Overtraining - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Overtraining is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength

Physical strength

Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training.-Overview:...

and fitness

Physical fitness

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...

. Overtraining is a common problem in weight training

Weight training

Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction...

, but it can also be experienced by runners

Running

Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...

and other athletes.

Models

Both single- and multi-stressor models have been proposed. The single model emphasizes an imbalance between training load and recovery and excludes factors unrelated to physical performance. The multi-stressor model incorporates non-physical factors including psychological, emotional and social aspects. An integrative model is also suggested that incorporates recovery from training and how stressors impact an athlete including assessment of stressors based on athlete personality.

Addiction

Physical exercise may be addictive

Behavioral addiction

Behavioral addiction is a form of addiction which does not rely on drugs or alcohol. Increasingly referred to as process addiction or non-substance-related addiction ) behavioral addiction includes a compulsion to repeatedly engage in an action until said action causes serious negative consequences...

. One theory is that this addiction is due to natural endorphin

Endorphin

Endorphins are endogenous opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters. They are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus in vertebrates during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm, and they resemble the opiates in their abilities to produce...

s generated by the exercise. Whether strictly due to this chemical by-product or not, some people can be said to become addicted to or fixated on psychological/physical effects of physical exercise and fitness. This may lead to overexercise, resulting in the "overtraining" syndrome.

Physiology

Improvements in strength and fitness occur only after the rest period following hard training (see supercompensation

Supercompensation

In sports science theory, supercompensation is the post training period during which the trained function/parameter has a higher performance capacity than it did prior to the training period.- Description :...

). This process can take days to complete, depending on the intensity and duration of exercise leading to the overtrained state. If sufficient rest is not available, then complete regeneration cannot occur. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists, then the individual's performance will eventually plateau and decline. Mild over training may require several days of rest or reduced activity to fully restore an athlete's fitness. If prompt attention is not given to the developing state and an athlete continues to train and accumulate fatigue, the condition may come to persist for weeks.

Overtraining occurs more readily if the individual is simultaneously exposed to other physical and psychological stressors, such as jet lag

Jet lag

Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms; it is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders...

, ongoing illness, overwork

Employment

Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...

, menstruation

Menstruation

Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...

, poor nutrition

Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....

etc. It is a particular problem for bodybuilders and other dieters

Dieting

Dieting is the practice of eating food in a regulated fashion to achieve or maintain a controlled weight. In most cases dieting is used in combination with physical exercise to lose weight in those who are overweight or obese. Some athletes, however, follow a diet to gain weight...

who engage in intense exercise while limiting their food intake.

A number of possible mechanisms for overtraining have been proposed:

Microtrauma
Microtrauma
Microtrauma is the general term given to small injuries to the body.Microtrauma can include the microtearing of muscle fibres, the sheath around the muscle and the connective tissue. It can also include stress to the tendons, and to the bones . It is unknown whether or not the ligaments adapt like...

to the muscle
Muscle
Muscle is a contractile tissue of animals and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to...

s are created faster than the body can heal them.
Amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...

s are used up faster than they are supplied in the diet. This is sometimes called "protein deficiency".
The body becomes calorie
Calorie
The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. It was first defined by Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat, entering French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867. In most fields its use is archaic, having been replaced by the SI unit of energy, the joule...

-deficient and the rate of break down of muscle tissue increases.
Levels of cortisol
Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, more specifically a glucocorticoid, produced by the adrenal gland. It is released in response to stress and a low level of blood glucocorticoids. Its primary functions are to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis; suppress the immune system; and aid in fat,...

(the "stress
Stress (medicine)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...

" hormone) are elevated for long periods of time.
The body spends more time in a catabolic
Catabolism
Catabolism is the set of metabolic pathways that break down molecules into smaller units and release energy. In catabolism, large molecules such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins are broken down into smaller units such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides, and amino...

state than an anabolic
Anabolism
Anabolism is the set of metabolic pathways that construct molecules from smaller units. These reactions require energy. One way of categorizing metabolic processes, whether at the cellular, organ or organism level is as 'anabolic' or as 'catabolic', which is the opposite...

state (perhaps as a result of elevated cortisol levels).
Excessive strain to the nervous system during training.

Other symptoms

Overtraining may be accompanied by one or more concomitant symptoms:

Persistent muscle soreness
Delayed onset muscle soreness
Delayed onset muscle soreness , also called muscle fever, is the pain and stiffness felt in muscles several hours to days after unaccustomed or strenuous exercise. The soreness is felt most strongly 24 to 72 hours after the exercise. It is caused by eccentric exercise...
Persistent fatigue
Fatigue (physical)
Fatigue is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles...
Elevated resting heart rate
Heart rate
Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute . Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep....
Reduced heart rate variability
Heart rate variability
Heart rate variability is a physiological phenomenon where the time interval between heart beats varies. It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval....
Increased susceptibility to infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...

s
Increased incidence of injuries
Injury
-By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
Irritability
Depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...

Effects

Physiological

Lymphocytopenia
Lymphocytopenia
Lymphocytopenia, or lymphopenia, is the condition of having an abnormally low level of lymphocytes in the blood. Lymphocytes are a white blood cell with important functions in the immune system...
Excessive weight loss
Excessive loss of body fat
Increased resting heart rate
Decreased muscular strength
Increased submaximal heart rate
Inability to complete workouts
Chronic muscle soreness
Fatigue
Increased incidence of injury
Depressed immune system
Constipation or diarrhea
Absence of menstruation
Frequent minor infections/colds
Insomnia
Heart Palpitations
Lower Testosterone Levels
Higher Cortisol Levels

Psychological

Depression
Loss of appetite
Mood Disturbance
Irritability
Loss of motivation
Loss of enthusiasm
Loss of competitive drive

Performance

Early onset of fatigue
Decreased aerobic capacity
Poor physical performance
Inability to complete workouts
Delayed recovery

Treatment

Allowing more time for the body to recover:

Taking a break from training to allow time for recovery.
Reducing the volume and/or the intensity of the training.
Suitable periodization
Sports periodization
Periodization is an organized approach to training that involves progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period of time. It is a way of alternating training to its peak during season. The aim of periodization is to introduce new movements as you progress...

of training.
Splitting the training program so that different sets of muscles are worked on different days.
Increase sleep
Sleep
Sleep is a naturally recurring state characterized by reduced or absent consciousness, relatively suspended sensory activity, and inactivity of nearly all voluntary muscles. It is distinguished from quiet wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli, and is more easily reversible than...

time.
Deep-tissue or sports massage
Massage
Massage is the manipulation of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being. The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading", or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle"...

of the affected muscles.
Self-massage or rub down of the affected muscles.
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy or the removal of heat from a body part. The term "cryotherapy" comes from the Greek cryo meaning cold and the word therapy meaning cure...

and thermotherapy.
Temperature contrast therapy (contrast showers etc).

Changing diet:

Ensuring that calorie intake at least matches expenditure.
Ensuring total calories are from a suitable macronutrient ratio.
Addressing vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...

deficiencies with nutritional supplements.

Planned overtraining

Overtraining can be used advantageously, as when a bodybuilder is purposely overtrained for a brief period of time to supercompensate during a regeneration phase. These are known as "shock micro-cycles" and were a key training technique used by Soviet athletes.