We all want to achieve big things when it comes to rowing, and in general there is nothing wrong with having high expectations of yourself and setting goals that are both challenging and a little out of reach if you want to truly want to get better in this sport. However what if rowing becomes the focal point of your life, overriding everything else? Chances are there’s a huge risk that you’ll end up overtraining – and yet, not getting the results you wanted because you don’t allow yourself to recover properly.
To keep making progress and to achieve success as an athlete, you need to be more than an athlete.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF OVERTRAINING.
The early warning signs of balance slipping away may be different for you but whatever they are, it’s important you learn to recognize them.
“If you ignore those first signs, you’ll soon start to exhibit symptoms that you can’t just shrug off.”
- The usual signs of overtraining and stress overload are:
- Your workouts aren’t going as well as usual
- You’re injured or ill often
- You’re tired all the time (and when tired, more prone to opt for unhealthy snacks)
- You’re constantly agitated and snap at the people close to you
- You’re unable to focus on anything
- You forget things
- You lose empathy for others and their feelings
- You struggle to control your own emotions and reactions (which are extreme and highly negative)
HOW TO REGAIN BALANCE AFTER OVERTRAINING
If these symptoms ring a bell, you may be overtraining and on your way to burnout. But that doesn’t mean it’s too late to stop and change course.
Here’s what we at Dark Horse have found useful to regain balance:
- FACE THE FACTS
Then think about what you need to do differently to optimize your recovery. If you have data available, look at the numbers: Have you recovered between your workouts?
Your training and recovery data can reveal some surprising facts and separate what you think you did from what you actually did. Many people are surprised when they think they train enough but data shows they actually train too much while not getting enough quality sleep. - DO ONE THING AT A TIME
Freedom of choice is awesome, until you actually have to choose. But you have to choose because if you try to clean the whole mess with one quick sweep, chances are you’ll miss a spot or two. It’s better to focus on one thing at a time and get that one piece right before moving on to the next one. - MAKE GOOD DECISIONS EASIER FOR YOURSELF
If you find yourself overtraining and off-balance, the changes you need to do to increase your wellbeing and get back on track aren’t necessarily huge. In fact, more often than not, they are tiny, like turning off autoplay on Netflix – that will give you a few more seconds to decide whether to keep watching or go to bed.
It’s about making good decisions a little easier and bad decisions a little harder for yourself.
Again, the new thing you try doesn’t have to be huge, but it can make a huge difference. Being aware of the little things is huge component of long term development. Not only do we want you rowing but we want you rowing healthy. Be smart out there team and let’s make sure 2019 isnt the year of overtraining!
Coach John
Photo by Kristopher Roller on Unsplash