(photo from flickr)
One area that many people mistakenly do not pay enough attention to is that of overtraining. If some working out is good, more should be better, right? Wrong. Too much training is a surfire way to lead to injuries, burnout, lack of results, and a growing hatred of all forms of physical activity – not what you want.
Overtraining can be defined as when you are placing more stress on your body than it is able to effectively keep up with. This isn’t just training stress either.
Stressed out over work? Stressed out over a relationship – or lack-there-of for some of you? Stress out because of ….just a high stressed person in general regardless of what’s happening?
If so, you are going to be at a higher risk for overtraining than your type B counterpart who’s super effective at relaxing on the couch after a good workout session.
Stress in general taxes our systems and when you combine a high stress lifestyle with the rigors that training places on you, you’re asking for trouble.
Keep in mind also that when talking in terms of training, we are not just talking about weight lifting. Have a passion for running?
Combine six days of hard running with a few sessions a week and you’re just as bad off as someone in the gym six days a week. Cardio must be factored in as well, especially if it is high intensity in nature.
As a general rule, every session of sprinting you do should be counted as a leg workout. Therefore, if you do two days of leg lifting a week and two days of sprinting, that’s four leg workouts each week! A lot – for almost anyone. As such, you better be damn sure you’re taking measures to maximize recovery or you won’t last on this schedule very long.
Now, we’ve mostly be talking about muscular overtraining, but what about your CNS? The CNS takes a hit each and every time you enter that gym as well. When you overload any muscle with a weight, you are essentially overloading the CNS at the same time. This is why you cannot just say you’ll do legs one day, arms the next, legs on the third, arms on the fourth, and keep repeating in that fashion.
While you might be abiding by the general rule of 48 hours rest between each worked muscle group, you are still working that CNS. You’d be going days in a row without any down time for rest.
This is why it is absolutely essential that you allow for at least one, preferably two to three days a week of total rest. That means nothing more than leisurely cardio – a light stroll in the park, an easy game of soccer, a casual bike ride – you get the point. The goal of this activity is enjoyment, not physical improvement.
If you don’t allow for these days, you’re going to burn out – fast. Be warned. You may think you can keep up because you’re young, you have amazing recovery abilities, you’re unstoppable (take your pick), but you aren’t. Even the most highly advanced athlete needs down time worked into their program.
So, when assessing your workout program, do not look over this critical element. Factor in your cardio, factor in your lifting, factor in any other demands you have in your life that add stress in general.
Then, be sure you are leaving some time for you – time to do something you enjoy that relaxes and rejuvenates you. Don’t be misled, that ‘you’ time can play a huge role in your recovery and prevent problems from brewing.
By keeping all this in mind, you not only decrease your risk of injuries, increase your rate of results, and prevent problems of burnout, but you’ll also find that you enjoy your workouts a whole heck of a lot more as well.