Overtraining

Shakermaker321

Well guys, would anyone have any info on overtraining syndrome. Just after finding out about there is such a concept and I feel I suffer (if that is the right word to use) from it. I have overtrained for about a year now I reckon and looking back now my body and mind has changed drastically in the last year. I have lost all motivation for everything, in a constant fatigued state and have been advised to seek help in the form of a councillor. Does anyone have advice on how to recover from overtraining and how long it will take

thegreatiam

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

Does anyone have advice on how to recover from overtraining and how long it will take

sleep, 8 hours. repeat until cured.

colman1212

How much were you training?

Listen to your body when it screams telling you it needs food,sleep and rest.
Taking a few days to a week off is generally enough to sort out overtraining. If this doesn't work, I'd go to a see a doctor.

the drifter

thegreatiam wrote: »

Eat ,sleep, 8 hours. repeat until cured.

fixed.

Shakermaker321

colman1212 wrote: »

How much were you training?

Listen to your body when it screams telling you it needs food,sleep and rest.
Taking a few days to a week off is generally enough to sort out overtraining. If this doesn't work, I'd go to a see a doctor.

I would say I have trained nearly every day for about a year. Sometimes maybe twice. Since the start of the year I have been extremely fatigued and have been extremely irritable towards others. My life just turned ****. I have been going to the doctor constantly in the hope that he might solve the problem but it looks like this is it.

brian plank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8_8phD7AwM

Transform

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

Well guys, would anyone have any info on overtraining syndrome. Just after finding out about there is such a concept and I feel I suffer (if that is the right word to use) from it. I have overtrained for about a year now I reckon and looking back now my body and mind has changed drastically in the last year. I have lost all motivation for everything, in a constant fatigued state and have been advised to seek help in the form of a councillor. Does anyone have advice on how to recover from overtraining and how long it will take

Might want to look into adrenal fatigue rather than strictly over training

kingQuez

What sort of training do you do?

If you dont already keep a diary of what you do on different days, what you ate, how you felt (in general, and during training) and how you slept, its a great thing to start because you can review it from time to time yourself (or with someone more experienced in planning training programs) to see if you're overdoing things, getting enough rest, eating appropriately etc. A physical diary works great, or something online like trainingpeaks.com

It's probably worth reading up on the general idea of periodization for training as good background on how to structure training if you're not familiar with it.

It might be worth chatting to a coach relevant to your sport to get a planned program and get back on track. Unless your doctor has flagged any specific medical problem, a good coach should be able to help get you sorted.

Shakermaker321

kingQuez wrote: »

What sort of training do you do?

If you dont already keep a diary of what you do on different days, what you ate, how you felt (in general, and during training) and how you slept, its a great thing to start because you can review it from time to time yourself (or with someone more experienced in planning training programs) to see if you're overdoing things, getting enough rest, eating appropriately etc. A physical diary works great, or something online like trainingpeaks.com

It's probably worth reading up on the general idea of periodization for training as good background on how to structure training if you're not familiar with it.

It might be worth chatting to a coach relevant to your sport to get a planned program and get back on track. Unless your doctor has flagged any specific medical problem, a good coach should be able to help get you sorted.

I play Gaelic Football and Hurling. That's great advice, thanks. My current problem now is that if I rest I feel I was lose fitness , gain weight etc. Should I completely rest until I feel better or can I do some light or not so hard workouts to try maintain my fitness. Because being honest I don't know how much damage I've done.

LuckyLloyd

Hmm, you've continued training through this problem?

Sounds like a couple if weeks off with good eating and sleeping is worth trying at the very least.

Tom_Cruise

Often happens to me. I dont train for weeks/months, go back at it hard and then it happens - i feel tired, drained and sometimes sore, its a distinct feeling for really. I thought i would of learnt after the first time it happened.

Quality over quantity for training seems to work for me - but its hard not to exercise everyday, the endorphin rush does get addictive.

Shakermaker321

Tom_Cruise wrote: »

Often happens to me. I dont train for weeks/months, go back at it hard and then it happens - i feel tired, drained and sometimes sore, its a distinct feeling for really. I thought i would of learnt after the first time it happened.

Quality over quantity for training seems to work for me - but its hard not to exercise everyday, the endorphin rush does get addictive.

