Overtraining syndrome in athletes can be extremely debilitating, frustrating, and potentially damaging to the body and mind if left untreated. It is estimated around 60% of athletes will experience overtraining syndrome at some point in their athletic career (1). The problem is, it can often disguise itself and be hard to determine exactly what is causing it. 

Most coaches or mentors tell you to push through it…but is that truly what you should do? Read on to learn more about the 5 secrets of overtraining syndrome in athletes and what you can do about it.

First off…what is overtraining syndrome?

Basically, overtraining syndrome happens when an athlete fails to recover adequately from training and competition. Most often it occurs when you don’t have the right amount of rest and nutrition to repair the muscles you’ve worked so hard in your training, thus leading to burnout, fatigue, and a decline in systems.

When your body is fighting to recover, as in any disease or inflammatory state, it starts to “fall behind” trying to keep up with the demand. It focuses on trying to find homeostasis, even though chaos is ensuing in the body. If you continuously put demand on your body when in fact it actually needs rest and nourishment, you can often be overtrained. Thus, leading to overtraining syndrome (1).

Symptoms of overtraining syndrome in athletes include:

• Chronic muscle and joint pain
• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Unexplained weight gain
• Increased heart rate at rest
• Decreased sports performance
• Fatigue
• Prolonged recovery time
• Lack of enthusiasm
• Frequent illnesses
• Depression & anxiety

If you’re checking off any of the boxes above, you probably have overtraining syndrome. The good news is you don’t have to get an official diagnosis to figure out a plan of action moving forward. You can start NOW medication-free.

Individual recovery times will vary. If you take a complete break from your sport, you can expect to see improvements within a few weeks. However, it may take up to a few months before you’re fully healed (1,2). During this time, you can do gentle exercise to stay active. We’ll dive into what you can do later to beat overtraining syndrome in the article!

First though, we must talk about the secrets of overtraining syndrome:

Secret #1: It can happen to anyone.

Many people believe overtraining syndrome only happens in endurance athletes. Although yes, it does occur frequently in this group, there are plenty of athletes who overtrain that don’t workout the same as endurance athletes. For example, a golfer who swings the club for 9 hours+ every day is still at the same risk of developing overtraining syndrome as the ultrarunner. 

It also doesn’t matter what level of an athlete you are. You could be a brand new runner training for your first 5K race and experience overtraining syndrome. You might be 10 years old or 100 years old. Everyone is at risk for overtraining syndrome if they aren’t careful with their training regimine. It is always important to listen to your body (1,2,3). 

Secret #2: If left untreated, it can wreak havoc on your health. 

This isn’t a secret to scare you, but it is the truth. If you continuously beat your body down without giving it proper rest and recovery, your body will react by increasing inflammation, depleting nutrient stores, and dysregulating hormones. This will cause a domino effect on your health (2).

Here’s a prime example. A patient of mine who used to be a collegiate runner walked into my office looking to lose weight. She used to run herself into the ground, and finally quit after a year of injury. This ripple effect impacted her mental health, destroyed her confidence, and contributed to a sedentary lifestyle that caused her to gain 30 pounds. She wanted to run again, but the burnout was real. She couldn’t even run without having a major breakdown.

My first priority with her was to get her healthy. So we did just that. We practiced mindful eating, food journaling, confidence exercises, and light activity. Why? Because the ripple effect was causing her body to continuously be in “fight or flight” mode, which signaled high inflammation, stress, depression, anxiety, low confidence, weight gain, and a plethora of other symptoms. We needed to keep her body nourished and healthy while she healed and she wouldn’t be ready for more intense activity until she was healed..

Six months later, she strapped on a pair of running shoes and felt the positive rush of emotions that brought her joy at one point in her life. She started seeing slow and steady weight loss, and felt confident in herself again. REST is BEST (more on this later).

Secret #3: It can be an explanation for your mental health.

Overtraining syndrome is way more than just physical. It’s also mental (2). Any time our body is fighting internally, it’s going to affect how we think and feel. If you feel like crap inside, you’ll think like crap!

If you’re an athlete with cyclical anxiety and depression, take a step back and look at your training regime. You might be overtraining your body, which is overtraining your mind!

Secret #4: Nutrition plays a vital role in getting through it.

The first thought for many athletes is to reduce caloric intake. Why? It seems quite simple in their minds: if they’re going to be taking time to “rest” and overcome overtraining syndrome, they won’t need to eat as much…right?

WRONG.

If you read my blog post about nutrition for injury, you’ll see there are certain nutrients that are needed to help speed the process of recovery. Even though overtraining syndrome isn’t exactly an injury, your body is still depleted of certain nutrients and needs proper caloric, protein, fat, carb, and micronutrient intake to heal (1,2,3).

The first step I usually take with an athlete who is experiencing overtraining syndrome is to establish an eating routine. Something like this:

Breakfast: Protein + Fruit + Whole Grain

Snack: Protein + Veggie/Fruit

Lunch: 2 proteins + Whole grain + Veggie

Snack: Protein + Veggie/Fruit

Dinner: 2 proteins + Whole grain + Veggie

Snack: Fruit + Protein

Although it looks different for everyone, following a similar structure will ensure proper nutrient intake to optimize recovery AND reduce inflammation in the body. As we learned earlier, inflammation can occur if the body is overtrained and underfueled (4).

Supplementation may also be appropriate, especially if stress levels are high and inflammation seems to be occurring. 1200 mg of omega-3 fish oil, a b-complex vitamin, and good multivitamin with trace minerals is a good starting protocol. 

When the body is stressed and inflamed, fish oil and B-vitamins can often help steer the body into recovery mode. This is generally a case-by-case basis, but can often help along with a structured eating plan!

Secret #5: You CAN overcome it.

Yes, to improve your performance you need to work through hard things, but you need to be able to recognize when your body has had enough. Pushing it past its limits consistently can put you at risk for overtraining your muscles AND your mind. 

The best way to overcome overtraining syndrome for athletes is to do the following:

• REDUCE training. Yes, I said it. Stop running for a week or lifting heavy weights. Do some cross-training to keep your fitness up, but give your body a break.
• EAT more. Your body is probably depleted of essential nutrients, and eating less won’t give you adequate energy to recover efficiently.
• REST UP! Make sure to catch your zzzzz’s, 8-9 hours every night. When we get deep sleep, our bodies work to recover the body’s systems.
• CALM your fight-or-flight mode. Stress will only make overtraining syndrome worse. Do something that is calming, like a gentle yoga class or guided meditation. Slow down and let the body work its magic.
• WORK WITH A COACH. Yes, a coach who has been through it before (eh em…that’s me) and who knows what nutrients to focus on. Schedule a call with me today so we can get you through this together!

Key takeaways: Overtraining Syndrome in Athletes 

Overtraining syndrome can feel like a big set-back. I know the feeling – I’ve experienced it in the past. Not tending to it though is what catapulted me into a spiral of hormone imbalances, depression, anxiety, and eventually quitting the sport. I don’t want this to happen to you! Reach out to me if you have (or even think you have) overtraining syndrome. We can work through this together and get you on the right track to overcome it and get back to your athletic goals!

References:

1. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Overtraining_Syndrome
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435910/
3. https://journals.lww.com/acsm-csmr/fulltext/2015/05000/overtraining_syndrome.7.aspx#O3-7-2
4. https://www.fwdfuel.com/symptoms-of-undereating/