‘Overtraining’ is killing YOU and your RESULTS!’
The word overtraining is used often throughout the fitness industry, but the actual understanding is very misunderstood or overlooked….
…but its no secret! It comes down to either lack of education or laziness! So we will give you the education and let you make changes to improve your quality of training and life.
THE SCIENCE
Moody, irritated, altered sleep patterns, created dire to train, increased muscle soreness, increased illness….the list is endless! Emotional, behavioural and physical…..the body is telling you that the stress is overwhelming the ability to adapt. Stress is not necessarily bad. The issue is that of which when the body can no longer adapt. This is when the importance of REGENERATION comes into play.
Cells in our body will thrive in a positive environment. Therefore it is important to approach every avenue of day to day living with the correct methods. When we can achieve this we can reach optimal health, body composition and performance.
When our cells are in a negative environment we will see breakdowns. This will lead down the opposite direction. You will put yourself at risk of disease and lack of ability to live your life how its intended.
So how do we improve regeneration? Our FOUR simple strategies:
1. Are you getting enough SLEEP?In modern society sleep is getting harder to achieve. Longer hours, families, stress, etc… So how do we simplify this?
- Adequate magnesium
- Adequate Vitamin D (10 mins in the sun every day…this is an easy one)
- Decrease inflammation (fish oil into your diet will do this for you)
- Decrease toxins (processed foods…..remove these when you can)
- Sleep in the BATCAVE! A dark room is important….we are still cavemen at a cellular level)
- 7 to 9 hours sleep where we can
These factors are all important to allow our body to become more parasympathetic dominant during our more relaxed times during the day (that being sleep as one of them). This allows our body to decrease cortisol levels and give us a better quality sleep
2. Is your NUTRITION nourishing your cells? {WHOLE FOOD EATING: detoxing? (vegetable detox), protein for muscle tissue recovery, good fats for cell membrane and function}
3. Are you adapting to STRESS or allowing it to rundown your cells? {STRESS REDUCTION: Tapping techniques, meditation, breathing techniques etc
4. Does your programming include active and passive RECOVERY techniques?
Rest day?….this doesn’t mean just have to do NOTHING! You can still be doing something on your days off to improve your weaknesses, reduce pain and prevent injury….while all in the process of improving regeneration.
Active Recovery.
Mobility (improve blood flow, decrease joint tension while also relieving pain and inflammation).
Circulation (swim, jog, walk….but whatever you decide to do this will help to improve the efficiency of the heart, increase capillary density and also mitochondrial enzymes to increase muscle cells rate of recovery).
Yoga (the combination of mobility and meditation is the best possible addition to your routine)
Passive Recovery
massage (go and see a great massage therapist…..or……GET ON THE FOAM ROLLER! Don’t go easy! Tissue quality is important, don’t take it lightly as you’ll see your training take the fall for it)
water therapies (ice baths!!!…..these will flush away waste product, reduce swelling and also breakdown of muscle tissue)
THE APPROACH
Training = Regeneration or Regeneration>Training….because more recovery never hurt anyone!
Keep it simple!
If you increase your training output then you increase your training recovery.
As your body changes so does your nutrition.
Increased life stress? Then increase stress reduction techniques.
You have a rest day…What is a rest day? Start by replacing these with recovery days.
OUT WITH THE OLD AND IN WITH THE NEW
The fitness industry is full of criticism. One type of training style is supposedly going to increase your risk of injury more than another, but the only important factor is that whatever fitness system you are in, it gives you the ability to balance your training and recover. Your system must never look at overtraining, but look into ways they can improve regeneration!
So next time before you think that you’re over training think of the approach.
“Theres no such thing as overtraining, only under recovery”.
Author – Callum Maggs