5 Ways to Prevent Overtraining

Have you ever found yourself as an athlete in a situation where your training process isn’t going as planned and progress stalls? Have you ever felt afraid of missing out on something in training or that what you’re doing isn’t enough, leading you to decide to train even more?

In situations where athletes decide to train even more, whether it’s by training too long in a single session, increasing training intensity, or accumulating a large number of workouts in a short period, the balance between the volume of training and recovery becomes disrupted. For progress, it’s extremely important to pay attention to how much a person trains, but it’s crucial to also focus on recovery. Recovery includes sleep, massages, proper nutrition, vitamins, etc.

Sometimes coaches, as well as athletes, believe that they need to train a lot because that will make them better. Unfortunately, this is not always the best solution, and athletes suffer and fail to achieve the results they desire. Some coaches and athletes like to follow the training plan blindly or accumulate workouts regardless of how tired the athlete feels, and even though fatigue affects the quality of performance. When athletes don’t listen to their bodies and the training is not adjusted to their needs, it leads to physical and mental fatigue and burnout. This condition in athletes is called overtraining.

Symptoms of Overtraining (should last for a longer period)

• • Chronic fatigue and lack of energy

• • Bad mood

• • Lack of motivation

• • Sleep problems – insomnia or restless sleep

• • Injuries

• • Weakened immune system

• • Loss of appetite

• • Increased effort during exercise

HOW TO PREVENT OVERTRAINING?

1. 1. Listen to your body and monitor how your workouts are affecting you.

1. 1. Communicate with your coach and regularly give them feedback on the workouts you’re doing.

1. 1. Take care of recovery: 8-9 hours of sleep, balanced diet, good vitamin intake, massages, sauna…

1. 1. Remember that sometimes it’s better to modify your training plan and do less than planned to recover better and continue moving forward.

1. 1. REST!

It’s important to keep in mind that during their sports careers, many young athletes, in addition to training, have to manage school, college, and perhaps other activities that contribute to fatigue. Sometimes, due to studying and exams, athletes experience additional tiredness on top of what their training already brings. It’s crucial to listen to your body and recognize when a training session needs to be adjusted or when you simply need to rest. Both athletes and coaches can feel frustrated if they see that an athlete is very tired and need to perform tasks they are currently unable to handle.  

Don’t feel guilty about it. Focus on what’s best for you. Sometimes, you need to complete training sessions even if you feel increased fatigue, while at other times it’s better to make small adjustments to the workout or even simplify it completely. Modifying training as needed and listening to the athlete’s body is crucial for effective work and progress.

During my career as a heptathlete, training in 7 different disciplines, here are some examples of how my coach modified my workouts when we sensed that I was overfatigued and couldn’t complete the training as intended:

1. 1. Instead of a speed workout, I would do some lighter intervals to give my central nervous system a bit of a break, which would help enhance recovery for both my body and CNS

1. 1. Instead of a intense javelin throwing session, I would do a lighter throwing workout, focusing more on technique rather than explosiveness and speed, which were affected by fatigue

1. 1. Instead of long jump from a full run-up, I would do jumps with lower intensity from shorter approaches

1. 1. Instead of a specific type of training, I would do some light jogging, drills, and easy core exercises

A very important lesson I learned from my coach Hrvoje is that sometimes it’s better to adjust training rather than push through. Of course, this doesn’t mean that training needs to be modified every time you feel tired. Often, it’s a matter of our mindset, which is important to encourage to uplift the body and prevent thoughts from going in the wrong direction. Sometimes fatigue is present at the beginning of a warm-up, but as we warm up better, the situation improves and fatigue decreases, allowing us to accomplish what we planned, and sometimes even better than expected.

Remember, it’s normal to experience fatigue, muscle soreness that lasts a few days, and a loss of motivation. These are all part of the training process, so you don’t need to worry; just continue training as usual. This will only make you stronger. However, if you find yourself experiencing a prolonged loss of motivation, persistent fatigue, lack of energy, weakened immune system, poor sleep, elevated resting heart rate, and a decline in performance day after day, you might suspect overtraining. In that case, reduce your training volume and explore better recovery options. A combination of reduced intensity and effective recovery is the remedy for overtraining.

Lucija Cvitanović