How long does it take for you to recover?

colman1212

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

I play Gaelic Football and Hurling. That's great advice, thanks. My current problem now is that if I rest I feel I was lose fitness , gain weight etc. Should I completely rest until I feel better or can I do some light or not so hard workouts to try maintain my fitness. Because being honest I don't know how much damage I've done.

If you take a break you will come back stronger. Your body can't take that much stress all the time. It needs a break. I was overtraining recently, immune system was down and picked up a cold for the first time in 2 years. Took 3 days off, came back in and hit a PB on the deadlift and feel great.

You need rest. It should be built into your training program as it is far more important than an extra session. Also take a look at your sleeping. Are you sleeping well, how many times you wake up etc.

Shakermaker321

colman1212 wrote: »

If you take a break you will come back stronger. Your body can't take that much stress all the time. It needs a break. I was overtraining recently, immune system was down and picked up a cold for the first time in 2 years. Took 3 days off, came back in and hit a PB on the deadlift and feel great.

You need rest. It should be built into your training program as it is far more important than an extra session. Also take a look at your sleeping. Are you sleeping well, how many times you wake up etc.

My sleeping has gone **** in the last few months and the doctor even prescribed me anti-depressants recently.

Larianne

Has the doctor diagnosed you with overtraining syndrome? Has he/she treated the condition before?

From what I've read overtraining can take anything from a few months to a few years to recover from. Over-reaching more a few weeks to months.

A good sports physiotherapist and/or a sports psychologist might help with regaining fitness, advice on when to return to training and working with motivation and reasons for overtraining.

The exercise diary is a good way to figure out where you're at with your training regieme. A physiotherapist that has had experience dealing with over-reached or overtrained athletes should be able to help you.

I'd go back to your doctor and discuss this with him/her.

Oryx

In my experience half the battle with over training is the mental aspect. Training is a habit and a lifestyle and it can be hard to cut down even when your body needs to. So get your head around the fact that you need to ease back and let yourself recover and heal. You will get back into it but be patient, this time out is necessary to your long term health and fitness.

Be very careful if you plan to train through this, because you have been training through fatigue for a long time and may not be able to tell when you really would be better to rest. If you cannot take a complete break then at least rule out all intense work.

And as recommended keep consulting with your doctor or a medical professional familiar with over training syndrome.

kingQuez

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

I play Gaelic Football and Hurling. That's great advice, thanks. My current problem now is that if I rest I feel I was lose fitness , gain weight etc. Should I completely rest until I feel better or can I do some light or not so hard workouts to try maintain my fitness. Because being honest I don't know how much damage I've done.

I dont have any experience at football and hurling, so take everything I say with a pinch of salt and forgive me if my examples suck, its just to get you thinking about the structure... An experienced hurling/football coach will be able to tell you what this stuff should really look like for you

You can't maintain peak fitness for an extended length of time, so training the same way year-round will just put a big drain on you (mentally and physically). You need to pick the times of the year when you need to be fit, and accept that outside of those times you're going to need to use the time to recover and keep balance in the rest of your life. That doesn't mean you cant/dont train, but the type of training will be fairly different.. so for example during the off season you might work more on fixing technique in the gym, improving basic aerobic fitness with steady running etc., while in the run up to competition season you'd focus more on improving speed agility and coordination skills while building up some more strength, and then during competition season you'd be working more on maintaining match-specific strength, while developing and maintaining anaerobic sprinting speed work etc.

When you narrow in on a given month/week within that overall picture, you need to make sure you have appropriate recovery time after training sessions; It's during the rest that your body adapts and becomes stronger. If you just string lots of steady training sessions back to back your body wont adapt - you'll just get tired and a bit rundown. What you typically want to have is a mix of hard and easy sessions combined together so that they compliment eachother, slowly building up the effort over a period of a few weeks and then dropping back to about 80% intensity again to allow your body adapt to the previous few weeks of increased load. It's really easy to write that down, but figuring out how to put those sessions together is a tough job to get right.

When I'm feeling good, I aim to have one full day off training each week, usually planned as the day after the hardest workout. Through the rest of the week I'd pair days up so that you have skills/physically easier work following the days that you have harder training (matches, tough gym sessions).

