We have all heard the statements ‘no pain no gain’ and ‘if it doesn’t hurt you’re not doing it right’. There is a mentality related to physical training and conditioning that has given us the belief that you can’t achieve any benefits from your training unless it’s hard work. What we’re not reminded about the injuries and other lasting physiological problems that can occur as a result of training too hard, for too long.

What is overtraining?
Overtraining is basically the result of excessive training combined with inadequate recovery which causes long term physical and emotional fatigue. There are various types of overtraining which can include recuperation periods from one day to months of recovery.

Types of overtraining and accompanying symptoms:

• The most basic and recognisable category of overtraining is acute fatigue with muscular overstrain which generally results from a single training session and recovery takes 1 to 2 days.
Symptoms include: muscle soreness, disturbed sleep and heightened response to allergens

• Overload stimulus with muscular overstrain is induced by a sudden increase in training demand and symptoms last longer than 2 days.
Symptoms include: reluctance to work, disturbed sleep, lack of appetite, irrational use of energy and emotional disturbances

• Overreaching results from one or more intense weeks of increased demand in training or by too few rest periods. This type of fatigue can need rest periods from a few days up to 2 weeks.
Symptoms include: increased resting heart rate, increased muscle soreness during normal training, premature fatigue, a drop in performance ability and increased thirst.

Fatigue:
We generally associate fatigue with a sense of lethargy and tiredness and this is one of the common symptoms of overtraining. It is important to note the different types of fatigue the body experiences through overtraining as each can be overtrained through different forms of training.

• Nervous and muscular system (neuro-muscular) fatigue is caused by an overload of information from the brain to the muscles via the central nervous system. As the brain creates new motor pathways and solutions such as in learning a new routine it depletes vital nutrients causing a dis-integration of information which can manifest in confusion and memory loss.

• Metabolic fatigue is caused by overexertion of the muscles either through strength work or repetitive training. Depletion of fuel in the muscles leads to soreness and lactic acid build up indicating that the system is over oxygenated.

• Hormonal (neuro-endocrine) fatigue is often associated with competition stress. An over influence on the emotional aspect of the training or performance can affect the adrenal glands causing a number of chain reactions and compensations from other systems as the body tries to maintain a sense of balance.

Identifying overtraining:
Many indicative factors of overtraining have been noted across all types of sports and physical activity training, some of the main factors are:
• Decreased muscular strength
• Loss of coordination
• Reappearance of mistakes already corrected
• Decreased ability to concentrate
• Increased perspiration
• Decreased body fat
• Eating disorders
• Feelings of depression or apathy
• Emotional instability
• Flu-like illnesses
• Excessive thirst

Recovery:
In order to recover from overtraining, the most important factor is adequate rest and recuperation once symptoms have been identified. This should be accompanied by a review of diet by a specialist who may recommend an increase in intake of B and C vitamins amongst other nutrients the body has depleted. It is also important to get specialist advice about any injuries and not to risk your body or your health by returning to your activity too soon as this is likely to cause you further injury or fatigue.

Prevention:
You can prevent overtraining from occurring by monitoring your workload. Make sure that you respond to any pain or feelings of fatigue quickly and be responsible for your own health. Your trainer, teammates or friends may not necessarily understand what you are experiencing but no trainer should expect you to go beyond what you feel are your limits. Continuing any activity when you are in pain or fatigued may only worsen the situation. Remember, we are all individuals and we all respond differently to different training techniques so we should not be putting pressure on ourselves to be able to keep up with anyone else. Please see the appropriate healthcare professional if you experience or are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned in this article.