MTBRaceNews.com posted this Q&A article and I wanted to share it here too. Give it a read and plan to improve your recovery!
Question: “How do I know if I’m training too hard? How will not having proper rest affect my overall training?”
Answer: There are two ways that someone can go about training “too hard”. First is by riding at an intensity that is too high given a specific goal for that day. This is training “too hard” on an acute scale and is very much a function of improper pacing. On a more chronic scale, riders can train “too hard” by accumulating more workload over several days or weeks then they are able to effectively recover from. In this situation, more hard training only leads to more fatigue and little or no training benefit. It seems as though your question is geared more towards this second scenario, so that’s where I’ll go with my reply.
Monitor your training and look for clues as to how well you’re recovering
In order to determine if and when you’re training too hard, it’ll be helpful to monitor your rides and keep track of the workload that you’re accumulating each day. If there’s a sharp increase in your riding volume and/or intensity that is sustained for some amount of time you’ll begin to notice the ill effects of training “too hard”. There’s a fine line between creating an overload (good thing!) and remaining overloaded for too long of a time (bad thing!). A power meter is the best way to quantify the work you’re doing on the bike, but some good notes regarding how long and how tough your rides are will go a long ways too. Consider how motivated you are to go out and do each ride, your general level of stress, your sleep quality and also your general sense of fatigue. For example, if you’re relying on even more coffee to get you through the day, this could be a warning flag to take note of. If you can note several of these factors and you’ve noticed a decrease in your performance on the bike, then it’s probable that you’re training too hard and not recovering well enough.
A quick, but important distinction to note
Overtraining is a term that a lot of riders like to use, but more accurately most of us should be saying “under-recovered” rather than “over-trained”. There are physiological markers associated with the over-trained condition and unfortunately elite level athletes can sometimes end up there. Most of us however aren’t logging nearly enough training to be medically over-trained. Being under-recovered is a very real situation that impacts all of us at some point or another.
Hard training is only as valuable as your recovery allows
Forgoing adequate recovery will reduce the overall effectiveness of your training. Training is a process of creating an overload and then recovering from it. If you’re not resting properly, your training overload won’t offer it’s full effect. It is while recovering that you actually get stronger, so skimping here does have a big impact on your training. For a given amount of training, there will be a lesser response that is achieved when your recovery is limited.
Since our training doesn’t occur in a vacuum, it’s important to balance our riding with our real lives. The body can only tolerate a certain amount of stress regardless of its source so it makes sense to find a balance that works best for you. The quality of your recovery will determine the overall effectiveness of your training. If you’re going to invest the time to train hard, then it’s wise also to allow enough down time so that you can reap the full benefit of your efforts. The best mapped out training plan will be worth very little unless proper attention is given to your recovery between hard rides or block of hard training. All of the little things add up big time here. Your sleep, nutrition, hydration, general stress level, and mental focus will all impact the quality of your recovery and ultimately the effectiveness of your training. When the training gets really hard or life gets crazy busy, something has to give…
Learn to recover better
It seems as though the longer someone is committed to training over the years (regardless of their time availability or racing level) the more they realize the importance of recovery and its impact upon their performance. Even if you don’t have additional training time, you can still realize improved fitness via better recovery.
We all want to ride fast and make the most of our training. To do so, it’s important to also acknowledge when it’s a good time to take it easy. Anxiety can play a large role in over-training and a good way to deal with it is by using natural supplements such as kratom powder, which does not only contribute to stress relief but can also be used to start the day with an energy boost. Check SacredKratom.com to learn what is kratom powder and its multiple benefits. Sometimes taking one step back from the training will allow you to make two steps forward. If you’ve been training well, but begin to plateau or lose a little desire to put in your rides – be sure to take note. If you’re feeling run down from your riding and you haven’t been getting quite enough sleep lately, then it’s likely that you’re due for a little extra recovery time. Being just a little less overloaded, but plenty motivated will yield far better training adaptation than being chronically under recovered and unmotivated.
Timing is everything and planning your training to allow for breaks is critical. The season can be long so it’s wise to not only plan for when you’ll be working hard and going fast, but also when you’ll be willing to take it easy and allow a little more recovery. The best training is hard training, but only so hard that you’re still able to recover from it. Take some notes along the way and have fun with the process as you make the most of your training and recovery.