Definition
Overtraining is a diagnosis of exclusion where, despite sufficient regeneration over a period of at least two weeks, there is a reduction in performance without detectable organic disease. Engl. overtraining syndrome
Introduction
Overtraining is a state of overloading of the organism. Overtraining is caused by continuous training with too high intensities. Overtraining is characterized by an initially stagnant state of performance with ultimately declining performance.
Overtraining is problematic because the declining performance is often attributed to incorrect or even too little training. Side effects of overtraining are often sleep disorders, headaches and stress. An illness-related decrease in performance due to infections, for example, must be excluded.
Symptoms
The symptoms of overtraining are decreasing performance despite intensive and frequent training. This is often associated with deterioration in technique. However, stagnant performance does not necessarily have to be caused by overtraining.
It is usually due to training stimuli that are too monotonous and too weak. Variability in the training plan can help here. Further symptoms of overtraining are, as mentioned at the beginning, sleep disorders, headaches, susceptibility to infectious diseases, increased resting heart rate, as well as stress pulse and increased lactate levels.
Further accompanying symptoms are pain in the musculoskeletal system. The susceptibility to injury increases and fatigue fractures follow. The musculature can also be damaged by overtraining and muscle fiber ruptures can occur, e.g. a torn muscle fiber in the chest.
Depending on the athlete and performance level, overtraining can lead to depression. Overtraining can occur in a running competition cycle or in preparation for a competition over a certain period of time. When overtraining, the body is stressed beyond its limits, and this over a certain period of time.
Overtraining shows itself in different facets and should be recognized early enough by an athlete. The most common signs are fatigue, listlessness, loss of performance, frequent injuries, low pulse, increased blood pressure and general weakness. These symptoms are not all immediately apparent.
For example, if listlessness occurs not only on one or two days but over weeks, you should give your body an urgent break. If necessary, you may also notice a stronger muscle ache than usual. This is a sign of the body, with which it signals that it needs a little more rest.
One of the most obvious signs is a lack of performance increase, which often even leads to a drop in performance. In addition to this, lack of concentration, frequent infections, allergic reactions and general weakness is an emergency signal from the body that it needs rest and recovery. Overtraining has many symptoms and is therefore usually detected early.
However, if overtraining is ignored, the lack of regeneration can also lead to muscle loss, i.e. exactly the opposite of what the training is intended to achieve. After a training session, the body is only given a short break, during which it cannot recover 100 percent. This regeneration phase is then followed by another training session and a new stimulus hits the muscles.
The body and especially the muscles are not yet able to cope with this stimulus, as they have not had a chance to recover completely from the first stimulus. If this development is not stopped and the recovery time is extended, the performance level will continue to decline. Due to the physical weakening, the hormone balance is also disrupted and less testosterone is produced.
In this context, the body also begins to break down muscle cells, as less testosterone is available to maintain them. In addition to the decreasing performance level, the athlete notices pain in muscles and ligaments. One of the symptoms of overtraining is diarrhea and is almost always underestimated, as this is a topic that athletes are reluctant to talk about.
Just as often, stomach cramps and the feeling of having to empty the bowels occur. This is related to the changes in the body. Since overtraining triggers many different symptoms, the body goes “crazy”.
The testosterone level drops, the muscle cells are broken down and the psyche also suffers from the excessive strain.Due to the changes in the hormone balance, a negative effect on food processing in the stomach and intestines can occur. Food is no longer digested as well as it should be, the intestine withdraws less water from the food and many important nutrients are no longer absorbed or only in small amounts. In addition, the gastrointestinal tract is less supplied with blood due to muscle breakdown and therefore cannot function properly. All this can lead to a feeling of nausea during or after exercise and diarrhoea or vomiting.
