Knowing When To Take a Break

Are you that runner that keeps going despite the unbearable pain in your shins and hips? Are you that bodybuilder that keeps doing shoulder presses despite that annoying pain in your rotator cuff? Have you lost a bunch of weight and lately its coming to standstill, but yet you keep pushing harder than before? Has your mood drop lately even though you are training hard? Do you find yourself craving sugar and salt?

If you answer yes to most of the above questions, then there is a possibility that you are overtraining. Essentially, overtraining occurs when an individual trains extremely hard for a long period without sufficient rest, and the body is no longer able to adapt and restore homeostasis. This can occur in both strength or endurance sports

There are obvious physical outward signs of overtraining, such as joint pains that continue to get worse. However, its the hidden danger that most concerns me, which is the havoc it plays on the hormonal system. In a study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, they found that a group of soccer players who were considered overtrained, displayed altered hormone levels at rest and after training. Also on a mood profile test, the players scored significantly higher on anger, depression, and tension. "They had extremely low resting growth hormone (GH) levels, which means the anabolic environment in the body is impaired. It also indicates worsening physical fitness from training since GH increases when physical fitness is improving. Post-exercise GH levels were lower as well but this was not statistically significant."

The study also indicated that cortisol (the stress hormone) was reduced at rest and after training. There was also evidence of a decreased sensitivity to the Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which indicates that the player's adrenal functions were impaired. The post-exercise ACTH response was 43 percent lower than in control players in the study, indicating that the adrenal gland of the overtrained players were chronically fatigued. This occurs when the body is under too much physical stress for too long and it must continually produce excess cortisol, ultimately exhausting the adrenals and resulting in blunted levels of cortisol and ACTH along with an electrolyte imbalance. This can also cause us to crave sugar and salt. One can argue that endurance athletes like soccer players and marathon runners are at a great risk of overtraining. However, strength athletes and the average Joe can also be at risk.

According to world renowned trainer, Charles Poliquin, one should make a concerted effort to "monitor for overtraining by doing regular performance measurements that are related to your sport or training style and pay attention to training heart rate. Poor mood, feelings of anger and tension, and chronic exhaustion, especially in the morning when cortisol should be elevated, are easy markers to pay attention to. Additionally, a hormonal test for GH at rest and ACTH after exercise can provide a more definitive diagnosis for overtraining." I have used these markers in the past to convince an overtrained individual that they need to rest and recover, rather than training harder to counter drops in performance."

Another way to prevent overtraining is to feed the body with key nutrients that are known to help inhibit overtraining. According to Poliquin individuals engaging in endurance activities such as running should supplement with adequate carbohydrates and the vitamin C and E (both potent antioxidants), which can help replenish glycogen and avoid overtraining. If you are more into strength training, Poliquin encourages taking glutamine, branched-chain amino acids, and extra whole foods protein to further adaptations and anabolic hormone response.