Overtraining in young athletes
Overtraining isn’t just for the professionals. It's becoming more and more common in the general public with the likes of Crossfit and bootcamps. I think there are some great components to Crossfit and bootcamps and that’s why they've taken off globally but it also means you can work out at a very high intensity every day. Some people go from being really quite sedentary all day into highly explosive workouts and then back to sedentary again. It’s hard to get a balanced exercise regime especially if you’re enjoying your intense workouts, are super competitive and/or restricted for time.
But overtraining can sneak up on you. It can seem like more of a good thing will be better for you.
I always advise my clients to try and listen to their body, and make sure to have low key days in every week which might include just stretching, breath work, balance work or just a day off to relax. As crazy as it may sound, the rest will improve your performance. The body requires time to recover properly.
Key components for good recovery are-
Good quality sleep.
Good nutrition (this includes hydration too with electrolytes).
Rest.- chilling out, gentle walks, low intensity movement.
Restorative work for both body and mind like stretching, massage, time in nature.
Have a read of this article about a competitive young successful female athlete representing her country warning young athletes about overtraining and some of the unwanted side effects. This more recent article is great too which discusses RED’s in young female athletes.
Thanks for reading!
Rich
