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Old 09-14-19, 02:35 AM
  #13  
KraneXL
 
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Originally Posted by Dreww10
Trust me, because I'm there right now: if you truly overtrain, you'll know it. Again, I don't believe my "overtraining" was actually the result of training too much, but of mentally burning the candle at both ends (it should be noted that exercise is a stress on the brain and body, just like work stress, so it's cumulative). But overtraining isn't just being down on speed for a few days or having tired legs. At 35 years old and in the prime health of my life, there have been days I couldn't get out of bed. An easy century rider, I've been reduced to struggling to go 5-7 miles at walking pace on a bicycle. THAT is overtraining, so let's not minimize it.
On the contrary, trust me. Overtraining can take on many psychological and/or physiological conditions both subtle and intense so that it mimics many other ailments. It can be overlooked or misdiagnosed even by a trained professional who doesn't know what to look for. So you absolutely do not always know.

Originally Posted by Clyde1820
Back in the day, as a distance runner, I occasionally pushed certain weeks a bit beyond my overall endurance and/or nutrition at that point in the season. Not often, but occasionally. I never viewed that as over-training on the larger scale, but rather as a short-term misjudgment of my stamina. Sometimes, it was lack of electrolytes. Sometimes, the distance was at the limits of fueling. Occasionally, I'd gotten back from an illness or downtime with insufficient stretching or prep for the effort. But, nothing long-term, thankfully.

My big take-away then, as now: listen to the body, because it generally knows. There are all sorts of feedback signals the body will send to ensure we know we're at the limits. If we're listening, and adjust accordingly, we can generally pull back from the edge easily.

Have never pushed hard enough in cycling, over time, to come near those limits. Uh, other than that one day, doing the better part of a century with an aspiring racer who showed me what a hard pace could be. Couldn't walk, run or ride properly for several days, after that. But that was a one-time deal, that hard.
Well, not really. As stated the symptoms of overtraining can be similar to signs of many other ailments. What feels like overtraining could be a case of the flu for instance. The symptoms can be identical.

A more predictable measurement would be utilizing time-intervals. The on-season/off-season intervals for example. That's the mechanism that automatically prevents overtraining by giving you intervals of hard workouts followed by periods of rest. A pattern all the major sports have adopted.
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