Finally i realized what was "wrong" with me.... I'm overtrained!

Do you guys have any tips or first hand experience with this? What should I do, leave the bikes in the garage for a while and just sit and relax. Or should I go for fun rides forgetting all about heart rate/ zones.
Please keep in mind that i'm riding three to four RPM classes a week. I can't leave the customers without their trainer.

Any advice is welcome!

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I'd say take a 2 days completely off. Don't even touch your bike. Then 2 or 3 days only ride for 30-45 minutes at zone 1, VERY easy effort. And the last part of the week, go for 1-2 hours but still very easy then get back on your training after that.

Would this be a prod towards keeping a detailed training diary to help spot the signs of over training beginning to happen?

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"Ride it like you've just stolen it!"

First of all, Frankie, I would not buy any of this stuff people without any knowledge say to you on the internet. (Sorry Newbie, but you just do not know enough about his situation for that advice to be good)

Who diagnosed you? Did you do that yourself?

If you are really overtrained, you will have to take it easy for months. If a week of rest sorts you out, you were just overreached, which is the short term fatigue that is caused by f.e. too much training, too little rest, a poor diet, stress and so on. If this fatigue has become chronic, that's overtraining. A week of rest does not fix that. In fact: If you return to normal training after that, you will make it worse. Real overtraining comes with all kind of symptoms like insomnia, depression, chronic fatigue, no appetite for food ... bad stuff.

However: I doubt if you are really overtrained. Few people are. When in doubt: See your sports doctor and follow his/her advice.

@ JK




Lot's of people fail to see the difference between overtraining and over reaching.

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Just get out and ride!
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I inferred from his post that he was over reached. And for that, my advice is solid. Look in any training book or ask any good coach, and they will tell you its good to take a rest week every 4th or 5th week. Please don't imply that I think my answer is the ONLY answer. It is meerly a suggestion. One of many I'm sure he will get.

You all need to lighten up a little bit.

I've got lots of experience with over-training (having been a chronic one in my early racing years). The tricky bit here is your job, coaching spin classes. If you really can't get out of those for a week or so, then you need to really REST between them. At most ride for 1 hour EASY just to loosen up. You need to recharge your body in more ways than one, and those spin classes could make it pretty hard to recover from this. Do you have that workload every week (ie: no easy weeks)?

Do you have to ride alongside the other people in the class?

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"Ride it like you've just stolen it!"

Whats the difference between both?

the easiest way to explain - when you train too much, you first show symptoms of over reaching

if it continues, then it becomes overtaining

basically, one is a step before other

some symptoms of overtaining:

Workout Symptoms
Usual workouts feel more difficult
Early fatigue during workouts
Faster heart rate with less effort
Decreased strength
Decreased coordination
Physical challenges seem too hard
Decreased performance on strength, speed or endurance testing

Physical Symptoms
Persistent fatigue
Ongoing muscle soreness
Loss of appetite
Increased aches and pains
Increase in overuse injuries
Frequent colds or infections

Nonphysical Symptoms
Difficulty sleeping
Feelings of irritation or anger
Feelings of depression
Lack of motivation
Fear of competition
Difficulty concentrating
Increased sensitivity to emotional stress

(source: The Physician & SportsMedicine)

cheers

I am light enough

Excuse me for the direct tone in my last post. Offcourse your answer is only a suggestion, but it might also be the wrong one if he is really overtrained. If he is not, which is probable, a week like you describe is the right tactic.

@Frankie: Surely you can do your RPM classes without too much sweating??

First of all thanks for your replies!

Reading those I can conclude that over reaching is the problem. (JK, you seem to know lots about this)
So, what do you say. Take two days without training and after that daily rides that take up to an hour at max at a very low heart rate (75% HF max?) and after a week back into the normal program?

@ aardvark. Sorry, no easy weeks for me



Shhh don't tell everybody... :wink: Sometimes I go into a class telling myself to keep it cool, But i tend to get lost in the fun.

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'Tape was made to wrap your GF's gifts, NOT hold a freakin tire on.'

Follow me on twitter. I try to be interesting
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Frankie; I'd wait for big fellows return to confirm this, but I lean more towards a week or two rather than just a couple of days.

Seeing as I get all the workout symptoms from riding 1-2 days a week should I spend more quality time with my PS2?

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PS2? you need to get yourself an XBOX and the new Le tour de france game

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i dont need some witty signature

The thing is: There are no standard programs for this kind of situations (or training in general). Everybody is different.

Basically, once you have rested well enough to feel fit, you are ready to build up training again. If you are not sure, it is better to take too much rest than too little. One week of no-ride days and recovery rides should be enough, but if you still feel tired by the weekend, just add a few more days. Do not cut on sleep or healthy food (that is allways a good idea).

If you think you are fit enough, just try some hard intervals. No power? Cannot get your heartrate up to a normal value? Cannot get up to the speed you normally reach at a given intensity on a strech of road/trail you ride often ? Then stop it... just settle in recovery mode and add a few more days of easy riding

By the way: 75% of HR max is still too much for a recovery ride. Just do 60-65%, take your girlfriend with you and try to talk more to her than she does to you .

Newbieweenie had a good point: If you put in a "rest week" every 4th or 5th week (or even 3rd week, depending on the intensity and volume of the training you do), there is less chance of you wearing yourself out.