I'd really suggest you find an experienced coach (or as Larianne says chat to a good physio, lots of county hurlers/footballers work in private physio practices and they'd be perfect to review your training and give you good advice), to figure out how much you should back off and what sort of training would be good while you build back up. When it gets to the point that you're visiting the GP its impacting your life too much. Sounds like it wouldn't hurt if you planned to take a couple of days off each week, and replace most (if not all) other sessions with just skills work until you get a better idea of what you need to do? The most difficult part of getting out of running yourself down like this is that it comes from habitual training, which is really hard to break out of.

The other thing to consider is that sometimes its stuff outside of sport that feeds into this (work/home/college things), and being a bit rundown from training lands you in a bit of a rut, even if its not strictly being overtrained. The diary of stuff so that you can review it is really useful for seeing whether tiredness lines up with training, or other things happening in life.

I'll quit rambling now, sorry for the epic post

Satanta

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

I would say I have trained nearly every day for about a year. Sometimes maybe twice. Since the start of the year I have been extremely fatigued and have been extremely irritable towards others. My life just turned ****. I have been going to the doctor constantly in the hope that he might solve the problem but it looks like this is it.

You should really schedule rest days into your routine. Training every day leaves no recovery time, and doubles compounds that. Also, on top of that, schedule easy weeks into your schedule too. Lets say one week in every four should be a step back week where you train easier than you normally train and sets you up for the next cycle of three weeks harder training.

colman1212

Ok so you have been overtraining for a long time and feel like crap. This makes sense.

You went to the doctor and you finally came to the conclusion that overtraining is causing you big problems. This makes sense.

You come onto an boards and ask about how to recover from overtraining but you don't want to stop training. This does not make sense.

I would think your anxiety about not training is the biggest issue.
Take a week off all training at least and see how you feel. It really is that simple.

Shakermaker321

kingQuez wrote: »

I dont have any experience at football and hurling, so take everything I say with a pinch of salt and forgive me if my examples suck, its just to get you thinking about the structure... An experienced hurling/football coach will be able to tell you what this stuff should really look like for you

You can't maintain peak fitness for an extended length of time, so training the same way year-round will just put a big drain on you (mentally and physically). You need to pick the times of the year when you need to be fit, and accept that outside of those times you're going to need to use the time to recover and keep balance in the rest of your life. That doesn't mean you cant/dont train, but the type of training will be fairly different.. so for example during the off season you might work more on fixing technique in the gym, improving basic aerobic fitness with steady running etc., while in the run up to competition season you'd focus more on improving speed agility and coordination skills while building up some more strength, and then during competition season you'd be working more on maintaining match-specific strength, while developing and maintaining anaerobic sprinting speed work etc.

When you narrow in on a given month/week within that overall picture, you need to make sure you have appropriate recovery time after training sessions; It's during the rest that your body adapts and becomes stronger. If you just string lots of steady training sessions back to back your body wont adapt - you'll just get tired and a bit rundown. What you typically want to have is a mix of hard and easy sessions combined together so that they compliment eachother, slowly building up the effort over a period of a few weeks and then dropping back to about 80% intensity again to allow your body adapt to the previous few weeks of increased load. It's really easy to write that down, but figuring out how to put those sessions together is a tough job to get right.

When I'm feeling good, I aim to have one full day off training each week, usually planned as the day after the hardest workout. Through the rest of the week I'd pair days up so that you have skills/physically easier work following the days that you have harder training (matches, tough gym sessions).

I'd really suggest you find an experienced coach (or as Larianne says chat to a good physio, lots of county hurlers/footballers work in private physio practices and they'd be perfect to review your training and give you good advice), to figure out how much you should back off and what sort of training would be good while you build back up. When it gets to the point that you're visiting the GP its impacting your life too much. Sounds like it wouldn't hurt if you planned to take a couple of days off each week, and replace most (if not all) other sessions with just skills work until you get a better idea of what you need to do? The most difficult part of getting out of running yourself down like this is that it comes from habitual training, which is really hard to break out of.

The other thing to consider is that sometimes its stuff outside of sport that feeds into this (work/home/college things), and being a bit rundown from training lands you in a bit of a rut, even if its not strictly being overtrained. The diary of stuff so that you can review it is really useful for seeing whether tiredness lines up with training, or other things happening in life.

