Overtraining as bad as undertraining

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: How do I tell if I am overtraining? I maintain a steady schedule of vigorous weight and cardio training. I periodically take weeklong mountain biking trips where I may average riding 85 miles a day on consecutive days. Following my last trip and for the first time, I suffered fatigue and a major drop in energy level. After 10 days of rest, I feel better, but I am concerned that I may be losing my ability to recover and causing harm to my body.

My cardio routine is two to six hours a week on my bike, and three to four hours a week in the gym. My weightlifting routine is three days a week and covers all major muscle groups. How do I know when to back off? — G.D.

ANSWER: Overtraining can be as harmful as no training. It’s a state of physical and psychological stress brought on by far too much work and far too little rest. Burnout is a popular word for it. Long-distance runners and long-distance swimmers are the ones most likely to fall into the overtraining trap.

Your program is demanding, but only you can judge if it has passed the line between a healthy level of exercise and a harmful one. Fatigue and a drop in energy are two signs of overdoing things.

Other signs include a decrease in strength and coordination, chronic muscle soreness, loss of appetite, unrefreshing sleep, poor performance and a loss of interest in your exercise routine.

A rise in the resting pulse rate is an objective indication that you are spending too much time in exercise and giving yourself too little rest. The resting pulse is taken in the morning while you’re still in bed. Don’t take it immediately after the alarm has rung. Lie quietly for five minutes, and then take it. If the resting heart rate has increased by five to 10 beats a minute, that’s a sign that you’re overdoing.

Rest is the cure. You don’t have to be completely inactive. Three to five weeks of light exercise should free you from the symptoms of overtraining. You also might want to devise a new program. Performing the same routine week after week puts your muscles in a rut, and little progress is made.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: Are you familiar with something called circuit resistance? I have heard it talked about. It’s supposed to combine cardio training with resistance training. I’d like to combine the two to save some time. — P.R.

ANSWER: Circuit resistance goes by many names. It’s easy to do in a gym, where there are many stations of weightlifting machines. You can do it at home if you have enough equipment.

The idea is to lift moderately heavy weights for as many repetitions as you can in half a minute. Then, after a 15-second rest, move quickly to the next station, where you perform a different weightlifting exercise for the same amount of time and as many reps as you can.

Each station is set up for a different muscle group — biceps, triceps, chest, back, upper legs, lower legs and so on. Anywhere from eight to 15 stations are involved. To be sure you’re giving your heart a workout, get the heart beating somewhat fast and keep it at that level throughout the entire session.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I’m not new to exercise, but I have taken a long vacation from it, 10 years. I started again and experienced something new. My muscles ached not the day after exercise but on the third day, and they stayed sore for quite some time. Is this unusual? — R.R.

ANSWER: That’s delayed-onset muscle soreness. You might begin to feel a little sore on the day after exercise, but pain reaches a maximum in 48 to 72 hours and lasts three to eight days. It’s due to tiny muscle tears and inflammation of the tissues that surround muscles.

A brief vacation from exercise cures it. Massage helps, as does a whirlpool or soaking in warm water.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com.

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