Are They Overtraining?

Exercise is a great way to relieve stress, remain healthy, and excel in your game, but too much exercise can lead to overtraining. Typically associated with little rest and excessive repetition, overtraining can result in injury or illness.

“Not allowing the body adequate time to rest and recover from exercising will only make it harder for you or your child to reach performance goals,” says Dr. Chelsea Stanford, a fellowship-trained primary care sports medicine doctor who sees patients at University Orthopaedic Surgeons’ UT Research Park, West Knoxville, and Sevierville locations.

Here are some strategies that will help to avoid overtraining.

• Sleep – Adequate sleep ensures that the body has ample time to replenish muscles and restore strength.
• Proper nutrition – Food is just as important as sleep. The body will use food as a tool to help the body recover.
• Warm-up – Warming up before a workout alleviates tight muscles that could encourage overcompensation, which can lead to injury.
• Varying intensity – Varying the intensity levels of your workout routines continues to challenge muscle groups while allowing others to recover.
• Recovery days – Scheduling recovery days allows the body to recover and prepare mentally and physically for the next workout.

“Recognizing the symptoms of overtraining could grant you enough time to ensure you or your child makes the needed adjustments to prevent injury or illness,” adds Dr. Stanford.

Typical warning signs of overtraining include the following:

• Insomnia
• Achiness or pain in muscles/joints
• Fatigue
• Elevated morning pulse
• Headaches
• Sudden inability to complete workouts
• Decreased immunity
• Appetite loss
• Decline in performance    

Do you have questions regarding overtraining injuries? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Stanford by calling (865) 546-2663 for our UT Research Park and Sevierville offices or (865) 218-9300 for our West Knoxville office or request an appointment online.