Overtraining

[Tellie]

Hey everyone, I have a few questions concerning overtraining,
How is someone supposed to know when enough is enough?
Are there any scientific caluculations of heart rate and that sort of stuff anyone could do to find this out, I'm doing a project on this right now for school.

I'm also new at a heavy training routine, and I've done a lot of reasearch on overtraining but i just wanted to ask the pro's if they could tell me any more signs, Cause i've got a lot of overtraining signs, but only on some days, you know fatigue, and restlessness, and no definite improvement in strength etc... But since my research on this I have been taking a lof of down time to try and get some rest, while continuing to do cardio everyday.

 

[new@gettinbig]

I agree with Lobo 100%! Its how you recover and take care of your body after your workout..Your diet must be on track, your REST, and so forth. This is a lot of times neglected by folks that lift. They spend so much time in the gym, and then they don't focus on what their diet consists of and what type of rest they are getting. You grow when you recover. It is good to push your body...and get a few extra forced reps out...but you need to fuel your body and let it rest as well. Its a whole process and it has to be consistent and done everyday, all THE TIME!

 

[Fennec]

My trainer will have me work lighter, or sometimes just send me home to sleep if I have a combination of the following:

1) Staying extremely sore in a muscle group for longer than my normal recovery time, which is 1-2, sometimes 3 days if a VERY good workout.

2) Problems sleeping at night, getting 6 hours or less. Finding myself restless and edgy (and not due to ECA stack). Noticing that I am puttering around the house instead of sleeping, like I should be.

3) Loss of appetite.

4) Energy very low, normal strength levels down.

5) Hold hand out, palm flat, fingers spread - is it shaking?

6) Mentally "not in the game" to a severe degree.

I'm sure he looks at other things, too, but usually if I have 2 or more of the above, he will have me go home and rest, eat higher calories, and sometimes will take me off cardio for a day or two. It only takes a couple days to recover and be ready to go again! This usually happens to me approx every three months, and usually I sortof peak out with high amounts of cardio, heavy intense workouts, and lots of dance for the week or two before this happens. Sometimes added stress from work or external sources will contribute.

Here is some additional info.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/vol43/table.htm

Fennec

 

[blueyedkowgrl]

all right y'all how about sleep?? first off there is not enough hours in the day for me to sleep my required 7-8 hours. So if i'm only getting 5-6 hours (on a good night) am i really screwing up my recovery time?? If i tried to get 7-8 hours of sleep i would have to put my kids to bed and then go to sleep myself. and as well all know that just isn't possible....

 

[Tellie]

Hey thanks for the advice guys, but rest is really hard to attain

Here, i'll give you my circumstances,

I'm a rower, we train 5 days a week,

Tuesday-water practice, so hard piecec focusing alot on technique
Wednesday- things like core strength, 10 k runs, Hill sprints, body circuits etc
Thursday-same as tuesday
Friday- we erg so short very very hard pieces then something not so bad like 3 rounds of core strenth
and sunday same as tuesday and thursday

so that's practice

then on mondays i go see a trainer who i do 40 min erg piecec with

and along with rowing i have been going to the gym about three days a week, doing about 40 min cardio and the full weight thing

this is a new and very intense scheduel, and i have been rowing for a while but am just recently concerned with really beccoming something, powerlifting is a goal

in the past 21/2 months i have lost 23 lbs,

i am 5'4'' and 200 lbs, very big girl, not so much in fat i'm about a waist size 34 which is big but my genetics are just that way, and i have massive shoulders, my dad's side of the family gave me an extremly large skeletal structure

I eat very healthy, but not much meat, chicken a few times a week and tuna but i don't monitor what i eat like some of the people i've seen on here...should i?

and on top of that i'm 15 turning 16 in june

now all I'd like to know is how to deal with all of this, there's every bit of info i think i can give you guys


thanks alot

Tellie

 

[keiko]

Tellie--how do you feel? Do you sleep okay, can you concentrate in school?

YOu're young, you have your strength, but I'd say your schedule looks a little intense. Do you ever say "Aw fuck it" and just go hang out with friends? I can't see why you need more cardio in addition to your training--what does your coach say?

I'd say you need more protein than a few times a week, esp. if you're lifting and rowing. Chicken, tuna, fish, protein shakes--you're possibly still growing. Don't forget calcium, dairy is not your enemy. YOu can eat a lot, but you want to avoid junk food, sugar, etc.

I'd get your bodyfat tested--muscles are great, but fat just slows you down.

 

[AGENT SHAGWELL]

As always WarLobo is correct.

But from what you have wrote I'd say you need to change you focus on your diet. Protein protein and more protein is needed to rebuild those muscle fibers. Try adding a mix protein shakes, with milk proteins (or some cottage cheese if you don't want shakes), post workout. Also before going to sleep. May enhance sleep as well.

Also I personally take Zinc and Magnesium at bedtime as well. REALLY helps me sleep like a rock, and my recovery is great because of that.

 

[skydancer]

Wow - your training schedule is tough!! I'd be VERY concerned that you are getting proper vitamin/mineral supplementation in ADDITION to a good diet. Your training is very demanding of ALL your muscle fibers, your nervous system etc etc and you need to be sure you are getting adequate sleep (at least 8hrs, more if possible), drinking a lot of water and eating a balance of protein/fats/complex carbs so your body can handle all you are demanding. Diet is SOOOO important (not the lose weight kind but the support your training and goals kind). I strongly suggest laying out a foundation of what you might eat, eating every three hours and basing your meals on what you are doing for the next three hours. So for example, if it was time for a meal and in the next couple hours you were going to train or lift or be explosively active, you would need a good amount of complex carbs (grains, yams, whole wheat etc) some "good" fat and definately protein. It sounds as if you are training for competition so I have to assume (and this is a big assumption) that your coaches know you are ready for such tough work and you have laid a foundation of strength already with weights/cardio.

Training for powerlifting is very different than training for rowing - the specifity of training for one could very well take away from your performance in the other. I suggest talking at length with someone who is knowledgable about the different sports and ways to train specifically for them. While I wouldn't say the two are mutually exclusive from eachother it would be tough to excel at both at the same time.

Congrats too on your athletic interest at your age!! Its the perfect time to get properly educated on how to best fine tune your body!

------------------
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. - Socrates

 

[Tellie]

thanks a bunch guys,

Do you have any suggestions on the type of protein supplement i could use? Because right now the only type of supplements/ vitamin i take is a multi vitamin, and iron, So I have no knowledge of anything else,
You're right abou tsleep I'm getting very little, well i suppose it's better than most of my age about 6-7-8 hours a night, but lately it's benrough caus ei just got a puppy, and you knwo how it goes, bathroom breaks two times a night, and early mornings,

my training scheduel is hard, but i have two coaches, and a trainer so i think i'm taken care of, rest is definatly an issue, but i've totally been cutting back on going to the gym all the time and i've been trying to just get more out of less workouts. But my improvement is good, Acctually i pulled a personal best on a erg test today!! yeah I'm a happy camper for that one. I beat the old time by 9 seconds, but anyways thank you so much for the help.


Tellie

 

[Tellie]

Bump! !

just want this one to keep going