I'll quit rambling now, sorry for the epic post

Thanks, great reply. Replies like this make me post on boards. Your right about the whole peak fitness thing that I should aim for certain times of the year.

Shakermaker321

colman1212 wrote: »

Ok so you have been overtraining for a long time and feel like crap. This makes sense.

You went to the doctor and you finally came to the conclusion that overtraining is causing you big problems. This makes sense.

You come onto an boards and ask about how to recover from overtraining but you don't want to stop training. This does not make sense.

I would think your anxiety about not training is the biggest issue.
Take a week off all training at least and see how you feel. It really is that simple.

My problem sound ridiculous when you put it like that. My main fear now while taking a break is not knowing how long its gonna take for me to get over this and will I undo all the hard work that I've done.

I have to add that today is my fifth day of rest and I am still absolutely shattered, even more so than I was before I started resting.

the drifter

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

My problem sound ridiculous when you put it like that. My main fear now while taking a break is not knowing how long its gonna take for me to get over this and will I undo all the hard work that I've done.

I have to add that today is my fifth day of rest and I am still absolutely shattered, even more so than I was before I started resting.

are you eating and sleeping consistently?

nice_guy80

I feel crap when I don't train

In fact, the tougher my training usually the better I feel and my sleeping patterns are better

Shakermaker321

the drifter wrote: »

are you eating and sleeping consistently?

My diet is alright although in the last few days I have been having the odd "treat" which I normally wouldn't have. My sleeping is a problem though, last night for example I only got about 5 hours sleep

colman1212

Zinc and magnesium may help you sleep. I found they improved my sleep dramatically.

Hanley

colman1212 wrote: »

Zinc and magnesium may help you sleep. I found they improved my sleep dramatically.

Going to bed also helps with sleep. I very much doubt the OP is lying awake for 3 hours.

Best thing you can do for your sleep is set regular sleep times, turn off the laptop/TV at least an hour before, if not longer, and then if necessary add in some magnesium for some deeper sleep

(I'm actually pissed off at myself right now for being up so late on the laptop!!!)

Shakermaker321

Well lads, I am now at day 6 of my recovery. Literally vegged out on my couch all week and I've had no improvement and if anything I am now feeling worse. I go back working next Thursday and I really feel like I don't know what I can do to recover. I feel like a bag of ****.

LuckyLloyd

Don't be afraid to get a second medical opinion and maybe some blood work done. If you don't feel right you don't feel right.

COH

There's nothing to say its anything training related at all, I'd be very weary about googling symptoms and putting on the first shoe that fits. Have you taken the anti-depressants your doctor prescribed?

Shakermaker321

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Don't be afraid to get a second medical opinion and maybe some blood work done. If you don't feel right you don't feel right.

Doctor checked my bloods and gave the all clear.

COH wrote: »

There's nothing to say its anything training related at all, I'd be very weary about googling symptoms and putting on the first shoe that fits. Have you taken the anti-depressants your doctor prescribed?

I am on the third day of anti-depressants. I don't think I am depressed, (maybe a mild form if possible) but I'd imagine my tiredness was from my overtraining. Its beginning to worry me that I am not feeling anymore refreshed than I was a couple of days ago. Has anyone any info on maybe a previous experience similar to me. Is it too early to be noticing a difference and am I over reacting. I'll probably head to the doctor again tomorrow.

littlemsfickle

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

Doctor checked my bloods and gave the all clear.





I am on the third day of anti-depressants. I don't think I am depressed, (maybe a mild form if possible) but I'd imagine my tiredness was from my overtraining. Its beginning to worry me that I am not feeling anymore refreshed than I was a couple of days ago. Has anyone any info on maybe a previous experience similar to me. Is it too early to be noticing a difference and am I over reacting. I'll probably head to the doctor again tomorrow.

Just so you know, antidepressants can take up to 6 weeks to start working...

Morninglory

My cousin had a similar problem but seemingly he was severely depressed. Contact a local shrink for an appointment.

hsbc

Shakermaker321 wrote: »

Well lads, I am now at day 6 of my recovery. Literally vegged out on my couch all week and I've had no improvement and if anything I am now feeling worse. I go back working next Thursday and I really feel like I don't know what I can do to recover. I feel like a bag of ****.

