Overtraining in Crossfit

You have a CrossFit competition coming up in a month and it’s time to start putting in the extra work to get that podium spot. Maybe you’re thinking of starting 2 a-day’s? Maybe you’ll do less warming up, so you can fit more skill and cardio work in? You’re sore, tired, hungry, but you have that competition coming up. You can’t afford to skip a day of training! If this sounds like something you have done, you are overtraining in Crossfit.

Having been to CrossFit Regionals 5x, I have put in my time of training. Often times when training for something specific, you can lead yourself down the dangerous path of overtraining in Crossfit, which is what I did early on in my CrossFit career. Was it worth it? At the time, to get to Regionals it was. Did I perform well at Regionals? Yes and No. I could have done a lot better had I learned how to recover more efficiently.

There are many symptoms to overtraining and some aren’t as obvious as others. Listed below are symptoms that are commonly seen/felt when in an over-trained:

• Mentally and Physically fatigued
• Chronic fatigue
• Insomnia
• Unmotivated
• Poor performance/Poor Recovery
• Injury
• Sore all the time
• Higher resting heart rate
• Getting sick

Here is a quick way to test yourself if you might be overtraining.

• Check your resting heart rate in the morning: First thing in the morning check your pulse either at your neck or wrist. Using a watch, count how many times your heart beats in 20 seconds and multiply that number x3. That number is your resting heart rate, so make sure you write that number down and repeat every morning. 2-3 days after an intense workout, if your resting morning heart rate is higher than 7-10 bpm, you are not fully recovered and might be overtraining. Increased sympathetic activity will accelerate your heart rate, meaning your nervous system is in a constant state of stress. Some stress is good, but stress that is causing your bodies heart to work harder during the most relaxed time of your day is not healthy.

The best way to recover if you are overtraining is proper RECOVERY and NUTRITION! Research has shown that resting or low-levels of exercise for 2-3 days will help your tissues and body to recovery fully. You can use this rest time to sleep, learn where your movement patterns are faulty, and or work on your mobility or stability needs that your body is most likely craving. Hydrating and drinking plenty of fluids, along with proper nutrition will provide your body with the necessary nutrients to help with recovery.

If you feel you need help to include a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that will help you through this over-trained state as well as hands on help from a well -trained doctor of physical therapist from Movement Rx, check out this link:  https://offers.movement-rx.com/mrx-package.

We have a special offer through November 20.  Get the coupon code below.

Part 1: Measuring Heart Rate to See if you are overtraining in Crossfit.

Part 2: Importance of Resting to avoid overtraining in Crossfit.:

Part 3: Logging Everything to make sure you’re not overtraining as a Crossfitter

To learn more about overtraining click here: The Over-Trained Athlete & What to Do About It

Picture reference: http://www.barbellsandbeards.com/training/7-signs-of-overtraining