How To Tell When Your Are Overtraining

In sports, training is everything. Whether you are in-season or out of season, taking time to train your body and your muscles goes hand in hand in improving your overall athletic performance.  In the offseason, we often preach to our athletes to train hard. To come to work every day with the focus of pushing the limits. However, there also comes a time in which athletes need to rest. Overtraining brings many negative side effects, and although we talk about taking no days off, sometimes it’s beneficial to take a day off here or there.  At Warren Academy, we offer youth and high school strength, speed and agility training programs that are designed to help athletes push themselves to improve. We work with our athlete’s needs and make sure they are ready for their upcoming seasons. Below, we dive into the topic of “overtraining” and go over how athletes can tell it’s time to take a little break from their training.  What is overtraining Overtraining is simply when athletes are training to an extent where they aren’t getting the amount of rest and recovery they need. Yes, training more often helps athletes improve their strength and conditioning faster and better, however, rest and recovery are also both needed as well. When athletes are overtraining and not getting the rest they need, it can significantly slow down your progression and increase your risk of injury. Signs you are overtraining It can be difficult to determine being “sore” from “overtraining.” Here are some signs that you should take a day or two to rest: 1. Decreased performance One of the easiest ways to tell that you are overtraining is when you notice you are not performing as well as you should be. If you are keeping your consistent training regime, or even training more often than normal, and your performance is not improving, it can be a sign that your body needs a break.  2. Workouts are harder than usual Not only can overtraining decrease your performance, but it can also make normal, relatively easy workouts seem much more difficult than they really are. If you are barely making it through a normal training session, it may be a sign that you are overtraining your body.  3. Oversleeping Getting the right amount of quality sleep is one of the best ways for your body to recover while training. But if you notice that you are oversleeping, having a very difficult time waking up in the morning or having a hard time staying awake, your body could be telling you it needs a day or two of rest. Being low in energy and feeling fatigued all the time affects both your physical and mental performance, as well as alters your body’s nutrient intake.  4. Becoming injured Lastly, if you notice that you are becoming injured more often or more severely, it could be a sign that you are overtraining. When your body doesn’t get ample amounts of rest and recovery, you are more likely to become injured. If you are noticing that you are straining muscles more easily, taking a couple days off will help your muscles rest and heal up.  Although athletes should fight through all the soreness and early morning to train, there are also times in which athletes should take a day or two off to let their bodies recover. If you are noticing any of these overtraining signs, be sure to let your body rest, get quality sleep and fuel your body with effective nutrients.  At Warren Academy, our speed and agility training programs have helped a number of young athletes improve their strength, speed and overall athletic performance. If you are interested in learning more about our speed and agility training programs, or any of our other sports performance programs, visit our website today.