training more is best, because if we don’t have the other workout factors right, the number of days is irrelevant.
- Nutrition & sleep: Make sure you have a well balance diet, one that can aid in recovery. Also ensure you are getting 7-8.5 hrs of sleep per night, as this time period is the perfect recovery time! For any tips on these two areas check out:
Sleep: https://pchealthclubs.com/reasons-enough-sleep-gym-near-me-springvale/
Diet: https://pchealthclubs.com/nutrition-exercise-pchc-clayton/
Importance of recovery: Personal coaching near me Mulgrave
Recovery from training is super important to get the results you are after. We need to allow our muscles and energy systems to replenish, and adapt from the training load we put them under. However we often forget about recovery, with more of an emphasis on the sets/reps and weight we are lifting.
Hopefully this weeks blog has made it clear that we need to be aware of our training loads and if we are reaching an over-trained state. So as always check our our FaceBook page to find out more about exercise & recovery related information. If you have any further questions about it, ask us at PCHC!
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