Overtraining and Burnout

You're at the Gym, you have your goals in mind, wanting to shed some unwanted fat or become leaner, stronger and faster. You have been training hard, pushing yourself not wanting to give up and wanting to make the most of your time exercising. But what's happening this week?

The weights feel heavier
The body feels weak and sore and;
The mental fortitude and motivation is slipping.

Overtraining and burnout are far more common than we think. Some of the symptoms include injuries, declining performance, heavy, sore and stiff muscles, lack of mental concentration and loss of motivation (Kreher J. B, 2016). When causative factors were researched it was frequently cited that overtraining and burnout was caused by self-criticism, fatigue and high expectations of oneself (Strand & Samuelson, 2021).

Let's break those down. So I am often guilty of this but many of us can be our own worst enemies in relation to self criticism. We are often too hard on ourselves and spend plenty of time focusing on our shortcomings, bad habits and perceived failures rather than our achievements and successes. In our training this leads us to be overly critical. If we have a day where we were unable to exercise at our best and to then feel deflated, unmotivated and feel that we have to “make up for it” by smashing ourselves in our next training session.

What can be done about it?

It's important to keep objective data of our individual progress. By tracking our weights, measurements and KPI’s we can have actual evidence of progression. Our motivation is no longer just controlled by how we feel on the day.
It allows us to shift our focus towards our successes and allows us to see the process working over time.

When we talk about fatigue we cannot purely focus on what's happening in the gym. We are human beings and life can get pretty busy. Work has picked up with increased deadlines and more overtime, the sporting seasons take off leading to more training and exhausting game days, the mental strain of moving house or starting a new job, you or a family member has been unwell requiring more attention and energy. During these times we are putting large amounts of mental and physical energy into different priorities, it is important that we are aware of this and know that we may not be able to train at peak performance levels. We may even be required to deload our training, cut back a day so that we can make time for life. This is not a failure, it is a normal part of building good habits and overall consistency.

How can we help?

Individualized and specific programming is crucial. When building the right program for the client we must first and foremost look at their goals then we must also consider a whole range of other variables. How old are they, how much weekly activity, what movements are they capable of doing, individualization is key.
Hitting the right weights is important. Going to the gym and training till failure on every exercise and every set is a sure fire way of burning out and over training. A rep-in-reserve system allows us to titrate the weight appropriately leading to consistent muscle growth and bigger gains in the longer run.
Rest is just as important as hitting the gym. The body must be afforded time to rest and recover. Those muscles have undergone strain and need time to repair and grow. Rest times between sets and workouts are outlined in our programming as they can depend on the type of training conducted.

Finally, the high expectations. Wow, don’t some of us struggle with this one. Often we are guilty of setting unrealistic and unachievable goals. It's a vicious circle as we then feel worse about ourselves when we don't achieve them. We can often set unrealistic training goals based on misinformation like that we have to train at the gym 7 days a week to grow muscle. Or if we are not doing 3 HIIT sessions along with our regular training we cannot lose weight. This can force us into unsustainable methods of training that eventually leads to further fatigue and burnout.

What can I do about it?

Set SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely. Talk about your expectations and goals with your coach, seek their feedback and expertise, their job is to coach people and they are good at it and will look out for your best interests.
Don’t compare yourself to others - It cannot be said enough - but we all do it. Everyone progresses and responds to training differently. Everyone has a different story and not everything is as it seems on the surface particularly on social media channels.
Stick to weekly check ins with your coach, touch base on how your training has been, how you have been feeling, food, goals. They are here to help you remain focused on the important things and redirect away from negative influence.

References:

Kreher J. B. (2016). Diagnosis and prevention of overtraining syndrome: an opinion on education strategies. Open access journal of sports medicine, 7, 115–122. https://doi.org/10.2147/OAJSM.S91657

Strand, B., & Samuelson, J. (2021). Physically and Mentally Exhausted: Overtraining and Burnout in Sports. VAHPERD Journal, 42(1), 13+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A668713837/AONE?u=anon~c91591da&sid=googleScholar&xid=aa722a90

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