Overtraining warning signs

You don't have to be an Olympic-level athlete to fall prey to overtraining, a very real physical condition responsible for poor performance, exhaustion and losing your 'love of the game'. The harder an overtrained athlete pushes, the worse they perform. Weeks or even months of time off is the only cure.

How do you know if overtraining has occurred? According to Dr. Steven Keteyian, it doesn't develop over a couple weeks of serious training nor does it hit athletes running 20 miles a week or an equivalent effort in another sport. Keteyian says you're typically logging more miles/effort to begin with (e.g., 40 to 70 weekly running miles), then after pushing that number even higher (80-100 miles), your times drop and fatigue sets in. That definition does not include the majority of fitness fans.

However according to respected author and endurance expert Dr. Philip Maffetone, without proper recovery, even low intensity training can result in overtraining. He suggests it may be more helpful to consider overtraining as a syndrome, developing over three distinct stages. Read Maffetone's The Overtraining Syndrome to see if your training regimen is triggering overtraining symptoms from subtle Stage One, classic Stage Two or chronic and debilitating Stage Three.