burn out

manus30

hello there,
i play squash at competition level. i play approx 3 times a week. a match usually last 1 hour, heart rate min 88% mhr, max 98% mhr during the match. when i am not playing i go to gym usually twice per week.
i run on threadmill for 35 mins interval training, 1 min at 10k then 1 min at 15k. then do core training, squats, press ups and leg weights for 40 mins.
my problem is i seem to get totally burnt out about every 4 to 6 weeks.
i have hit burn out again this week, went on the threadmill for 5 mins and had to get off and go home.
usually it passes after a day or two, but i have taken 5 days rest now and still have no energy.
my diet is reasonably good, i take vitamins etc.
I also work continental 4 shift cycle in work, so can get tired sometimes.
this is really bugging me, what do you think is causing this?
if i rest for a week, it feels as if i have to start all over again and i have lost my edge because of the week off.
any ideas?
thanks in advance

VIS VIRES

Whats your diet like? are you eating enough?

injured365

98% of your max heart is putting your body under a lot of stress. How often would it be this high?? And for how long?? I would suggest dropping your cardio workout in the gym and concentrate on doing some intervals on a pitch or running track. You sound like a fit enough person and i don't think the treadmill is coming anywhere near to replicating what you go through in a squash match.
As mentioned above, diet plays a big part. It would wortth having your diet analysed or try it yourself http://www.fitday.com/. Chances are you dont have enough carbs in your diet

Khannie

manus30 wrote: »

my problem is i seem to get totally burnt out about every 4 to 6 weeks.

I'd echo what the others have said about diet. A clean diet really really helps.

Also, how much sleep do you get every night?

I have to say though, it sounds to me like you're overtraining. Others on here who have a better understanding of what kinds of exercise you can endure on a day by day basis will give you a better answer (there's only so much interval training a body can take), but as a starting point I'd suggest googling overtraining and / or adrenal fatigue.

Interested to hear how you get on. I've suffered a bit like that myself before but I have a more structured training / rest regime now and a very clean diet. Also, if I feel a bit whacked (as opposed to just feeling lazy ), I'll listen to my body and ease off.

manus30

thanks for advice,
i will heed your advice and will let you know how i get on over the next few weeks.
thanks

celestial

Shift work plus 3 days extremely intense exercise at a competitive level and a day of weights and cardio is a lot. You also haven't said how long you have been following this lifestyle, I'm guessing quite a while. Do you drink and go out at weekends too?

What you do outside of the gym is as important as what you do inside the gym - short breaks now and again are essential at your level of work and allow you to come back stronger and avoid burnout. Maybe take a 2 week break of absolute rest, come back and start at a lower intensity and build up from there.

manus30

i know what you are saying about resting, but some stronger players seem to have an esge on fitness compared to me which is why i train hard. maybe i am doing something wrong here? i dont really go out much and if i do drink i would have 4 pints max, i hate losing a day due to a hangover.
maybe cut down on cardio and concentrate on weights only when in gym?
most squash players seem to do cardio only, although i must admit i do feel the benefits of leg weights and core training, so i would not agree with their regime totally. i find if i play too much squash and cardio, i lose a lot of weight and muscle tone, so i try to mix in weights into my training.
i take vits and have started taking whey, but only after exercise.
any advice much appreciated, thanks