Hard Training=Draining

[40 cent]

Hey,

Firstly, please don’t think im being a hypochondriac for writing all of this, I understand there are people much worse off than me, but im just seeking advice and suggestions.

Ive done kyokushin karate for around 2.5 years and I compete full contact whenever I can. I have a good fitness/cardio level, and also feel that my conditioning and strength is at a good level. Im 21, so I want to push myself as hard as I can and make the most of my ‘strong’ years.

I train three times a week at my dojo, Monday wed and Friday, and these classes are always real hard, with sparring and high intensity basics etc for an hour and a half, then we do conditioning after class. I usually also do some form of exercise on Tuesday and Thursdays, this isn’t as high intensity or as long but enough to lift the heart rate. I want to start doing kickboxing and I am thinking of going to a kickboxing gym on these two evenings.

I also go to the gym and push weight 3 times a week.

Also, I usually train in the mornings. This is bag work and skipping for around 45 mins.

So its basically nearly a complete program, which is what I want and what I am strongly motivated towards. However, im really getting drained. I find myself having to miss mornings and miss nights here and there just coz I don’t feel great. A lot of the time I have to push myself to class. Now once I get there, I perform fine, I forget about my tiredness and I can pump it out, but come the morning time…damn

*im at university so my workload in the daytime isn’t particularly high

Ok now I haven’t simply ramped myself onto this program. Ive done the weights for two years, and ive trained 3 times a week in the evenings for two years. The morning training has been on and off all of this year, Tuesdays and Thursdays ive always been active. So I haven’t all of sudden rushed into it. I just want to know why im having so much trouble putting it all together. Am I overtraining and not thinking enough about recovery and so forth?

Having said that, I have not really increased the amount of sleep I get (around 6 to 8 hours). Could this be a problem? Additionally, my diet is healthy but not PERFECT. I eat the correct food groups and everything, but by no means am I super strict on what I eat and don’t eat. Could this be contributing to my problems? Since I am trying to train so regularly should I be nailing a perfectly supplemented diet day in day out?

Its something that I have to address because training hard and to my full capability is something I have to do. Just don’t want to have a lul hanging over me and a constant dull/drained headache feeling. So yeah, any advice on how to train smarter/recover smarter or what could be causing my problems would be sensational. And any questions, feel free to ask

Thanks

gw

[Aodhan]

You're overtraining. Plain and simple. The tiredness and lethargy is your body's way of saying "Hey, slow down!"

Listen to it. Continuing to overtrain can lead to a whole host of medical problems, some of which can be very lingering and nasty. Your body needs time to heal itself and recover, and if you are hammering yourself 4 times a week and then working out on the off days as well, your body never gets to recover.

Training to your full capacity doesn't mean thrashing yourself 6 days a week.

Aodhan

[Sohan]

Just wanted to add a couple things to what Aodhan said:

---True overtraining doesn't occur overnight. If this were a short-term occurance, it would be termed "overreaching" which is easily remedied by a week of increased sleep and enhanced carbohydrate intake. Your situation sounds more chronic, so you likely will need a longer period of recovery because it does indeed appear you are overtrained.

---6-8 hours of sleep isn't enough for a college kid who's pushing it like you are. 9-10 is more like it. Skimp on rest and you don't recover---which is crucial for a young guy like you. Remember that you secrete more growth hormone in the second half of your night's sleep, so if you only get 7 hours, your body doesn't get the sufficient hormonal response needed to rebuild.

--Recommendation? Take a week off COMPLETELY, then cut back on some of your workouts for about a month. Up your complex carb intake and take a multivitamin, if you're not already. Drink plenty of water and get at least 20-25 grams of protein 5-6 times per day.

With respect,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

Hey, Sohan, I need you to come be my personal trainer!!!

[Sohan]

Hey, Sohan, I need you to come be my personal trainer!!!

You bet! Cover my airfare to Kansas, and I'll see ya twice a week.

With respect,

Sohan

[bushido_man96]

Hey, Sohan, I need you to come be my personal trainer!!!

You bet! Cover my airfare to Kansas, and I'll see ya twice a week.

With respect,

Sohan

.....aaaahhhh.....I'll see what I can do! (Gotta win the lotto!)

[40 cent]

ok thanks very much for the advise, ill definately adhere to it, the diagnosis does sound correct.

the problem is, im still fighting and grading, and mentally i would feel weak backing off a bit....i grade in 3 weeks and i am then back in fight season...what can i do with this in mind? or is the solution ceasing training for a while?

to get back to full health, would it be enough to nail my diet, go to bed earlier and perhaps take short naps after sessions during the day?

[Aodhan]

Ok, if you have a grading and then fight season coming up, then you REALLY need to take the time off. At the very least, take 4 or 5 days off and rest completely. Take that time to plan out a menu, go shopping, stretch, relax.

In 4 or 5 days you won't really lose any fitness (Go for a walk if you need to do SOMEthing), and the rest you get will really serve you well. Then do your workouts lightly up to your grading (Say, 60-70%).

Also, during your time off, plan your workouts. Most seasonal type sports will start kind of slow, peak about 3-5 weeks before the biggest events, then taper down. The length and time of the taper is pretty much athlete dependent.

For example: Our high school cross country season started in august, continued through mid november.

June - July : Workouts on our own, lots of LSD (Long Slow Distance).

August - Increase the distance, start adding hill workouts (fartlek), pick up the pace on the long runs

September - More interval and hill type training, adding distance per week, picking up the intensity - Peak mileage towards the end of the month

October - Start scaling back the mileage, more intense interval work, fartlek, hills, sprints, etc. Last week really start cutting back mileage

November - Last 2 weeks before conference/state meets - Cut way back on mileage, light hills and sprints, lots of rest.

A very basic scale/peak/taper for one event. If you have a couple of big fights, you can do the same thing (It's called a mini taper) before each event, and then do a full taper/scaleback before your biggest fight. (Work with a coach, a 3 week taper might be a bit much for a fight)

And always pay attention to your body. If you notice that you are dragging butt at your workouts, etc. take a day off. One day off won't hurt your training, and you can recover your rest/sleep on that day.

Aodhan

[40 cent]

ok thanks, im taking it all on board. should i be trying to keep my cardio up ALL the time? for instance, should i be doing hard bag workouts every morning throughout the week? i should i focus more on bag workouts/intense focus mit work, say, 6 weeks out for a fight, then taper off a week out? id be happy just stretching in the mornings for a while i guess...

also had some interesting developments. i went to a nose specialist today, and i have bung cartledge in my nose from having it broken bout a year ago, and also have congestion and really badly blocked innner ears...this could have something to do with the tiredness and dull headaches right? on the waiting list for an operation..:s

thanks heaps for the replies! all been real good

[Sohan]

Aodhan makes a great point about not losing fitness over 4-5 days off.

When I was training for the Chicago Marathon a few years back, I was putting in a lot of miles, topping off with 102 about four weeks out from the race. Typically you taper about three weeks prior to a marathon, but my taper was going badly, and about a week before the race I was really worn out. Because I was getting annoying muscle pulls and aches, I made a difficult decision to just stop running altogether for the last 6 days before the race. The day before the race I ran a very easy 2 miles to loosen up, then the day of the race I felt really rested and strong and ran a PR by about 11 minutes.

Rest helps. Take it before you really need it so you will stay strong and injury free. Nothing wrong with hard workouts provided you recover in between.

With respect,

Sohan