Let’s Talk Overtraining & How to Know When You Need to Take a Day Off
This content is brought to you in partnership with OrthoCarolina, one of the nation’s leading orthopedic practices with offices across the Southeast.
We've said it before and we'll say it again: We asked a physical therapist, and the answer to the age-old question "Do you actually need to take a rest day?" is an unequivocal yes.
Naturally, that leads folks to ask, "Okay, then how often are you supposed to take a rest day?" So, we reached back out to the experts at OrthoCarolina to find out the answer — and it turns out that the suggested frequency for rest days is directly correlated to how hard you're training and pushing your body on a regular basis. In particular, if you're a person who is overtraining, you'd likely want to weave more rest days into your routine.
So, what the heck is overtraining and how do you know if you need to take a day off? OrthoCarolina's Sean Brown (PT, DPT, OCS, and CSCS) gave us the inside scoop.
What is overtraining?
"Overtraining occurs when an individual who is training for an event is unable to recover from a bout of training prior to their next bout of training," said Brown. He also noted, "An increase in load does not necessarily result in an increase in fitness," so keep that in mind as you consider whether this label applies to your current situation.
What are the signs of overtraining?
Brown provided us with several tell-tale markers to look out for when considering whether you might be overtaining, including:
Increased heart rate at rest
Increased heart rate during exercise
Increased effort for a given workload
Increased sleep
Decreased sleep
Lack of motivation
Reduced strength or endurance
What are the dangers of overtraining?
This was our main question for Brown — if you're experiencing the signs of overtraining mentioned above, what should you really be worried about health-wise?
"Injury is the primary danger associated with overtraining," he told us. "This is due to the fact that muscles, ligaments, and other structures are unable to recover from a training stimulus."
Yikes. So, how does one avoid overtraining and putting oneself at risk for injury? We'll give you a hint: It rhymes with "best day." (Rest day!)
How often should you take a rest day to avoid the risks of overtraining?
"This is very dependent on the individual," Brown explained. "In general, it is not advisable to do multiple hard days of training in a row, but younger individuals are less likely to require recovery/off days as frequently as older people. A younger person may be able to get away with a single recovery day after a hard effort, where an older may require two or three days of rest between hard bouts of exercise."
Brown pointed out that without rest days, you will not be able to adapt as quickly to the training you are doing. "Rest or off days are critical throughout a training cycle, so they should be taken regularly," he advised. "Active recovery days are likely best (depending on the person), so consider going for a walk, easy jog, or a bike ride at very low intensity to elicit the greatest responses."
He added that aches and pains outside of normal muscle soreness may warrant a more extensive break, like a complete rest day off of movement altogether. Do a scan of your body when evaluating what makes the most sense for you based on your pain levels as you go through the recovery process, and evaluate what feels right for you.
Learn more from the experts at OrthoCarolina
Whether you’ve recently experienced an injury, need help with recovery after tough workouts, or are simply experiencing chronic pain and need help managing it, OrthoCarolina can help. Make an appointment at a location near you to start getting the treatment you need.