Overtraining is a dreaded word for many athletes and bodybuilders and one that can leave them cowering in fear. It is the definition of 'too much of a good thing' and one of the most frustrating issues that many face when they are training for an event or for general performance.
Essentially, overtraining is a term that describes what happens when you train too much and don't give your body enough time to recover. Usually this results in your muscles actually growing less than if you had given yourself more rest and at the same time it can trigger a range of other issues that result in your having to stop training at least temporarily. Here we will look at how overtraining comes about, how to recognize it, and what to do about it.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of overtraining are tiredness, lethargy and lack of enthusiasm and the first place you'll notice this is usually in the gym. If you just can't seem to get the same enthusiasm and energy going during your workouts and you're not unwell in any way, then this is often a sign that you have pushed yourself too hard. If you find yourself feeling this way, then ask whether you have been overdoing it lately.
Other symptoms will often include aching muscles and joints, cold/flu symptoms that don't go away and drowsiness during the day. If you notice this and it seems to coincide with a recent increase in your physical activity, then you need to take a break and come back to your training with a better system in place.
Causes
So what causes this overtraining to have such a negative effect? Well what you need to remember when working out is that you are actually doing damage to your muscles when you do. Positive damage - but damage nonetheless.
You see when you work out, you place strain on your muscles which causes small 'microtears' in your muscle fibre. When these microtears are repaired by the body they come back thicker and stronger, much as scar tissue does, and this is what causes 'hypertrophy'.
While this is good for your muscle development though, it also means that when you're working out your body is in effect constantly healing. This then means that your immune system will be busy rebuilding the muscle - taking up energy and making you more susceptible to attacks from bacteria and viruses. If you don't give that muscle time to recover before doing more, you will be adding more to the cumulative total work your body has to do and this will result in more tiredness and illness.
Prevention and Treatment
Of course then the best treatment is to get lots of rest, and particularly lots of sleep which is when the immune system goes to work. At the same time you should also fuel your body with lots of protein and amino acids as this is what it will use to rebuild the muscle and tissue.
Make sure when you train that you include lengthy 'rest' periods between sets, and that you have lots of protein to back up your training.
Once you're back on your feet and ready to train again, look into Proteus fitness equipment so that you can train at home. Visit Sports Kinetics for more!
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