Overreaching vs. Overtraining:
It’s safe to say that each day we enter the gym with a pretty specific goal in mind. To push ourselves just a little harder then we did the time before? Agreed, we all have those days where we walk in and say “ahh $hit ring dips” as I happen to do earlier in the week…
This “drive” to reach toward new heights, faster times, and greater loads is what makes us unique as a CrossFit community. Belive it or not strength coaches have put a name to this phenominon: Overreaching.
Overeaching is the intermediate between going to the gym sitting down on a recumbent bike and reading your favorite magazine and overtraining to the point of detriment. Overreaching is the point where we see favorable adaptations in: strength, metabolic conditioning, skill development, etc.
As common as this favorable charateristic is in us CrossFitters, there is a negative one that comes along with it: Overtraining
Overtraining is when the body has been pushed to a point where it can no longer repair itself. The body is too fatuigued to rebuild…
Here is a graph of how it the body is suposed to rebuild, defined by the principle of supercompensation:
Your workout causes damage, your body responds by getting stronger and compensating...
This graphic shows what happens when you push yourself beyond overreaching:
So, why do we want to avoid over training? This table below highlights some of the more common problems associated with over training:
Here are a few common reasons that cause overtraining:
- Rapid increases in training volume and intensity of training
- Extended schedules of high-volume
- Inadequate recovery and rest.
The number one cure for overtraining is REST! A friend of mine Max Mormont from So Cal Strength and Conditioning/Crossfit Balboa aways used to joke saying, “There’s no such thing as overtraining, just under recovery”.
Here are my top 5 ways to keep pushing for PR’s and avoid overtraining:
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Get plenty of rest and sleep (7 hours min)
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Consider your environmental workload as well (if your job has you stressed out, it can contribute to your phsical stress amplifing it)
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Record Keeping – Make sure you are recording your times, reps and sets for all WOD’s. This will help keep you keep that balance between overreaching and overtraining.
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Thoughtful programming – Don’t worry, Forrest has that part covered for you.
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Proper Nutrition – make sure you are planning your meals (especially pre/post workout calorie consumption)
Workout of the Day 7/23/2010
A. 400M sprints x 4 2 min rest
B. “Greg”
21-15-9
Wall Ball
Kettlebell Swing
Burpees
Double Unders
400m sprints are SUCKVILLE. =)
Greg, I’ll be honored to do this one for ya. Hopefully I’ll beat you though!
I couldn’t help but hear in the post WOD interviews this weekend that some of the athletes in the CF games were doing WOD’s 2-3 times a day. How are they able to balance that kind of output with enough recovery?? Is that where Ice baths and more extreme recovery methods are utilized?
Greg, today should be my rest day, but maybe I will make an exception. I could use the work on my DU’s anyway.
Rob, a lot of the athletes that do multiple WODs a day don’t do them consecutively. If they do then they take multiple rest days too. I’ve done it when I’ll go two-a-days for two days straight and then take 1 sometimes 2 days off to recover. Also they’ll sometimes do a heavy lift in the morning and then a met-con type workout in the evening, or vice-a-versa. It definitely helps to have an ice bath, but stretching, rolling out, and good post-WOD nutrition is key. A lot of what it comes down to in a competition like the Games is being mentally prepared for the pain, tiredness, and just being worn out.
Doing a two-a-day at CFSB is much different than doing it when you’re in a competition setting w/ hundreds of people screaming around you. You should give it a shot one time. Go in and do a 6 or 7 am WOD and then come back for an evening class. Just got to make sure you’re refueling throughout the day to prepare yourself for another taxing event.
testosterone lifecycle creed
- Workout like an animal
- Eat like a horse
- Do a bad thing like a rabbit
- Sleep like a rock
This must all be done unbroken
A couple other notes, you can build up work capacity over time. For example, the first day you did crossfit, I bet you couldnt have done Murph without feeling completely shot for a couple days. However, after a few months of crossfit, Murph would no longer entail the complete destruction it did when you first started. This is an adaptation of your body to the stimulus of crossfit. Similarly, over time, you can slowly increase your work capacity by adding small amounts of extra work on top of the WOD…. Eventually leading to people like Miko being able to do 3 WOD’s a day for 5-6 days on, 1 day off.
Finally, anyone worried about overtraining should check their heart rate first thing upon waking up in the morning, and compare it to their normal, resting heart rate: as an elevated resting heart rate is one of the initial, definite signs of overtraining.
hehehhee, amen.. preach on Jon!! Two a days are great. That means that when I am tired and hung over I can take another day off;) If time is an issue…two a days (with more days off to ….. uuummm…. drink lemonade)– rock!
Our boardies are finished being designed. They will cost $45 each and let me know what size you want and we can reserve you a pair. Click here to see a mock up of them.
Holy crap those boardies are hot.
Great post Matt. We all need to be reminded of these things, and often.
nice post, but try doing this unbroken, try i wana see