Thread: Over-training

What is over training? I quite understand that running morning and night for 5 days a week will probably be deemed as over training but surely after a set period your overall fitness will increase.

I currently do in any 5 day period Monday to Friday (weekend is for lash and recovery)

Mon: 3 miler in the morning, 10 x 100m metre climb/scramble in the evening (speed and recovery very steep hill). then press-ups sit-ups and weights (upper body)
Tue: 8 miler, in the morning, 45 min Spinning in the evening
Wed: either circuits or run in the evening
Thurs: press-ups sit-ups and weights (upper body) and then circuits
Friday: 8 miler, in the morning, 60 min Spinning in the evening
Weekend: watch sport and drink beer (occasional game of rugger)

Having just read one of that Bear blokes books about his Everest escapades, He seemed to be training for about 8 hours a day..... He couldn't pass a hill without running up it no matter if he was in a dinner suit or not.

So my question is if I start cycling to work and then running 2 steps at a time on every staircase I have to pass or use

Am i over doing it?

Think of it as under-recovering rather than over-training. The training effect occurs only during recovery, if you train without recovery you will tire and court injury. Symptoms include; elevated resting heart rate, lethagy, loss of appetite, enduring muscle soreness etc (basically, not recovering).

What are you training for ?

try it and find out!

Originally Posted by Dragstrip

Think of it as under-recovering rather than over-training.

Agreed. The former also encompasses nutrition & rest / sleep (or lack of).

You could do a dozen training sessions over the course of the week though sessions would be tailored towards something very specific so as to allow other components of your physical fitness / other muscle groups previously trained to recover.

Originally Posted by polar69

What are you training for ?

deathmarch

and to live a bit longer i guess, bored of being a waster,

O and i have been told the chicks dig it.

A german "death march" Nice

Is it from Belsen to Birkenhau ?

Originally Posted by polar69

A german "death march" Nice

Is it from Belsen to Birkenhau ?

Belgium, not sure of the historical detail if any.

You can train every bloody day if you wish and be tickityboo fine, that isn't the issue. Like the others said, the issue is with the fact that improvement comes not with the actual exercise - but in the adaption process occuring during recovery. What is achievable also is determined by a vast array of factors. Sleep, eating properly etc come into play. You also have genetics etc, aswell as intensities and usage patterns between activities etc etc. It's a complex old thing and only you can work out just what you're capable of.
Bottom line is, if you go balls out every single day, you're going to end up in the shit. You have to be sensible. Rest days can be an easy day or two alternated between hard days if you do wish to train every day.
As the others also said, overtraining is a funny bloody thing - sometimes it can be quite chronic, sometimes it hits you like a brick wrapped in broken glass. You'll start feeling like shite, your muscles start being a pain in the arse, you'll get grumpy as feck/depressed, performance starts dropping etc etc. Albeit not necessarily all of them at the same time.