6 Signs Training Load is Too High (Overtraining)
Hooper's Beta Ep. 19
Intro:
In this episode we talk about some of the physiological changes that can happen with overtraining, and what you should be monitoring.
1) Mood changes
One of the earliest signs of overtraining is mood changes. It may be different for everyone but it is also one of the easier signs to recognize in ourselves. Some of the more noticeable changes will be becoming more irritable, depressed, angry, or annoyed.
2) Persistent fatigue
While it is OK to be fatigued at the end of training, climbing, etc. If you are waking up and heading to your training and not feeling fresh, feeling fatigued, and feeling like you are too tired to train, well.... you probably are! Remember, the point of training is to be able to push yourself (body, heart, and mind) to reach new levels. If you are going into the training sub-optimal, you are not likely able to achieve those levels. It may be time for a rest day so that you can go back in stronger the next day.
3) Chronic pain / muscle soreness
In this case we are talking of chronic pain / muscle soreness as pain that doesn't go away after a normal period of recovery whereas normal chronic back is pain that lasts more than 4-6 weeks. This overtraining mistake relates back to the persistent fatigue. If you are not allowing your tissue to heal, then it is not going to be functioning optimally. If it is not functioning optimally, then you can't expect to push your training harder. If you can't push your training harder, what do you expect to get out of it? Manage your pain. If you are feeling sore for longer, rest, or do some active recovery with stretching or other good mobility based movements.
4) Reduced coordination
This one is more subtle. Reduced coordination is another sign to monitor for. This can be both acute, and chronic. In the acute phase, you may notice that your form is changing as you get into higher repetitions. This is a part of fatigue of the muscles but if you are going for good quality reps, your reduced coordination moment may be the moment telling you to stop. The chronic phase, although, is going to be different. You will feel strong enough, no muscle burn yet, but... you simply make the same move that you had done before. This may be another sign that you are overtraining, not getting enough sleep, etc.
5) Increased baseline heart rate
This has been shown in studies and really pertains to those that have a heart monitoring device.
6) Frequent illness
Why? Intense training releases cortisol into the body. Cortisol has a purpose with training, not just to suppress the immune system. It functions to increase blood sugar through and aids in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. BUT, it also prevents proliferation of T-cells (super helpful in our immune response) and other factors from doing their job. So, you are more open to an attack from your buddy sneezing next to you. If you are finding yourself being sick more than you feel you should be, pay attention to your training as you may be overtraining. Also, if you got sick, don't go back into a super intense exercise the moment you feel better! I know a lot of us are guilty of this. I know I have been. I get tired of sitting around so I want to go do stuff. But, do your body a favor and slowly work back into it until you feel 100% so you don't just have a setback and feel sick again.
Well, there it is! The top 6 sicks of overtraining. If you got this far, thank you for reading and watching our video, I hope you found it helpful!
Disclaimer:
As always, exercises are to be performed assuming your own risk and should not be done if you feel you are at risk for injury. See a medical professional if you have concerns before starting new exercises.
Written and Presented by Jason Hooper, PT, DPT, OCS, CAFS
IG: @hoopersbetaofficial
Filming and Editing by Emile Modesitt
www.emilemodesitt.com
IG: @emile166
Special thanks to The Wall for letting us film!
IG: @thewallclimbinggym
