3 rounds for time of:
20 Burpees
10 Handstand push ups
Run 400 meters
Here’s a little throwback blog action for ya …. One of my favorites from Coach Luke, Circa July 2013.
Signs That You’re Overtraining ~ Luke Palmisano
It seems like an oxymoron; we train in a extremely intense environment and drive ourselves to exhaustion within a workout to make ourselves… fitter? Stronger? Really? Well, the short answer is, yes. That is, to a point.
Think of it this way: The gains in fitness you receive from workouts take longer to show up, but are longer lasting. The deterioration we see due to fatigue are more intense, and more visible, but fade faster. In reference to the gains we see, a good illustration of that is the sickness/wellness/fitness continuum that is used in CrossFit. According to the continuum, we use measurable health markers to define if someone is “fit,” or “sick.” It takes time (sometimes considerable time) to see a person who is sick, and watch them become fit. However the opposite is also true. If you took the fittest persons at your gym, or at any competition, and suddenly started feeding them less than optimal food choices and stopped allowing them to workout, would they become sick overnight? Certainly not. They have built themselves a hedge against being sick.
As we have seen, however, that although fatigue has a shorter life within our bodies as compared to the gains we see from fitness, fatigue has been seen to build up to the point where the deterioration we see from it overtakes the fitness gains we may have anticipated from our workouts. Therefore, we need to cognizant of what our bodies are telling us. If the cumulative effects of training are causing us to go backward in our goals, action is needed to save our bodies from burnout. Here are some indicators that you can use:
- Resting heart rate. This is your heart rate when you wake up in the morning. Ever checked it? If not, get in the habit. After 3 weeks, you have a baseline. Significant changes (+/- 5%) indicate that you may need some time off; something is happening in your body.
- Weight. +/- 2% change in your body weight within a day may indicate something strange is happening. Take your weight after checking your resting heart rate, and before your first bowel movement.
- Urine shade. This indicates hydration, or lack thereof. Something to consider: If you are a active person, or high level athlete, water may not be enough. You may need to add electrolytes to your fluid intake to truly rehydrate your cells.
- Sleep hours. I know, I know. Who has time for sleep?? How about this: sleep as much as your life will let you get away with. Sleep effects are cumulative. If you are tired all the time, a nap may be in order!
- Sleep quality. This may involve lowering caffeine intake, late P.M. water intake, or simply getting into a bedtime routine.
- Appetite. Are you losing it? You may be over-doing it with your training.
- Muscle soreness. Extreme muscle soreness or a period of days indicates that your body may not have the time to adapt to the volume you are giving it.
- Mood state. Can you sense something being “off” mood-wise? It could be because of your training.
- Immune status. The immune system is one of the first things to go if you are taxing your body beyond what is can handle.
- Previous days performance. If you did poorly on a WOD yesterday that you should have crushed, take note. If this happens a few days in a row, this could be a sign that you need to take a day off.
All these together are signs that you may be over-reaching in your training.
