Overtraining



pedalfaster12

New Member
Sep 2, 2010
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Just curious if anyone has any first hand experience with overtraining. I believe I'm overtrained a bit right now. i've been riding a ton lately, and I just can't get enough of it, and I can't ever go 'easy'. Even if I know I need to go easy, and tell myself I will, I just can't. Anyway, felt a little tired tuesday on a group ride, and got dropped, which never happens to me. Then took wednesday off and rode again tonight. After going hard for a few miles I felt a peculiar feeling in my left quad. I could feel the muscle contracting with each pedal stroke. In a much more intimate way than usual. Some of you may have felt something similar, it was weird. my resting Heart rate is also just barely below 60, and it's normally in the low 40's. Seems fairly straightforward.
What's the best way to get through a case of overtraining? Can i get away with taking two days off, then going easy the third day, and jumping back in? Or do I need to go longer than that? And also, how should I make sure I don't overtrain in the future? I know some people intentionally overtrain because they believe it makes muscles build strength faster, but thats purely conjecture.

addendum: after reading up on http://www.cptips.com/ovrtrng.htm , I think I probably overreached, rather than full-on overtrained. This certainly hasn't been ongoing for weeks or months.
 
Personally,

I think for an amateur rider that gets about 7 to 8 hours kip a night it's nigh on impossible to truely overtrain.

Take a few days rest and if you get 'bike sick' as miss the two wheeled jallopy then spend some time dismantling stuff and clean it back to showroom condition...

... or something.
 
You're probably right. Hopefully Just some lasting muscle tiredness that adds up if you string about 4 consecutive days of hard riding together.
 
It is possible. I had trained and exercised on how I felt for years. Moving through phases of lethargy, disinterest and panic pre season training. I invested in a heart rate monitor before a three month work trip where the shift pattern and location meant I was totally gym based. I found I had been training in the 90%s for ages. It felt like I was coasting at first but following a 5 week cycle of rest, easy, moderate, hard and very hard weeks I lost some weight increased stamina and strength. There is a plethora of information out there and many ways to give your hard earned wedge to others who will give you what you can work out for yourself. Structured training is productive IMHO
 
I tore my posterior tibialis from running, and strained both my VMOs from squatting too much weight. I've had no overtraining issues from cycling, however. True overtraining isn't something that will go away with a few days of rest. It might take a month or more to recover.

If you're not in excruciating pain or suffering from severe underperformance, you might just have a little fatigue and that will take a couple of days to a weeks worth of rest. When you get back from resting, take it easy too...it will take a while to get back up to form.
 
It can be hard to turn off the motor when it is time to go 'easy'. Here is a tip for you on trying to go easy on all those times when you know you are supposed to, but don't.

Go biking in your jeans, normal clothes, on the junky bike (you know, the ones you can buy for $40 at a garage sale), on the flat trail used by the families. Or, take your family.

It is hard to burn it up when you are in your jeans, and have to pass a 10 year old on the path.

I know it sounds a bit weird, but I guarantee it works.
 
alienator said:
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If people want to buy stuff from me, that is up to them. If they do, a portion of revenue goes to charities. The more free advertising I can get, the more I can give.

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wooliferkins said:
It is possible. I had trained and exercised on how I felt for years. Moving through phases of lethargy, disinterest and panic pre season training. I invested in a heart rate monitor before a three month work trip where the shift pattern and location meant I was totally gym based. I found I had been training in the 90%s for ages. It felt like I was coasting at first but following a 5 week cycle of rest, easy, moderate, hard and very hard weeks I lost some weight increased stamina and strength. There is a plethora of information out there and many ways to give your hard earned wedge to others who will give you what you can work out for yourself. Structured training is productive IMHO

Structured training is very productive but given a reasonable amount of sleep and a good diet the volume of hard training that you need to do to truely become overtrained is far beyond what nearly all people with jobs could achieve. There's a big difference between chronic overtraining and just needing an easy week to ten days to 'freshen the legs' prior to an important event.
 
Overtrained? Nah. Just under-rested.
Take a couple days off, then resume a couple easy rides and you should be at a higher fitness level than ever before...If getting fitter is truly important to you, you WILL take the time off and when you come back, ride EASY...
 
alienator said:
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Dude, are you okay?

I came here, made a few posts that added some value to the threads they were in.
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Am I wrong?

FYI - I must be reading challenged, as I cannot locate the rules that you claim I have broken.

I am trying to be useful to earn credibility within the community here, and I am on a charitable mission. I put in 20-30 hours per week without pay for this. If there is hostility against that here, I won't be staying.