Knowing When to Rest: Are You Overtraining?

Yes there is such a thing!...I know most of you would never think I would be the one to pose this question; but as fond as I may be of high intensity metabolic circuits and pushing physical and mental limits during training, overtraining is a very real condition that can not only impair your efforts in the gym, but can also lead to injuries and illness; and I recently had my own run in with overtraining, hence this blog entry.
Now, I am fully aware of the negative consequences associated with overtraining. I know that it is necessary to incorporate rest days into a solid periodized training protocol to ensure the body recovers and is better able to make the favourable adaptations associated with weight training and energy system development. But even with this knowledge I recently found myself in an overtrained state and am still paying the price for not resting properly. Those of you who know me, know that I push you hard while you are here at UTC, and I hold myself to the same standards when I train, but sometimes I can go a little crazy and try to do a bit too much. (I can hear TJ laughing right now at how much of an understatement this is) Anyways, about 2 months ago I started teaching 2 spin classes at Seneca College in addition to my 3-4 classes I do at UTC a week . On top of that I play hockey 4 times a week and tried to lift 5 days a week. In retrospect this was insane, and it caught up to me within about a month.
I was lacking energy and motivation to train, I was sore almost constantly and so tight that I was unable to make it through a hockey practice without straining either my hips or my groins, on top of that my glands were swelling up to the size of small grapefruits and I acquired a chest cough that would put most chain smokers to shame. Now, mentally it was very difficult for me to stop in spite of the mounting physical symptoms. I had made progress and  I was afraid that if I were to take a week or even a few days off I would lose the gains I had made. This is a completely illogical train of thought; in fact I was doing more to dispell the progress I had made by training more and not listening to my body, but it took a failed workout and a fever to make me realize the damage I had done.
That was it, my wake-up call. I took a week off to recover, and even though I have resumed training I make sure that I have one complete rest day each week (and days when I am spinning are no longer considered 'rest days'). Even with this newfound appreciation for rest and recovery I am not at 100%, and am still dealing with the lingering effects of overtraining.
So what is the point of sharing this experience? Obviously I am after pity points ;), but besides that I am hoping that none of you who reads this has to experience what it feels like to be overtrained. It is inspiring to see people attending group training sessions upwards of 5 times a week and truly embracing the culture we've worked so hard to establish at UTC, but there is such a thing as too much. So listen to your body and learn incorporate rest into your routine. Whether it's simply taking a passive day off, or doing something at a lower intensity (yoga), proper rest is a key piece of the puzzle and is just as important as training and nutrition; your body will thank when all of these building blocks are in place.


Cheers! and happy recovery,


Laura