ARE YOU OVER TRAINED ?
Symptoms of over training include:
(ii) Illnesses become more frequent and last longer than usual
(iii) Muscle spasms while resting e.g. eyelid twitch etc.
(iv) Shaky hands
(v) Loss of Sleep
(vi) Loss of appetite
(vii) Unexpected and unexplained fatigue
(viii) Unintended weight loss(ix) very slow or non-existent gains in exercise poundage in the gym; i.e. static poundages or poundages that are only a few pounds more than you were using months ago. In extreme cases, over-training can lead to a loss of strength and the use of reduced poundages.
Solution: If you are over-training on your current routine, then cut back on workout-days per week, and exercises and number of sets used. Best of all give “The Hard-gainer Method” a shot for 6-8 weeks just to see what you are missing. In most cases the person who tries this for the first time will experience a rapid gain in strength and muscle mass, along with an increase in energy.
Role Of Nutrition:
Many athletes make the same nutritional mistakes that can lead to overtraining rather quickly. An important nutritional concern is consuming an adequate amount of calories. Many athletes underestimate how much food they need to eat to support their intense training regimen. This will lead to possible weight loss and decreased physical performance.
This is similar to requesting that your car travel 50 miles when you provide it enough gasoline to travel 20 miles. Some athletes seem to have a carbohydrates phobia due to false beliefs that carbohydrate is responsible for weight gain.
Other Factors:
Proper nutrition plays an important role in preventing overtraining, but there are a few other factors as well. sleep is very important for recovery as it is the time for your body to recuperate from strenuous training.
The optimal amount of sleep per night would be 8 hours or more. Many athletes also train too hard and long as this can be counterproductive (Halson).