Do you think you are overtraining?
We all know that Crossfit can be addictive. Whether it come from chasing that workout high, Fear of Missing Our (FOMO) on a great workout, loss of focus, feeling guilty about missing a normally scheduled fitness day, or maybe you’ve been making a lot of progress and don’t want to break the streak… we can all say we’ve overdone it in the gym.
Overtraining, described as “a condition in which an athlete or a fitness client experiences fatigue, declining performance, and burnout,” can manifest signs and symptoms in many different ways:
-mentally and physically fatigued
-insomnia
-unmotivated
-poor recovery
-getting sick
-injury
Allowing yourself to take a rest day or (shudder) rest period can be more challenging than it seems! We put in so much hard work, the last thing you want to do is lose all those gainz you’ve developed by skipping the gym.
Make a Plan:
Sometimes we start to overtrain because we don’t have a clear focus on our training objectives. Assess your fitness goals – whether it’s losing weight, lifting heavier, or becoming proficient at a skill. Work it into your weekly routine but don’t overdo it. I remember when I was learning how to do kipping pullups; and I felt like I was SO close. Instead of thinking ahead and creating a plan, every day I was at the gym I worked on kipping, long after I should have. Did I learn to kip? Eventually. But that journey included a lot of ripped hands and needless shoulder/arm pains that could have been avoided if I had created a plan to pair with my WODs. But I was so scared to lose my progress from the previous day that… you may have guessed it, I over did it. 😫
Regularly Listen to Your Body:
You know yourself better than anyone else. Ask yourself what you will gain or lose from missing a workout. There’s a big difference between “I feel crappy… getting in a workout will help me mentally and physically” and “I feel crappy… getting to the gym is going to result in injury.” Five to six days a week of training and doubling up on gym sessions might seem like a good way to conquer your goals… but if you’re chronically sore, fatigued, and unmotivated, it might be time to take a mental and physical break. Ignoring cues from your body can ultimately stunt your progress.
Proper Nutrition:
Just because you’re not in the gym doesn’t mean you can’t make strides in improving your overall health. Planning your nutrition and preparing/finding the right foods can be just as time consuming as going to the gym – and equally valuable. Proper eating can be as mentally satisfying as working out (especially if it tastes good!!). Added bonus – giving your body the right fuel is going to increase your performance!
Active Recovery:
“Rest Day” or “Rest Week” (Yeah I did it again… alluding to multiple days off, WITW?) doesn’t have to mean days of couch and binge watching TV WODs. Don’t get me wrong, I can crush an AMRAP of 90 Day Fiancé seasons like nobody’s business, but get out there and do something non-gym related! Walk your corgis, spend some time with your kids, take a leisurely bike ride, clean the house, go for a hike, etc. Keep your body moving.
Sleep:
Whether you’re taking a rest day or adhering to your workout routine, get enough sleep. I shouldn’t have to convince you, sleep is the most amazing recovery drug available.
If you’ve gotten this far, you might think, wow, great way to describe all the things Ham doesn’t do. Addicted to Crossfit, always chasing a workout high (I get that FOMO bad…), shows up at the gym on 4 hours of sleep, might schedule one or two rest days a month (lol, kidding), multiple WODs a day, etc. As a result, I’ve had my share of injuries, moodiness, dipping motivation, and sometimes even poor life/gym balance. So let’s all go forward and be better to our bodies. They do so much and never get any credit! Take those day(s) to be sure that your mind and body are right so that when you’re putting in the work it’s the best performance you are capable of!
Go HAM! Then rest a little, lol.
Coach Ham
