Planning To Avoid Overtraining
- Amount and intensity of training
- Physiological considerations, eg lethargy, injury
- Psychological considerations, eg loss of motivation
Amount and Intensity of Training
- Training for longer periods at a high volume can lead to overuse and muscle stress.
- Training periods and volume often vary from person to person for which routines should be customized.
- As a rule of thumb, after a high intensity training, at least 48hrs of recovery time should be allowed.
- Overtraining can be avoided by structured layering and planning of training sessions.
Physiological Considerations
- High intensity training can cause minor injuries in muscle cells, which aren’t predominant at first but can later lead to severe injuries. These injuries trigger pain and the athlete becomes lethargic exhausting to these pains.
- High intensity exercises also accompany nutrient deficiency. If the body doesn’t get as much nutrients as required after extreme workout sessions, it could drastically reduce performance.
- Symptoms of overtraining:
- Underperformance
- Polydipsia
- Frequent illness
- Injuries
Psychological Considerations
- Extends from physiological considerations such as lethargy, pain and underperformance.
- When an athlete isn’t meeting up performance expectations and KPIs, the first outcome is lack of motivation.
- Other characterizations include:
- Irritation
- Poor reception of criticism
- Gives up easily to opponent tactics
- Depression