Overreaching and Overtraining
According to the overload principle, you must apply an appropriate amount of stress to overload the system without overreaching or overtraining. With overreaching, you begin to accumulate an amount of stress that causes a temporary decrease in performance. If you continue overreaching without adequate recovery, overtraining can result. With overtraining, you are overburdened by stress, leading to extreme physical and mental fatigue and long term decreases in performance. Overtraining is where you dig yourself into a hole that is difficult to get out of.
It is important to note that the amount of stress that figures into the overload principle is not limited to physical training stimuli. In addition to the physical demands you place on your body during workouts, there are varying amounts of mental demands as well as stressors from other areas of your life (work, school, relationships, etc.). Every individual responds differently to varying types of stress in their lives and training. All these stressors and individual differences need to be taken into account when assessing what type of training load is appropriate for any given athlete.
Obviously, you want to apply an adaptive overload without overtraining. Once you start overtraining, it can take several weeks or even months to climb out of that hole. Extreme cases of overtraining can be season ending. Even minor cases still require unplanned time off from training to regain vitality and baseline energy levels. It is better to schedule appropriate recovery periods into your training plan and to monitor the daily signs that indicate when you need more recovery so that you can avoid overtraining in the first place.
If you are lethargic, have heavy legs or difficulty elevating your heart rate during training at increased intensity levels; then these are signs you are overtraining. If these signs continue for more than a day; then take a few days off completely followed by a few days of short, easy workouts before returning to your regular program.
With proper attention paid to how well your body is absorbing the training you throw at it, you will be able to avoid overtraining and be much more consistent with your training. This is where experience and a smart plan can help you effectively use the overload principle to attain performance gains.
TRAINING GUIDE CONTENTS
Preface
1. Introduction
– Train with a Purpose
– The ABCs of Systematic Training
– The R&R of Training
– Begin with the End in Mind
2. Exercise Science Concepts
– Stimulus-Response-Adaptation
– Overload
– Overreaching and Overtraining
– Reversibility
– Specificity
– Energy Systems
– Aerobic Capacity
– Lactate Threshold
– Aerobic Threshold
– Muscle Fiber Types
– Periodization
3. Monitor Your Training Intensity
– What is Training Intensity?
– Key Indicators of Intensity
– Using Training Zones
– Training by Feel, or Perceived Exertion
– Training with Pace
– Training with Heart Rate
– Running with Power
4. Create Your Training Plan
– Prioritizing Your Events
– Overview of the Training Phases
– Choosing Your Periodization Schedule
– Filling in the Details of the Overall Plan
5. Create Your Weekly Workouts
– Creating Weekly Schedules
– Establishing and Developing Your Base
– Building Upon Your Base
– Peaking for Your Target Event
– Race Week and Race Day Warmup
6. Functional Strength
7. Recovery and Nutrition
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