Overtraining Syndrome: Why More Isn’t Always Better

January 29, 2016

“Just one more rep,” you tell yourself as you grit through the tail end of your workout. Your motto has been “Pain is just weakness leaving the body” for as long as you can remember. More has always equated to more—the more you train, the better the results you observe. In-turn, why would you ever consider doing less? Sound familiar?

Overtraining Syndrome is very common in athletes who push their body beyond its ability to recover enough. Without adequate recovery, performance can actually be negatively affected, which means that you won’t get stronger and you won’t improve. Are you overtraining?

Symptoms of Overtraining Syndrome

There can be many symptoms of Overtraining Syndrome, but the most common include:
• Low energy levels
• Mild leg soreness
• Elevated resting heart rate
• Pain in muscles and/or joints
• Insomnia
• Mood changes
• Increased rate of colds and illness (decreased immunity)
• Sudden decrease in performance

While Overtraining Syndrome is not fully understood, it is known to affect a wide variety of systems ranging from hormonal imbalances to changes in neurological functions. For many athletes, one of the most frustrating elements concerning Overtraining Syndrome is the major changes that are experienced in terms of athletic performance and capabilities. Some describe it as being a “shell” of their previous self, not being able to do things that were once considered easy.

Integrating Recovery into Training

One of the most difficult concepts for athletes to grasp is the idea of integrating regular recovery into training. Every day, an athlete works to excel. With the journey to be the best, comes the reality that the body needs to have time to adapt and recover.

The overall concept is simple—Recovery allows depleted tissues to repair. Without recovery, tissues cannot repair effectively, and muscles cannot “repair, rebuild, and strengthen.”

Regular use of the Marc Pro pushes out waste that is accumulated during hard training, and brings in nutrients and fresh oxygenated blood to the tissues, leading to a more effective recovery. Without “yesterday’s fatigue,” better biomechanics can be maintained, performance can be improved, and the risks of injury can be reduced.

So while working hard can lead to good results, working smart and recovering will yield great results, performance gains and new personal bests. So while it’s hard, try it out. Train Hard. But, Recover Harder. Learn more about the ways that elite and pro athletes use the Marc Pro and Marc Pro Plus to boost their recovery efforts at https://marcpro.com/who-uses-the-marc-pro/.