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More Training is Better - Mistake |
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After you get caught-up in the flow of a regular workout schedule, it doesn't take long until the positive effects begin to have an influence on your state of mind. Your energy levels rise, your self-esteem grows, and the muscle definition starts to become more noticeable as you look in the bathroom mirror. The satisfaction you gain from completing another successful workout can soon lead to addiction-like behavior. Like any other addict, you increase the frequency. For the first few months, it was three days a week for 30-minute sessions. Now, you're hitting the gym five days a week for two hours at a time. The common train of thought is, "if a little is good, a lot must be better." Well, it is definitely possible for this train of thought to backfire and result in a condition called overtraining syndrome (OTS).
Are you constantly suffering from fatigue? Are you suddenly more vulnerable to colds, sore throats, and other illnesses? Have you been engaging in high-intensity workouts without any gains?
More irritable than normal? Then you could be suffering from OTS. In most cases, the primary cause of OTS is inadequate rest and recovery. It is imperative that you give your muscles time to recover between workouts. Otherwise, you are beating your body down and it won't be able to battle common, health-stealing microbes and perform at its peak.
If you are displaying some of the symptoms of overtraining syndrome and you think you might be suffering from this condition, the best thing you can do is give your body time off from training (a few days should suffice). Rest is the only real cure for overtraining. Better yet, stop overtraining syndrome before it happens; be sure to give your muscles one full day of recovery after intense exercise. For example, if you work your biceps on Monday, don't work them again until Wednesday. Another way to prevent overtraining is to avoid monotonous workouts. Alter your workouts on a regular basis to keep them from becoming too routine. |