Am I overtraining ?

Deisetrek

Having "zeroed up " my bike computer on Oct 1st 2008 , I have now just passed the 12000 km mark (this is not a boast by the way) . I've done a search on the forum on the subject and this figure seems high enough with maybe another 9 weeks or so to go to Oct 1st 2009 .
What's the signs of overtraining ? I don't have the classic ones I read about in the magazines of irritable behaviour and not being able to sleep but I am finding lately that my joints/legs are a little sore . Why I ask the question is ,because even though I experience this pain I feel compelled to get out on my bike almost every day (bar one ,rest day on Friday's) . My fear of taking too much time off the bike is that I will loose fitness for my longer rides .
I find these training programmes in magazine a bit gimmicky and more aimed at the racing cyclist than the leisure one like myself .

Lumen

1200km a month is a lot, particularly if you don't have any well-defined goals.

Maybe read up a bit on Periodization, try to break your training down into cycles and focus on some key events in the year.

You know when you're not resting enough if you can't put in the hard efforts, whatever combination of distance and time "hard effort" means to you.

Raam

Some interesting articles here...

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/05/overtraining-threshold.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/04/fatigue-indicators.html

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/02/basic-training-assumptions.html

eggie

Wouldnt think you are over training, some months I'll do 1500km and hit the gym in between.

Yours works out at 40km per day average whihch is fine, healthy too. About an hour and a half of exercise per day on average isnt over training.

petethedrummer

6 days a week doing the same sport seems alot. You might be over-developed in some muscle groups and under-developed in others. Could you substitue 1 of the days for rest or another activity?

I'm not an expert on these matters.

tunney

its a reasonable amount of running

Nietzschean

50km a day 6 days a week every week is a reasonable amount of running? isn't that like over a marathon daily?

tunney

Nietzschean wrote: »

50km a day 6 days a week every week is a reasonable amount of running? isn't that like over a marathon daily?

tongue, cheek, friday.

Lumen

eggie wrote: »

About an hour and a half of exercise per day on average isnt over training.

That depends entirely on how fit you are and how hard you're training.

Many of the plans on trainingpeaks.com for racing cyclists range from 6-13 hours a week, except for cat 1-2 which are up to 18 hours a week, but in all cases these are the "on" weeks, and there are R&R weeks (typically 1 in 4) which drop the average training loads down.

biker_joe

"My fear of taking too much time off the bike is that I will loose fitness for my longer rides"

This a classic from poeple who are new to cycling, they become a little addicted, feel that even if they take one or two days off, they will be somehow lose a whole lot of fitness !
The body needs to unload FATIGUE every 3 to 4 weeks depending the LOAD, so this means REST. So I guess you are over trained, take a break !


Biker Joe

blorg

If you don't have any goals and don't have any problems then don't worry about it. I started racing this year and have started taking days off the day before a race, not feeling I have to kill myself Sunday if I had a long ride Saturday, that sort of thing. I don't feel compelled to get out for 75km every day or cycle every lunchtime. The rest (you need rest) definitely makes me faster. Mileage is a bit down but I would certainly be fitter.

LeoD

Deisetrek wrote: »

Having "zeroed up " my bike computer on Oct 1st 2008 , I have now just passed the 12000 km mark
..........
I find these training programmes in magazine a bit gimmicky and more aimed at the racing cyclist than the leisure one like myself .

12000km in 10 months for a leisure cyclist?? For your sake I hope you don't start taking cycling too serious.

AstraMonti

Deisetrek wrote: »

My fear of taking too much time off the bike is that I will loose fitness for my longer rides .

From the very little i know, you can lose more fitness if you don't rest properly.

Nietzschean

tunney wrote: »

tongue, cheek, friday.

ahh sorry, you just never know with you.... marathon before work, cycling TT after or something....

Deisetrek

petethedrummer wrote: »

6 days a week doing the same sport seems alot. You might be over-developed in some muscle groups and under-developed in others. Could you substitue 1 of the days for rest or another activity?

