FITNESS Are you over-training?

Know your breaking point


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

Like any organism, your body has an in-built monitoring system. Its function is to protect you from internal and external threats. And sometimes … even from yourself.
The nervous system is a key component of this monitoring system, continually relaying messages from your body cells to your brain. The aim is to achieve equilibrium, a state of balance known as homeostasis.
Any stress placed upon your body will alter its homeostasis temporarily. During exercise stress is placed upon a number of your bodily systems. Your neuro-muscular system works hard to regain equilibrium by essentially making itself stronger. This is known as the principle of adaptation.
As your body adapts to one training stress, you place another upon it. This progression of stress and adaptation is what helps you become fitter, stronger and faster.
There are pitfalls however. Too much stress or overloading your system too soon can lead to breakdown. This usually occurs in the form of injury but there is another condition which can be even more prevalent – over-training.
The key to avoiding over-training is to become aware of the symptoms. Among the most common are the following:

• Persistent fatigue and especially in the mornings
• Lack of energy for your workouts
• Insomnia
• Irritability and mood swings
• Unexpected decline in performance
• Lack of motivation for training

Some of these symptoms can, of course, be caused by other conditions. However, if you are experiencing a number of them and have been exercising more heavily than usual lately, you may well be over-training. This could eventually lead to burnout and injury.
Thankfully, it’s normally an easy fix. Simply cut back on your volume of training for a week or two until you begin to feel better again. Then begin to increase your training volume again, ensuring you do so gradually. Set a limit of a 10 per cent increase week on week and this should help you avoid any further problems. If you do experience and repeat of symptoms, cut back again on your training and if problems persist consult your doctor.
Another key factor to consider is your diet. Without the proper nutrition, your body will not be able to adequately fuel itself for exercise. Your recovery from hard training sessions will also be adversely affected. If you are unsure about what and when you should be eating for your sport, consult a sports nutritionist.
Over-training is a part of your body’s monitoring system, designed to advise you that something is not as it should be. Learn to recognise the symptoms and you’ll always be a step ahead of injury.

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.