Get the Hottest Training and Nutrition Tips in the MMA Community!
Simple, Healthy Recipes For The Combat Athlete At Any Level
Click Here
For Your FREE Copy!
Follow Us On...
Combat Sports Guide to Avoiding Overtraining
I was compelled to write this article after I spoke with a popular east coast fighter about his recent experience in dealing with burnout. His case was not your typical exhaustion. His burnout was diagnosed and confirmed by a medical doctor. Therefore, I wanted to provide a combat sports guide that could help training addicts, like me, to avoid overtraining. Unfortunately, there continues to be many misconceptions regarding this phenomenon and my goal is to clear up some of the confusion.
Overtraining is defined as excessive frequency, volume, or intensity of training, resulting in fatigue. This fatigue is due to a lack of proper rest and recovery.Overtrained or just lazy?
Some strength coaches claim that their athletes say they're overtrained in an effort to skip training or practice. I’m sure this is true in many cases. However, I’ve seen too many cases of overtraining that I've been encouraged to write this combat sports guide.
Many of the fighters I train are full of passion, diligence, and discipline. Therefore, it's when the following symptoms become prevalent in these athletes that they need to consider backing off and/or making a major change in their training:
- Improvement seems to stop
- High fatigue rate
- Withdrawal from sport and /or training partners
- Disturbed mood
- Elevated resting pulse
- Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
- Overuse injuries
- Difficulty maintaining proper body weight
- Excessive soreness
- Altered immune function (gets sick more easily)
Exercising on a low carbohydrate diet can compromise your energy during training. Even moderate exercise in a state of relative glycogen depletion (caused by a lack of complex carbohydrate consumption) can cause overtraining and hinder performance. According to McArdle, Katch, and Katch in their book Sports and Exercise Nutrition, “Individuals undergoing heavy endurance training should consume on a daily basis 10 g of carbohydrate per kg of body mass.” It can take the body up to seven times longer to replace its glycogen reserves without an adequate amount of complex carbohydrates being consumed.
Be sure you schedule rest days into your training program. The smart athlete will follow this aspect of the combat sports guide. Your quality of training is more important than the quantity. Consider setting aside one complete rest day and another “light training” day per week. You’d be surprised to see how much better you’ll feel and perform.
Mix it up
If you woke up every single morning of your life and had cheerios for breakfast, you may eventually begin to hate this type of cereal. It’s the same with training. You need to mix up your workouts so the flame (your passion) doesn’t die out. Besides keeping you motivated, changing your workouts will yield better results. You’ll be faster and stronger because the body thrives off change.
Think long-term
Treat your martial arts training like it’s a marathon; not a sprint. In addition, you should set challenging but realistic goals. Don’t copy the workouts of a full time UFC fighter if you’re just starting out. A certain pro fighter that I know trains 3 times per day, 6 days a week. It took years (and great genetics) for his body to be able to handle that kind of volume and intensity.
Listening to your body
While some athletes may use overtraining as an excuse to be lazy, this isn’t the case with many of the mixed martial artists I’ve worked with. I think deep down you know whether you’re being lazy or not. As with many things in life, the key is patience. Recently I was sitting on the mat after a training session with some students, talking about a particular BJJ superstar. One of my students said, “I wonder what it’s like to be that good at something.” I couldn’t help but think about what this athlete must have looked like on his first day of training and how many times he had to “tap out” to become who he is today.
It’s hard to realize sometimes what people had to go through to get where they are. I wrote this combat sports guide to help you gain a better understanding of overtraining. As you train, consider the respected physician in your community who put in upwards of 10 years of schooling or the UFC champ who puts in hours in the gym most days for years perfecting his craft. It usually boils down to sustained effort over time that really determines your success as opposed to being born with a natural talent or ability.
Keep your antenna up to help recognize when you’re overtraining. In addition to staying mindful of how you feel, get adequate nutrition and rest while keeping your workouts fresh and exciting.
The best advice I can give you in this combat sports guide, if you forget everything else you just read, is something very simple that I learned from Matt Serra. I learned it from him when I was training for the Pan Jiu-jitsu tournament one year. I was feeling a bit rundown so I asked him how I would know if I was over-doing it. He said, “Go with your gut.” He advised me that sometimes I’d have to push through and other times I’d be better off just taking the day off. If I didn’t take that day off, then my training would be counter-productive anyway.
No other combat sports guide is needed except your own body. I didn’t need a scientific formula to tell me what to do. My body was telling me exactly what I needed to hear. It was my job to listen. Now it's time for you to listen to your body and do the same.
Don't Wait Until Its Too Late!
With Training For MMA Fitness
AND Receive a Free Subscription to MMA News!
Not Ready For A Consult? No Problem!
"Interval Training: Shed Fat, Avoid Cardio Boredom,
& Get Into Fighting Shape!"
AND and Receive a Free Subscription to MMA News!
FREE Consult
Click Here
For A FREE Consult
(a $49 value!)
Free Report
Click Here
To Get Your Copy INSTANTLY!
(a $29.99 value - FREE)
