Athletes and fitness enthusiasts must put in long hours of strenuous training to achieve success. But there is a fine line between optimal training and overtraining--crossing this borderline can mean the difference between success and failure.
Many believe that the harder they train, the better they will perform, although evidence shows that this is not true. A vicious cycle sets in as poor race times are interpreted as indications that more training is needed. Other factors-such as poor nutrition, drug use, lack of sleep, inadequate rest, irregular lifestyle, work pressures, emotional conflicts, and mental stress-can each exacerbate the effects of overtraining.
Many terms have been used to describe the syndrome of symptoms associated with excessive training, including overtraining, overreaching, overexertion, staleness, burnout, and chronic fatigue.
Symptoms of overtraining include:
e
- Unusual fatigue throughout the day-lethargy, listlessness, tiredness
- Impaired performance and difficulty in getting through workouts
- Person looks drawn, sallow, and dejected with sunken eyeballs
- Difficulty in concentration; impaired academic performance
- Lack of interest in everyday tasks; loss of enthusiasm and drive
- Mood swings; emotional instability; easy irritation
- Increased susceptibility to injury and infection
- Loss of menstruation (amenorrhea)
- Increased fluid intake at night; thirst
- Loss of appetite; gradual loss of weight
- Loss of joy of and thirst for competition
- Insomnia; sleep that is not refreshing
- Sore muscles; heavy leggedness
- Swelling of lymph glands
- Nausea; diarrheaResearchers have attempted to predict and diagnose overtraining by applying various measures, including changes in hormones, immune function, blood levels of nutrients, and psychological factors. One of the most consistent and easiest ways to identify an overtrained individual is through their own subjective evaluation of performance and fatigue. If the someone has experienced an unexplained downturn in performance and in the ability to train hard during periods of sustained fatigue, overtraining is probably the underlying cause. Another key indicator is loss of enthusiasm to train and compete.
Heavy exertion is necessary to stimulate the body to improve fitness Some fatigue is expected following intense workouts. But the negative feelings should subside as the individual cycles between hard and easy days of exercise. Over time, the body should be able to improve strength and endurance to desired levels without entering the zone of overtraining and chronic exhaustion. It is recommended to keep log book to monitor training workloads as well as ratings of fatigue and stress.
