Often with top competitors we discover quite early that they are over training. They are obviously keen to keep gaining that extra improvement, that extra edge in advance of a major competition. They push themselves to the extreme in preparation for the big event.
Many however, through over-training may well thwart their chance of victory. And after the event, in a tone of deep disappointment they say: “I prepared like there was no tomorrow…I do not understand why I lost!”
Remember this: a strength overused becomes a weakness. And so does over training.
- You easily get irritated, over small stuff
- You are overly-critical of your performance, unforgiving toward yourself of mistakes
- You are struggling to learn from mistakes and move on. Your mind seems to not be able to modify the behavior, although you know it is wrong. Frustration is mounting.
- Noise and agitation now disturb you when normally they would not. You cannot tolerate loud sounds.
- You are overly concerned with others…how they are performing…distracting you form staying present.
- You do not feel refreshed after sleep. Your body feels heavy and sluggish.
What to do about it? Reducing the number of days that you train usually fixes it. Rest and non-activity are an essential part of a winning training program. If you think you might indeed be overdoing it, listen to what your “gut” tells you. It is usually right.
Less is sometimes more!