Do you have over-training syndrome

BY JULIE SEAMER
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008

Are you guilty of over-training? Would you be aware of the warning signs, even if you were?

The symptoms of this syndrome are generally grouped under four categories:

psychological – depression, apathy, emotional instability
physiological – changes in blood pressure and resting heart rate, also heart rate changes during exercise and in recovery
biomechanical – factors including depressed muscle glycogen and depressed free testosterone
immunological – susceptibility to illness¹

Signs that you might be over-training include feeling washed-out, tired, moody and drained, mild leg-soreness or general aches and pains, headaches, sore joints, a sudden drop in performance, insomnia and headaches ^2-3.

One of the bigger problems with over-training is the increased susceptibility to injury. Is it worth it?

There exists a simple effective way to test potential Over-training Syndrome known as the Orthostatic Heart Rate Test which monitors Heart Rate Variability (HRV). This is something you can do yourself, at home:

lay down and rest in a comfortable position for 10minutes at the same time every day (morning is best)
record your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) using a heart-rate monitor or by counting your pulse for 15 seconds then multiplying by 4.
Stand up
After 15 seconds take a second heart rate
After 90 seconds have passed take a third heart rate
After 120 seconds take a fourth heart rate

It is said that a well rested athlete/person will show a consistent heart rate between measurements. Those with a marked increase (10 bpm or more) in the 120 second post-standing measurement are on the verge of over-training ⁴.

Exercise alone can increase stress on the body in certain ways, even when we aren't over-training. For instance a study in the United States concluded that oxidative stress and free radical damage are enhanced during bouts of strenuous, heavy and physical exercise ⁵. This is reason to ensure supplementation of antioxidants to protect the body.

It should also be kept in mind that exercise, particularly at high levels can deplete immune response. A study conducted on 150 runners who took part in a marathon race were studied (against people who didn't run). Symptoms of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection occurred in more than one third of runners compared to less than 15% of controls and were most common in those who achieved faster race times (indicating that the harder you push, the more toll on the body's immune system) ⁶.