Overtraining

Overtraining occurs when the intensity and volume of the training exceeds the recovery capacity. When this happens you will probably notice loss of weight, strength and loss of progress. This phenomenon is common in weight training and can also be seen in runners and other types of athletes.

To prevent over training the rest period must be 12 to 24 hours after a hard workout. Insufficient rest will result in incomplete regeneration. If this imbalance persists, the athlete will plateau and even begin to fall back. The cure is several days of complete rest for the athlete and then he can start training again. This problem is common to people who are restricting their food intake to lose weight and exercising more than they should. This situation is referred to as protein deficiency.

Common symptoms are persistent muscle soreness, insomnia, loss of appetite, weight loss and loss of motivation. The treatment for this condition is extended rest, change of exercise program, nutritional supplements and change of diet.

Pushing the training program is an art form and not a mathematical formula. Athletes are all different people with very different physical attributes. The program should be tailored to the person. We need to listen to our bodies we are all different, some people can do 30 sets of bicep curls every other day and be fine, most of us would be in agony.