Does Over-Reaching Lead to Over-Training?

Fatigue from over-training is something most endurance athletes may experience at one time or another. The KT Tape team has met some amazing endurance athletes who suffer from fatigue resulting from over-training. Over-reaching can lead to an over-trained body, effects of which might last for a few hours, days or worse a couple of months. According to Dave Scott from Triathalon magazine, listening to your body and knowing the signs of an over-trained body  is important. Dave Scott says, "Endurance athletes are particularly vulnerable to physical overload. Too much progressive training combined with incomplete recovery can create an over-reached athlete and an over-trained body."   The term over-reaching is described as short-term overload that can be managed in a few days. Over-reaching continuously can lead to an over-trained body which can take the body longer to recover. With proper rest in between workouts is the best option to not becoming over-trained. "First, it's important to recognize that an athlete who repeatedly overloads his or her body without allowing adequate recovery time will eventually reach a state that requires rest. The length of the required rest period is one difference between over-reaching and over-training.  Secondly, over-reaching symptoms can sometimes be masked by an overzealous, type-A athlete. An athlete and/or a coach must objectively recognize the patterns and fluctuations in a training year to prevent the compromised results that accompany chronic over-training," says Scott. "The three training parameters that dictate success for an endurance athlete are progression, overload and recovery. Without repeated days, weeks and months of workloads that break down and rebuild you, physiological progress would come to a standstill." Over-training and over-reaching can be controlled by recognizing early symptoms and following required patterns of recovery. These recovery periods are designed to ensure your body is given ample time to rebuild. Ideally, never compromise proper recovery for another hard training session. For a successful endurance plan, the key to improving is progression, overload and recovery. "Use all three forms of training to maximize your training and racing potential. Recovery is not an excuse; it is a necessity," summarizes Scott. To read the complete article follow this link.