Over Trained this week

Kaiser Sose

Hi all, I did 4 x 40miles or so, each with hills, Monday to Thursday just past. I'm on a mission to lose weight and improve my fitness. They were all hard sessions (for me) since I am quite a big rider. I felt dreadful yesterday for no other reason I can think of other than overtraining, like a flu/malaise feeling, and feeling overall like shi*e. I feel a bit better today but still not right. Going to rest again today and may do a light ride tomorrow.

How do you know how much is too much?

MattFalle

I think you've found your current limit yourself.

have a look at what you've done and reel it back.

Kaiser Sose

My theory is that maybe Monday and Tuesday would have been ok. I then should have had a rest day Wednesday, maybe gone to the gym and done weights and left off the bike and then maybe a lighter ride on Thursday.

ugo.santalucia

You know when it's too much because your body will let you know... you will feel tired and it will be hard to put the hammer down.
I raced last Sunday, then again on Wednesday and yesterday I went for a hard ride in the hills and I'm done... yesterday my body was complaining, today I wouldn't want to ride my bike at all

Kaiser Sose

Yes exactly, my brain says get on my bike but my heart does not want to because I feel shi*e. Hope it passes soon.

slowmart

Watch your calorie intake - it’s counter intuitive but quality and quantity are essential to fuel your activity and recovery - don’t under feed as it’s a rabbit hole your body won’t thank you for .

The third pillar for recovery is sleep -

Add some structure to your workouts and the weight will drop off in a healthy and sustainable way which won’t burn you out mentally or physically

N0bodyOfTheGoat

If it's my legs, I'll have DOMS if it's due to too much z4+, plus my cadence will be way down below my normal ~95+.

When it's general body fatgitue, I get this weird feeling as if my eyes are sunken, which is often associated with dehydration.

Until catching Covid in March '20, fitness/fatigue/form guides from the likes of Strava, https://crickles.casa/ and https://power-meter.cc/home used to reasonably follow how I felt, which used hrm and/or power data. Now, it rarely matches up, for example today I'm +9 to +15 on the three Strava guides which should mean I ought to feel quite fresh... But I feel so-so about the prospect of heading out on the bike.

Kaiser Sose

My calorie intake was very low too. I'd had nothing to eat before doing the rides at lunch time either. Deliberately so, to make my body reach into fat stores. Funny enough, I felt good on the rides and afterwards. It just caught up with me on Friday.

themxperience

Dont discount dehydration- If I ride consecutive days I struggle to re-hydrate adequately . Drinking is not a problem for me, but if I guzzle it down all I'll do is pee it out and that can be difficult if I'm working, driving etc. So trying not to guzzle it down, but trying to drink 3ltrs of water a day can be a challenge. If im riding consecutive days, I make sure I take a large cup of warm water to bed and make sure I have the same as soon as I wake.

ugo.santalucia

Kaiser Sose said:

My calorie intake was very low too. I'd had nothing to eat before doing the rides at lunch time either. Deliberately so, to make my body reach into fat stores. Funny enough, I felt good on the rides and afterwards. It just caught up with me on Friday.

Too many people try these metabolic experiments without any professional supervision, often with disappointing results.
Do you have any particular reason to train your body to rely on fat more than sugar?

MattFalle

Eat properly, train properly.

Sounds like OP has been reading too many articles and not doing enough real world stuff to work out his body.

Kaiser Sose

I agree with those observations. I read about training in a fasted state to get your body to metabolise more fat. Clearly this might be ok for an odd ride now and then, but to do it four days in a row caused me grief and made me feel ill. I have abandoned this now and moving forward will eat properly before heading out.

MattFalle

Yup - mug off that stuff dude, eat, drink and be merry.

Just start to cut down portion sizes and try and graze rather than eat big meals.

The weight will come off gradually and soon you'll be there.

Remember - a body as good as mine is made in the kitchen, the gym and the bike, not just one of the three.

lochindaal

I agree with those observations. I read about training in a fasted state to get your body to metabolise more fat.

It is a valid training method but would be done on a long ride staying in an easy zone. If you're going to go for a hard ride you need to fuel it.

ilovegrace

after 40 years of running , road racing , fell racing, and training up to and over 100 mpw and now at nearly 60 riding aprox 200 MPW some hard, I am very experienced in over training .
In fact just recovering from it !!
It will happen , especially when trying yo test yourself

mr.b-campag

I think what is being described is (probably non-functional) overreaching, rather than overtraining. The latter can take months if not years to get over (been there and done that unfortunately).

dennisn

slowmart said:

Watch your calorie intake - it’s counter intuitive but quality and quantity are essential to fuel your activity and recovery - don’t under feed as it’s a rabbit hole your body won’t thank you for .

The third pillar for recovery is sleep -

Add some structure to your workouts and the weight will drop off in a healthy and sustainable way which won’t burn you out mentally or physically

Gotta agree with your "third pillar". Maye it should be the "first pillar".