Feeling 'It'

It will unfortunately be a fitting topic for today's blog as we talk about the harsh reality of over-training. While most times it is the pro-fighters that run the greatest risk of doing this, it is good for the average student to keep in mind how this obstacle can ambush the best of us. I'm on the verge of over-training and so, I'm taking a couple of weeks off.

For one thing, the truth is that you do feel it coming on. Your body will simply want more in the way of rest, food, and mental downtime. This is part of the recovery process and therefore must carefully be weighed against the need to push forward in training in order to reach the next level--don't take today's topic as an excuse to quit everyday.

Most common effects from over-training are lingering injuries and stress. Therefore a good sign to look for is when small things are bothering you a lot more than they should. A stumped toe can take days to heal if your body is struggling to recoup. A simple armbar technique can utterly frustrate you if your mind cannot focus. In the case of the common student, a day away from the gym along with a bit of a cheat meal and some extra sleep can work wonders. For the active competitor, the idea of soldiering on should be weighed next to the possibility of moving up a light training session or reducing contact for just a day. Fighters should also find outlets for their outlets so to speak. While training can help you blow off steam, after you take it on competitively, you should look for other means of stress relief and distraction--guilty but lazy pleasure (mine being playing old school video games).

The most important thing to know is that over-training works as a progressive and multiplying factor. A small bruise on its own will heal in a couple of days. A small bruise after, say, a broken nose, a sprained ankle, and a minor concussion can leave you feeling crippled. Mental mistakes linger as well. Feeling slow for a drill is not so bad. Feeling slow after having a bad sparring session, botching a technique, and feeling weak can drive some otherwise capable athletes to thoughts of giving up. The goal is to then realize what is happening to you and do what you must in order to keep it in check.

I for one am a big proponent of taking time off between bouts as needed. Some fights will leave you unscathed and you feel great through multiple overlapping training camps, but you must factor in the time you have put into training. There is a reason that people don't train 16 weeks leading up to a fight, the body and mind cannot handle that. So to justify fighting 4 times with 4 weeks training all in a row makes one wonder if this is any different. Remember there's a difference between being able to drag dog through it, and being able to do it well.

That said, allow yourself to train smarter. Maybe work on just technique for a bit. Maybe go for light cardio. Reduce your lifting, etc... It helps keep you in the game longer. It's not a machismo competition if you're barely making it through training.

NOTES:

Watch what you take: It's very common to take pain relievers to help you through a particular injury. However, what's also very common is for this to have a masking effect as you won't feel new injuries as they appear. Try to reduce pain relievers as much as you can. Avoid pain killers. Professionals have to battle through injury but don't make it dangerous.

I can hack it: Yes. If you're human, you will have the mind over matter trick on your side. But it's not a testament to your toughness to train with serious and debilitating injury. The reality is that you're not special and while it can be commendable, it can also be remarkably stupid. Training with a bad injury can literally affect the rest of your life.

Sick?: Over-training, at its worst, feels like a nasty case of the flu. That's right, you can literally give yourself aching pain over your entire body, dizziness, fever, nausea, asthma, joint damage, and other long lasting side-effects. Frankly, your body will quit on you. There is nothing you can do at that point. Don't let it happen.