Athletic Overtraining Treatment in Purcellville

Prevent Athlete Overtraining in Purcellville

The key to recovery is to reduce or stop anything more than moderate physical activity for some time. How long depends on symptoms severity and how long you’ve been overtraining. Focus on gentle activities for recovery such as walking in nature, yoga, or massage. Address any underlying stress-induced HPA-Axis dysregulation, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, nutrient depletion, hormone imbalances, and oxidative stress. Get plenty of sleep and nap during the day. Ensure you do not restrict calories or diet once overtrained. Your body needs an adequate supply of macronutrients especially protein and micronutrients.

What is Overtraining Syndrome / Burnout?

Overtraining syndrome occurs when an athlete doesn’t adequately recover after repetitive intense training, and can include fatigue, declining performance and potential injury.
It’s admirable to train hard to succeed in your chosen sport. Logging many miles, spending hours at the gym and working hard day after day can certainly help you achieve your athletic goals. But too much training without sufficient recovery can hinder your progress — and even lead to a decline in your performance.

There are two classifications for too much exercise: overreaching and overtraining.

Overreaching is muscle soreness above and beyond what you typically experience that occurs when you don’t sufficiently recover between workouts. Overreaching usually happens after several consecutive days of hard training and results in feeling run down. Luckily, the effects of overreaching can be easily reversed with rest.

Overtraining occurs when an athlete ignores the signs of overreaching and continues to train. Many athletes believe that weakness or poor performance signals the need for even harder training, so they continue to push themselves. This only breaks down the body further.

Symptoms and warning signs of overtraining

It may be hard to know when you’re overtraining. “It’s natural and expected to feel fatigued after challenging training sessions,” Dr. Goolsby says. “But feeling like you aren’t recovering between sessions or experiencing overall fatigue and difficulty pushing yourself during workouts can be indicators of overtraining.”

Training-related signs of overtraining

• Unusual muscle soreness after a workout, which persists with continued training
• Inability to train or compete at a previously manageable level
• “Heavy” leg muscles, even at lower exercise intensities
• Delays in recovery from training
• Performance plateaus or declines
• Thoughts of skipping or cutting short training sessions

Lifestyle-related signs of overtraining

• Prolonged general fatigue
• Increase in tension, depression, anger or confusion
• Inability to relax
• Poor-quality sleep
• Lack of energy, decreased motivation, moodiness
• Not feeling joy from things that were once enjoyable

Health-related signs of overtraining

• Increased occurrences of illness
• Increased blood pressure and at-rest heartrate
• Irregular menstrual cycles; missing periods
• Weight loss; appetite loss
• Constipation; diarrhea