I'd recommend getting off the couch and doing some active recovery - a walk with the dogs, a gentle cycle, a swim in the pool or the beach while we have some good weather. Nothing that wil make you tired but will at least get you out of the house.

Sitting on the couch all day make the best of us feel crap and i'd imagine you're sitting there thinking that you should be training - trust me i've been there. Try keeping your mind occupied.

You're not going to lose your strength if you take a week off. This will benfit you in the long run. I've taken 2 weeks off from training and i have gone back to beat PB's. Your body needs to time to recover - start listening to it.

Shakermaker321

hsbc wrote: »

I'd recommend getting off the couch and doing some active recovery - a walk with the dogs, a gentle cycle, a swim in the pool or the beach while we have some good weather. Nothing that wil make you tired but will at least get you out of the house.

Sitting on the couch all day make the best of us feel crap and i'd imagine you're sitting there thinking that you should be training - trust me i've been there. Try keeping your mind occupied.

You're not going to lose your strength if you take a week off. This will benfit you in the long run. I've taken 2 weeks off from training and i have gone back to beat PB's. Your body needs to time to recover - start listening to it.

Thanks, will do

donnbradman

I hate hijacking this thread but it seems appropriate. Due to overtraining I've being diagnosed with depression. My GP set me on these anti-depressants and as a result my sex drive is zilch. Should I go off the anti-depressants or ask the doc to change my prescription. I am afraid if I do go off them though it might have some consequences however my failure to get the little fella up is really affecting, and I feel just in general I have no testostorone.

thegreatiam

talk to your doctor. Not a bunch of (well meaning) anonymous internet strangers.

jimmyRotator

donnbradman wrote: »

I hate hijacking this thread but it seems appropriate. Due to overtraining I've being diagnosed with depression. My GP set me on these anti-depressants and as a result my sex drive is zilch. Should I go off the anti-depressants or ask the doc to change my prescription. I am afraid if I do go off them though it might have some consequences however my failure to get the little fella up is really affecting, and I feel just in general I have no testostorone.

This is not advice for you, but if I were in your situation I would bin the antidepressants, I dont think GPs should be making a mental health diagnoses in the first place, certainly not prescribing anti-depressants.

The SSRIs/SNRIs that he prescribed to you increase your levels of serotonin/norepinephrine by blocking their reuptake. This assumes that you are deficient in serotonin or norepinephrine. Have you been tested for a deficiency in serotonin or norepinephrine? No you have not.

Treating depression with these medications is black-box therapy, and while a psychiatrist may at least have greater empirical knowledge of what works, the idea of GPs giving out these medications is ridiculous.

Again, this is not advice for you, but given that the side-effect profile of these meds is quite serious, if I were to go on these meds I would need to hear it from a psychiatrist, and not a GP.

Shakermaker321

jimmyRotator wrote: »

This is not advice for you, but if I were in your situation I would bin the antidepressants, I dont think GPs should be making a mental health diagnoses in the first place, certainly not prescribing anti-depressants.

The SSRIs/SNRIs that he prescribed to you increase your levels of serotonin/norepinephrine by blocking their reuptake. This assumes that you are deficient in serotonin or norepinephrine. Have you been tested for a deficiency in serotonin or norepinephrine? No you have not.

Treating depression with these medications is black-box therapy, and while a psychiatrist may at least have greater empirical knowledge of what works, the idea of GPs giving out these medications is ridiculous.

Again, this is not advice for you, but given that the side-effect profile of these meds is quite serious, if I were to go on these meds I would need to hear it from a psychiatrist, and not a GP.

I had a similar conversation with someone last night and she was saying basically what your saying, its crazy really what GP's are doing

Shakermaker321

I returned to exercise there on sunday for a friendly game and today I did a gym session which I would consider light (before I would always train to failure). Im not completely goosed but my levels of fatigue are similar to the way they were throughout all of last week. Being honest I don't know if I am overtraining or if depression is really tiring me out. I am seriously considering an appointment with a shrink. Never ever thought I would ever even consider it.

user3

This video should pretty much tell you if you are over training or not.