6 ms·

there's a lot of bro science regarding overtraining. almost all of the time it's actually undersleeping and undereating, i.e. recovery is the limiting factor. b

by stefs 4y ago

there's a lot of bro science regarding overtraining. almost all of the time it's actually undersleeping and undereating, i.e. recovery is the limiting factor. back then i was single, didn't work full time and also had flexible work time, so sleeping 8-10 hours a night and eating huge heaps of food every day was the norm. endurance sports are a little different in some aspects, mostly body weight management. i'm not the biggest fan of rippetoe. e.g. the article you linked is at least partially bullshit for high(er) level athletes (i only skimmed it though). it's important to keep the audience in mind though; it may be valuable advice for _some_.

tsol 4y ago
The way I've heard it is 'what most people think is overtraining is underrecovering'. My brother is a sports medicine doctor and what he told me is that actual overtraining is pretty much only seen in real athletes after months of sustained excessive training. What most people go through is actually called 'overreaching' and while it's not optimal you can keep going if you recover properly.
- Daishiman 4y ago
  Most of the professional athletes I've met get 10-12 hours of sleep. Now that I do lifting I need a solid 9 hours of sleep to recover and I need to stuff my face full of food to make gains. Not impossible but certainly something that a lot of people can't do consistently if they want to have a job and do other things in life. Getting a half day of rest is almost a luxury for many.
  - stefs 4y ago
    yes, i usually slept without an alarm and there's a very noticable difference of about 2 hours between training and non-training days (i.e. 7 vs. 9 hours). i'm not a professional athlete, i'm a motivated amateur. non-athletes often think it's nice to eat whatever you want and not gain weight, but it's actually quite unpleasant to having to force feed yourself all the time; not at least because you start wanting to eat certain meals - with a purpose. it took me a ridiculous amount of time and effort to put on some mass. i used to go to the gym because i was bored. when i didn't feel great, i went to the gym because i knew i'd feel better afterwards. the gym was my safe space and my default activity. now that i have a family conditions have changed considerably; training is usually done late at night, in between obligations or on a few "me time" weekend hours for longer bike rides. works well enough, i can't complain.
- stefs 4y ago
  as they say: "you get stronger on rest days". this applies to both endurance and strength sports. the trick is to use your rest days productively; it doesn't necessarily require being inactive (for those who really want to go all in). also, there's the principle of polarized training (for endurance sports): "go easy on the easy days, go hard on the hard days", because if you go to hard on the easy days, you can't go hard enough on the hard days. a lot of people are under the impression that giving 100% every time, every day is the best way, probably thanks to years of training montages of sly dragging sleds through waist deep snow and karate-kid ... idk, kicking a tree really hard or whatever karate kid does, when actually it just leads to exhaustion and burnout.
whydoyoucare 4y ago
Spot on, the article does begin with this sentence: "If you are a competitive distance runner or cyclist who is serious about your sport, this article has not been written for you."
- stefs 4y ago
  funnily enough, dedicated strength training (i.e. heavy squats) is one of the most effective methods to improve the performance of endurance athletes (especially cyclists).

by stefs 4y ago

tsol 4y ago

The way I've heard it is 'what most people think is overtraining is underrecovering'. My brother is a sports medicine doctor and what he told me is that actual overtraining is pretty much only seen in real athletes after months of sustained excessive training. What most people go through is actually called 'overreaching' and while it's not optimal you can keep going if you recover properly.

Daishiman 4y ago
Most of the professional athletes I've met get 10-12 hours of sleep. Now that I do lifting I need a solid 9 hours of sleep to recover and I need to stuff my face full of food to make gains. Not impossible but certainly something that a lot of people can't do consistently if they want to have a job and do other things in life. Getting a half day of rest is almost a luxury for many.
- stefs 4y ago
  yes, i usually slept without an alarm and there's a very noticable difference of about 2 hours between training and non-training days (i.e. 7 vs. 9 hours). i'm not a professional athlete, i'm a motivated amateur. non-athletes often think it's nice to eat whatever you want and not gain weight, but it's actually quite unpleasant to having to force feed yourself all the time; not at least because you start wanting to eat certain meals - with a purpose. it took me a ridiculous amount of time and effort to put on some mass. i used to go to the gym because i was bored. when i didn't feel great, i went to the gym because i knew i'd feel better afterwards. the gym was my safe space and my default activity. now that i have a family conditions have changed considerably; training is usually done late at night, in between obligations or on a few "me time" weekend hours for longer bike rides. works well enough, i can't complain.
stefs 4y ago
as they say: "you get stronger on rest days". this applies to both endurance and strength sports. the trick is to use your rest days productively; it doesn't necessarily require being inactive (for those who really want to go all in). also, there's the principle of polarized training (for endurance sports): "go easy on the easy days, go hard on the hard days", because if you go to hard on the easy days, you can't go hard enough on the hard days. a lot of people are under the impression that giving 100% every time, every day is the best way, probably thanks to years of training montages of sly dragging sleds through waist deep snow and karate-kid ... idk, kicking a tree really hard or whatever karate kid does, when actually it just leads to exhaustion and burnout.

whydoyoucare 4y ago

Spot on, the article does begin with this sentence: "If you are a competitive distance runner or cyclist who is serious about your sport, this article has not been written for you."

stefs 4y ago
funnily enough, dedicated strength training (i.e. heavy squats) is one of the most effective methods to improve the performance of endurance athletes (especially cyclists).