How do you deal with overtraining?

H

hippahips

Cathlete
Hi Cathe, I have been doing your workouts for four months now. I didn't need to lose weight but needed to gain muscle and get stronger. For strength training, I've been rotating among your PS series, PUB and PLB, Power Hour and MIS, and S&H. I usually do two upper body strength workouts and two lower body strength workouts a week. In between I do cardio (IMAX 2 being my favorite) -- how intense or how long (30 minutes or an hour) depends on how I feel that day -- and lots of ab work.

I have been quite successful with your workouts. Or you can say that your workouts have been successful in kicking my butt the way it needs to be kicked.:) I have never been this toned or this strong in my life. However, I've been feeling quite fatigued lately and am planning on laying back for maybe a couple of weeks. I think I've been overtraining. How do I keep fit for the time being? I don't want to just cut off exercising as I've come so far. In the same token, I want my body to get some rest.

Thanks,
Pinky

P.S. My 3-year-old son loves to watch your workouts. I was doing Power Max once. He jumped on the bed and tried to imitate your moves. He's also learned to flex his arms. He claims he has biceps. You have just influenced the next generation of exercisers.
 
>
>P.S. My 3-year-old son loves to watch your workouts. I was
>doing Power Max once. He jumped on the bed and tried to
>imitate your moves. He's also learned to flex his arms. He
>claims he has biceps. You have just influenced the next
>generation of exercisers.


Pinky,

This is really just a reply to your P.S. (I hope you don't mind!) My younger son, who'll be 5 in November, is obviously impressed by my exercising to Cathe's tapes. Sometimes he'll try to join me, mainly during the cool downs, or else by picking up some 1-lb dumb bells I have, and imitating the exercises. When he gets mad at me, he tells me if I don't do what he wants, no exercise for me!
 
Hi, Pinky. I'm obviously not Cathe, but I thought I'd respond because our goals and workouts seem to be similar (e.g., strength tapes, Imax2, and lots of ab work).

I think it's great that you're listening to your body and planning on backing off for a week or two.

One thing I like to do when I feel my body needs a rest is power yoga almost exclusively for a week or so. I'm always trying to fit more yoga into my routine anyway and I find that concentrating on yoga for a short time really helps to improve my poses, plus I gain flexibility and don't lose much, if any, in the strength department.

This week I have a sinus infection and feel kind of drained, but I still feel like working out. So I'm doing easier cardio (I did Step Heat today) and shorter, easier strength videos (The Firm Tough Tape).

(BTW, doing Tough Tape for the first time in ages really made me appreciate how wonderful Cathe videos are. There's absolutely no comparison!)
 
Hi Susan, thanks for the advice. Actually, I have a bunch of yoga tapes in my possession that I haven't tried yet because I've just been so addicted to Cathe.:) But I'll take a week off and do some yoga like you suggested. I'm also planning on taking long walks around the neighborhood with my little boy instead of doing cardio now that it's no longer too hot here in Texas.

And Lisa, isn't it amazing how kids react when they watch these exercise videos? My son is enrolled in a program called Stretch and Grow in his jr. pre-K class and he looks forward to it every week. And last night, I took the time to stretch while waiting for him to get tired of playing in the tub. He looked up at me and said, "Mama, your arms are big." Then he flexed his biceps again. Real funny.:) Well, at least I know my Cathe workouts are effective. But I'll lay low for a while.

Thanks for your responses.
 
Pinky,

Thank you for your kind response. I was afraid after I sent it that it might be seen as frivilous, since I just talked about my son. I have to say that I am proud though, that he realizes that exercise is important to me, and sees that as something that I would be upset to not be able to do. My mom has always exercised, although just walking and light weights. I think she has certainly been an influence on me in that regard, and I hope that my son's comments are an indication that I'm doing the same for him.

Speaking of not exercising, I'm starting my second week with no workouts. I came down with a bad cold that turned into bronchitis, probably in part because I didn't heed the advice about laying off exercise when it gets in your chest. I thought if I just did strength I'd be okay. Apparently I was wrong, because I got sicker than I've been in a while. Anyway, I'm hoping to do some pilates or yoga this week, and maybe be back to Cathe (maybe!) by next weekend. I'm especially disappointed because I ordered one of the Troy Lite barbells, and it arrived on Friday. I had been doing a PS rotation, and I am anxious to see if the new barbell makes a difference.

Anyway, thanks again.
 
Hi Lisa,

Your response was NOT AT ALL frivolous. With the growing obesity epidemic among children all over the world, it IS important to teach children about fitness at an early age and to lead by example, which is what you're doing for your child.:)

I hope you feel better. I'm dreading the coming cold season myself because I'm so prone to sinus infections when the temperatures plummet. I'll go back to working out next week. I tried my yoga tapes (by Yoga Zone) but wasn't too thrilled with them, but I guess they're better than nothing. Now that I'm resting, I'm able to read a few books I bought a long time ago but never had a chance to enjoy. I've been hearing a lot about those Troy Lite barbells. If it does make a difference to you, let me know.

Pinky
 
Pinky,

I'll definitely let you know about the Troy Lite barbell. Also, I hope that you can stay well this winter.

Thanks, again!
 
Hi Pinky! Sorry that I am getting here so late. I hope you are feeling much better. How great of you to be listening to your body and recognizing that you need to cut back when you feel overly fatigued. When I encounter this feeling, I take anywhere from three days to two weeks off depending on the situation. Even the times that I have taken the full two weeks off, my body came back stronger and much more refreshed. I had great lifts and at times put up even more then my usual weight.

The best advise I can give is to evaluate just how bad you feel first. If it is related to illness, you are probably best off taking off entirely if it is accompanied by a chest infection and/or fever.

If you are injured locally, then definitely do not use the affected area until it heals (other than rehab exercises after a few days off).

If it is due to lack of sleep or not enough recovery time, then ususally three days off are good (but you will know if you need more).

If you are just not feeling motivated, and simply need some inspiration, then only do the workouts that you feel like doing for a few days before adding in the others that you know you should be including as well. And more importantly, only do this if you feel that you "need" to do something. If guilt is not an issue then do other activities all together for a few days to simply rejuvenate your spirit.

Good luck and I hope you feel better really soon! :)
 
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