What exactly is “over-training” and how do you know if you have it?  Specifically, over-training is a set of signs and symptoms that occur when your body is not able to recover sufficiently before getting in to your next workout.  Over time this cycle of starting the next training session before recovery causes breakdown of the very parts of the body that you work so hard to build up. Your body needs proper nutrition and restafter working out so that it can build up the areas that you worked.  This includes muscles, bones, your heart and your lungs.  The structures and systems of your body adapt to the demands you have placed on it before the rest time.  If your workout slightly exceeds your current ability, it will adapt toward what you did in a positive way.  If the workout far exceeds your ability, it will take a longer recovery time to adapt.  If the workout exceeds your ability too far, you will get an injury.

So what happens during the rest or recovery time?  Your body uses the nutrients you have given it during the rest time, especially sleeping, to build all of structures stronger.  If your muscles were stressed, they will build themselves stronger (or bigger).  If your heart and lungs were stressed, they will become more efficient.  If the bones and joints were stressed, they will be come stronger.  Two important points are involved in this recovery: 1) Nutrition and 2) Time.  Good nutrition including hydration and protein intake are extremely important, especially within 40 minutes after your workout.  It is a little more difficult to gauge whether you have rested enough for proper recovery but not too much.  The problem with over-training is that the signs and symptoms show up very gradually and can look like other problems.  Below are the hallmark signs and symptoms of over-training.

·     Recurrent or prolonged injuries like tendonitis or stress fractures.

·     Illnesses caused by decreased immune system function (bronchitis, colds, mononucleosis, etc).

·     Decreased performance (getting slower or weaker).

·     Amenorrhea in women.

·     Chronic fatigue.

·     Rapid loss of lean body weight (weight loss without body fat loss).

·     Increase in morning resting heart rate.

In general athletes suffering from over-training have injuries or pain that just doesn’t seem to go away.  They may feel like they are “run down” or chronically tired.  They may have colds that seem to last for a long time or seem to get sick repeatedly.  During over-training your body is essentially using too much of its resources to attempt to build up the areas being trained.  This can cause your immune system to be robbed of what it needs. 

Therefore, you get sick.  This is why nutrition is so important.  You need to be taking in the building blocks of recovery, namely protein.  Many of the other signs and symptoms are related to what you will see or feel when your body is breaking down instead of getting stronger or better adapted to your activity.  However, it is the last sign listed above that is the easiest to measure and track.  In fact increases in your morning resting heart rate can be one of the first indicators that you are getting over-trained.  Generally, you will detect an increase in your morning resting heart rate before the other symptoms or signs show up.  Tracking your morning resting heart rate in a log can be a great way to track your recovery.

All you need to do is check your heart rate first thing in the morning before you have your shower or drink your first cup of coffee (using the restroom is ok).  Record the result in your log along with a few comments about how you have felt over the last 24 hours since your last entry.  You can also track your body weight or body fat.  No need to track weight more than once a week, though. 

To take your heart rate, you can use a heart rate monitor that you might be using during your training.  You can also just do it manually on your own.  Just put your fingers to your neck just to side of your wind pipe (trachea).  You should feel your pulse.  If you don’t more your fingers around until you feel it.  You can also take your pulse at your wrist, inside your upper arm or in your armpit.  Count the number of beats for 30 seconds and multiply times two or for a full minute without multiplying.  Record the number of beats per minute you have measured.  Record the morning resting heart rate in your log daily. 

The heart rate should stay the same or gradually decrease.  Increasing heart rate over the course of time indicates that your body is working harder and harder at rest to recover.  If you notice that it is increasing by over 15%, take some extra days off or decrease the intensity until it returns to normal.  During your increased recovery / rest time, make sure you are getting at least 8 hours of sleep, taking in lean protein and are well hydrated.

Monitoring your body’s ability to recovery can make or break your goals whether they are fitness goals or performance goals.  Keeping a log is simple and cheap, but it could be the difference in peaking for your goal race or event and falling short.  It can keep you healthy before you even feel the other signs and symptoms.  As Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

RUN ON!