For some athletes, it isn't about finding the time to train, it's about finding the time to recover from that tough training. Sometimes the issue gets so bad that an athlete actually gets slower or weaker. Don't let that happen to you! Here are ten signs that you may be overtraining..
1. Body Weight: You lost weight from yesterday.
A 2% drop in weight from one day to the next indicates a body-fluid fluctuation. It’s very likely you didn’t hydrate enough during or after your last workout. Dehydration negatively impacts both physical and mental performance, and could compromise the quality of your next workout.
2. Resting Heart Rate: Your resting heart rate is elevated.
Take your pulse each morning before you get out of bed to find what’s normal for you. An elevated resting heart rate is one sign of stress. It means your nervous system prepared for fight or flight by releasing hormones that sped up your heart to move more oxygen to the muscles and brain. Your body won’t know the difference between physical and psychological stress. A hard run and a hard day at work both require extra recovery.
3. Sleep: You didn't sleep well or enough.
A pattern of consistently good sleep will give you a boost of growth hormones, which are great for rebuilding muscle fibres. Several nights in a row of bad sleep will decrease reaction time along with immune, motor, and cognitive functions – not a good combination for a workout.
4. Hydration: Your pee is dark yellow.
This can be an indicator of dehydration, barring the consumption of vitamins, supplements, or certain foods the evening before. The darker the colour, the more you’re struggling to retain fluids, because there’s not enough to go around. You need H2O to operate (and recover).
5. Energy Level: You're run down.
If your energy level is low, there’s something amiss. The key is honesty. Athletes can block out signs of fatigue to push through it, thinking it will make them stronger. It won’t always work that way.
6. Mood State: You're cranky.
When your body is overwhelmed by training (or other stressors), it produces hormones like cortisol that can cause irritability or anxiety. Stress also halts chemicals like dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain that has a big bummer effect on mood when depleted. Crankiness probably means not enough recovery.
7. Wellness: You're sick.
Any illness, or even a woman’s menstrual cycle, will increase your need for energy to refuel your immune system, which is having to work overtime. This means fewer resources available for recovering from training.
8. Pain: You're sore or nursing an injury.
Whether you’re sore from overworked muscles or an injury, your body needs more energy to put towards repair, lengthening total recovery time.
9. Performance: Your workout went poorly.
This is a subjective measure of workout quality, not quantity or intensity. If you felt great on yesterday’s run, you’d evaluate that as good. If you felt sluggish on that same run, you’d count it as poor. Trending workout quality – multiple poors in a row – is one of the easiest ways to identify the need for more recovery.
10. Oxygen Saturation: Your oxygen level has dipped.
The amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin of the red blood cells can be measured by placing your fingertip in a portable pulse oximeter (a gadget that’s available online). The higher the percentage, the better: Above 95% is the norm at sea level or for an athlete who is fully acclimatised to a given altitude. This is a new area in recovery science, and requires more research, but there may be a link between low oxygen saturation and the need for more recovery.
COUNT YOUR FLAGS:
The Restwise Algorithm assigns more weight to some markers (e.g. performance) than others (e.g. mood), along with other factors to generate a precise recovery score. But you can get a sense for your ballpark recovery quality by tallying the red flags (left) that you average per day in a week.
0–1, Green light: You are clear to train hard.
2–4, Caution: You can go ahead with a hard workout if your training plan calls for it, but cut it short if it feels too hard. Better yet, take an easy day – or a day off.
5–6, Warning: You’re entering the danger zone, which could be intentional according to your periodisation or peaking protocol. If not, back off.
7–10 , Danger: You require mandatory time off, ranging from a day to a week, depending on the severity of your fatigue and what you’ve seen over the previous few days and weeks. You may also need to visit your doctor.
Article from www.runnersworld.com
Mobility Workshop II (Shoulders)
This mobility workshop is the second in a series of mobility workshops hosted by Hands On Sports. The purpose is to help increase should mobility. Additionally, a Zoom Performance coach will be guest speaking about muscle strengthening so as to help create balance in the shoulder.
Cost?
Free!
Who Can Attend?
Anyone!
What You Need?
Foam Roller Tennis Ball
Event Info
February 26, 2012 (This Sunday)
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
YMCA Healthy Living Center: 12493 University Ave, Urbandale IA 50325
Importance of Recovery Clinic
Zoom Performance is hosting a recovery clinic. Topics covered will be:
Over-trained/Recovery
Nutrition
Yoga
Importance of Massage
Compression Tools
Hands On Sports will be providing the massage aspect of the clinic.
Cost?
Free!
Who Can Attend?
Anyone!
What you Need?
A positive attitude and willingness to learn!
Event Info
March 10th, 2012
9:00 am - 11:00 am
YMCA Healthy Living Center: 12493 University Ave, Urbandale, IA 50325
Military Discount Program
Massage therapy not only helps with aches and pains, but also has been shown to help people cope with PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder). Recognizing the prevalence of this in our military, Hands On wanted to find a way to help. Today, Hands On is excited to unveil the new military discount program. Whether you just need to recoup from a tough workout or dealing with PTSD, all you must do is show your military ID, and you will receive $25 off. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to contact us! We look forward to seeing you in here, and thank you for serving our country.
Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball
This summer, Cindy spent the weekend on Miami Beach providing sports massage therapy to participants in the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball tournament in Miami, Florida. The tournament was held from September 16-18, and featured many of the elite beach volleyball players in the world. When not busy, Cindy was able to catch a glimpse of some of the action. Below is the winning plays for both the Men’s and Women’s tournament.
John Hyden and Sean Scott (3 seed) defeating Matt Buerbringer and Nick Lucena (2 seed).
Lauren Fendrick and Brooke Hanson (2 seed) defeating Jenny Kropp and Whitney Pavlik (4 seed).
Winner, winner!
Recently, Jacob Kaemmer, a client of Hands On Sports Massage participated in the 40th annual Portland Marathon. Competing in the half-marathon, Kaemmer took first place, winning with a time of 1:11:46! With over 15,000 racers and 5,000 volunteers, this event was one of the largest in the country. Congratulations Jacob! Check out the news article here for more information.
For a list of local races and events check out Fitness Sports Website!
