Overtraining and its symptoms - sudden drop in performance?

Overtraining - what is it and how does it happen?

Are you training harder than ever before and should be performing at your personal best? Instead, your muscles ache, you feel tired all the time and your performance is no longer improving, or even getting worse? The name 'overtraining' already reveals what is happening: You train too often, too long, too intensively or all of the above at once.

You neglect rest periods and don't give your body enough time to recover and regenerate. And since we humans are not machines, at some point your body will say: stop. You suddenly have no more strength when running or cycling, your sporting performance no longer improves or even deteriorates despite hard training.

However, the symptoms of overtraining go far beyond reduced performance in sport. Both your body and your psyche suffer from the condition. We have summarized some of the most important symptoms for you here:

Physical symptoms:

• Severe and persistent muscle soreness or muscle pain

• Increased resting heart rate

• Loss of appetite and weight loss or

• Increased appetite and weight gain

• Dizziness and circulatory problems

• Weakened immune system and increased incidence of illnesses

• Cycle disorders (irregular or absent menstruation)

• Digestive problems (diarrhea, constipation)

• Persistent tiredness

Psychological symptoms

• Mood swings

• restlessness

• Sleep disorders

• Lack of drive and motivation

• Depressive mood

• Irritability and aggression

• Emotional instability

• States of anxiety

If you have been training too much and too intensively recently and recognize some of these symptoms, it may be advisable to consult a doctor and clarify whether you are suffering from overtraining symptoms. If you experience a drop in performance during exercise without the symptoms mentioned above, there may be other reasons behind it.

Overtraining, excessive demands or poor nutrition?

Overtraining is not always to blame for poor results; in fact, this condition is rather unlikely for amateur athletes. Professional strength athletes and endurance athletes are much more likely to be affected by overtraining. For them, the intensity, duration and frequency of training take on completely different dimensions. Training 20-30 hours a week is not uncommon here.

If you are far from reaching this level and are still unable to improve your performance, there may be other reasons. Illness or chronic lack of sleep can also have a negative impact on your performance, or perhaps you are suffering from overreaching.

Overstraining (overreaching)

Even those who do not train to the extent of professional athletes can overtax their bodies. Overreaching is a preliminary stage of overtraining and the symptoms can be similar, albeit milder.

Have you been gripped by ambition and have been running at full speed for days? But now you are suddenly slowing down when running or cycling, have unusually sore muscles and feel weak and lacking in energy? Then perhaps your body wasn't quite as motivated as you were and now feels overwhelmed. This happens especially if you neglect your rest periods or your sleep and don't give yourself enough breaks. But another factor also plays an important role here: your diet.

Nutrition

When doing sport, we need one thing above all: energy. And this energy must be supplied to our body in sufficient quantities. Both quality and quantity are important here, because if we eat the wrong things or don't get enough of something, this quickly becomes noticeable - even during sport.

One of the most common mistakes we make here concerns our number one basic necessity: water. We often simply don't drink enough during sport, but also in everyday life. It is important not to drink only when you feel thirsty, but to stay well hydrated at all times. A 70 kg runner sweats out around 1.4 liters of water within an hour. This must be compensated for both before and after running. For sports where this is possible, it is also advisable to drink something during training.

When it comes to nutrition, athletes should pay particular attention to balance. The body needs many different vitamins and minerals, sufficient proteins, carbohydrates and fats in order to function properly.

While many recreational athletes worry about getting enough protein, nutritionist Uwe Schröder says this is unfounded. We need around 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, an amount that is quickly achieved with a balanced diet. The more varied the protein sources, the better: fish, meat, dairy and cereal products and pulses are good sources.

Carbohydrates are often neglected instead. In the form of pasta, rice, potatoes, bread or other cereal products, they provide us with the majority of our energy during sport and should make up around half of our diet. With complex carbohydrates in particular, you ensure that your blood sugar levels remain stable for a long time and that you can achieve strong performances.

If you have neglected your diet and eaten a one-sided diet, this can explain a drop in performance. Your body needs energy to perform. If it lacks this, it will logically not work at full speed.

Recovery from overtraining

All of the above factors can contribute to your performance getting worse or no longer improving. If you are actually experiencing symptoms of overtraining, it is important to counteract them quickly so that your body and psyche are no longer damaged.

The most important thing now is to give yourself a long and extensive break, even if this may be difficult for you. Training should be drastically reduced and in some cases even stopped. Sufficient sleep and rest are now on the agenda, and this should last at least a few weeks. It can often take several months for the effects to disappear completely. But don't worry, you don't just have to sit around twiddling your thumbs. Active recovery in the form of swimming or leisurely walks also has a positive effect.

Once you have recovered sufficiently and feel like your old energetic self again, you can slowly start exercising again or gradually increase your training. But take your time, because the 'too fast, too much' method is where you ended up. ‍

Stay healthy and avoid overtraining

The road out of overtraining can be a long and arduous one. It is therefore much better to take care of your body from the outset and avoid extreme conditions. To prevent overtraining, you need to pay attention to your body's signals.

Do you feel tired, listless and your muscles feel heavy after a few days of intensive training? Then shift down a gear and give yourself plenty of breaks and rest periods. This will not only help you avoid health problems, but also the mental strain that comes with it.

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