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Overtraining

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Fatty is talking about overtraining as a possible excuse for not riding, and mentions Friel's statement on overtraining ()

Less than one-tenth of one percent of the general population is capable of attaining such a feat.

That's a pretty powerful statement, and Fatty uses it to assert that only the upper level of pro athetes can overtrain (it's not clear to me if his statement is another Friel quote, or a paraphrase, hyperbole, or the product of too much of "the best cake in the world")

To me, what it comes down to is this question:

Is my overall fitness level going to be better if I:

a) train today?
b) rest today?

If the answer is "b" and you train today *anyway*, you are overtraining. Of course, there are some caveats - your "training" today might be more "active rest" than training.

So, how many cyclists overtrain? Well, my experience is that many people - especially those who like to push "until I start getting tunnel vision" - tend to have trouble controlling their intensity. Friel says:

Generally, a week should have at least as many recovery workouts as hard workouts, if not more. Every third or fourth week there needs to be a period of greatly reduced training with an emphasis on rejuvenation.

Carmichael says something similar.

So, anyway, my point - and there is a point this time - is that many - if not most - serious recreational athletes are in danger of overtraining now and then. I have a friend (no, really, a friend...) who would ride his bike "all out" for 75 minutes every night for a period of months. I don't see how he could be anything but overtrained.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2005
    So the "rebuttal" to fatty's excuse, if you are overtrained and you didn't ride, he really should have a recovery ride instead of resting. For somebody who can't poker face very well, I can never get away with such an excuse.
  • Anonymous
    December 08, 2005
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2005
    interesting. i'm not a biker, but in the weightlifting world ... it's hard not to overtrain. if you have to choose between training or resting ... the answer should almost always be rest. muscles need food and rest to heal, not sure how that is different in the world of biking, although it is an endurance sport
  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2005
    I was going to ask the same thing Casey did. I find it difficult to not go to the gym, even if I am tired... Then again, 6 days a week (yes, I do cycle my routines), is a bit much...
  • Anonymous
    December 09, 2005
    The comment has been removed
  • Anonymous
    December 10, 2005
    Essentially, I agree with you -- just about anyone can push themselves into what is now understood by most people as overtraining. What Friel is calling overtrained, most people would call CFT.

    Off-topic, but I went on the first 3-hr ride I've done in more than a month today, on my fixie. I am now completely cooked. It's astounding to me that I have lost all my fitness in such a short time, but evidently I have.