I'm not an expert on these matters.

I've lost about 3 stone over the last few years (16 down to 13 ) and you're right my thigh muscles have become very strong at the expense of my upper body . I tried a bit of running to alternate the training a bit , but ended up with shin splints etc and I find gym work boring , so I'll just have to consider my options .

Deisetrek

biker_joe wrote: »

"My fear of taking too much time off the bike is that I will loose fitness for my longer rides"

This a classic from poeple who are new to cycling, they become a little addicted, feel that even if they take one or two days off, they will be somehow lose a whole lot of fitness !
The body needs to unload FATIGUE every 3 to 4 weeks depending the LOAD, so this means REST. So I guess you are over trained, take a break !


Biker Joe

Yeah I think you may have a point about addiction , biker Joe . The fact I'm asking the question at all points to the fact that I'm beginning to realise that I really don't know too much about training routines . I'm in my late 40's and my wife is in the medical profession ,she reckons I may develop joint problems soon unless I back off , and yet I'm enjoying it too much to do so. I feel fitter now than I felt in my twenties playing football .

blorg

Deisetrek wrote: »

I've lost about 3 stone over the last few years (16 down to 13 ) and you're right my thigh muscles have become very strong at the expense of my upper body . I tried a bit of running to alternate the training a bit , but ended up with shin splints etc and I find gym work boring , so I'll just have to consider my options .

Swimming is very good aerobic exercise for the upper body; I used to do that a fair bit but have not been at it in the last 12 months. Don't know that it really helps you much as a cyclist though, I found at the time it helped my breathing and my climbing ability out of the saddle (where you are pulling yourself up on the bars) but I've progressed a lot since without it.

jwshooter

i started cycling to keep fit for deer stalking over the summer.
i am on the hill stalking from mid sep right through till march mostly on the sally gap area a lot of the time .
cycling works different mussels than hill walking in the legs, i would totally agree that to much of one sport is a bad thing.
in the short eve s i play squash 3-4 times a week and have a small gym at home.
try some hill walking for a change at a quick pace you will find how hard it is.

blorg

How do you get them back from Sally Gap? They are tasty animals. Wouldn't get them back on a bike certainly.

DualFrontDiscs

blorg wrote: »

How do you get them back from Sally Gap? They are tasty animals. Wouldn't get them back on a bike certainly.

Understandable first thought, however.........


I might need help getting it up there in the first place. Anyone interested in a being part of a uphill crew?

jwshooter

blorg wrote: »

How do you get them back from Sally Gap? They are tasty animals. Wouldn't get them back on a bike certainly.

blog ,they are lovely eating, very healthy for you ,there is less fat and cholesterol than chicken.
i only use the young tender ones for my table .
i give the manager a hand on estate that covers 7,000 acres on the sally gap as well as other ground.
we use a drag rope to get them off the hill that way we dont mark the ground with quad tracks like so much of wicklow.its very hard work but leave no trace, which is so important i think.
the drag rope is 7 foot of wedding very much like a seat belt ,5 foot of rope tide about there heads .over the shoulders like a ruck sack and pull .
you thing cycling up the gap gives you a burn ,think again.try pulling a 140 pounds up to the road for a mile.

biker_joe

Deisetrek wrote: »

Yeah I think you may have a point about addiction , biker Joe . The fact I'm asking the question at all points to the fact that I'm beginning to realise that I really don't know too much about training routines . I'm in my late 40's and my wife is in the medical profession ,she reckons I may develop joint problems soon unless I back off , and yet I'm enjoying it too much to do so. I feel fitter now than I felt in my twenties playing football .

Just lay off the bike once in a while, if you keep going without rest you will be in bigger trouble, also if your joints are giving trouble it might be an idea to supplement with some Glucosamine especially if you have played football in earlier days .... it should definately help ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucosamine

Biker Joe