I'm 20 years old, was the best in my sport in South Africa at age 18. Training 5-7 days a week, holidays intensity would triple. School was taking it's toll, lack of childhood i.e. going out, having mates over and all etc etc.

I'm sure you know where I'm getting at.
Now virtually 3 years later, I've decided I really want to get fighting.

What I'm trying to say is, it's not always detectable by means of psychologists. However they might be helpful. Over-training is a state of the body and mind that could possibly ruin careers, just take a break and relax until you are satisfied and ready to tackle it again.

You could stay active by means of cross-training too i.e. soccer, cricket, tennis, anything physically active other than your chosen sport.

i also have joint pain

I know and I have stopped.... the thing is it is stress from college as well, and i cant permanently stop that .. it got o bad i had to take the semester off and I dont even feel I can go back this january... if you or anyone knows a professional that can guide people through this and have experience please let me know... my life has come to a standstill, I had no idea what stress could do to the human body until now :(

Amanda06,

If you haven't already followed up with your physician, this would be a good time to do so.

Severe overtraining is a multi-faceted issue and would require a multi-faceted approach to resolve.

If you have overtrained to the extent that your physical system is impaired or affected by changes in your endocrine system, you may need to undergo diagnostic tests to figure out if those various systems need medical intervention to function properly (adrenal screens etc).

As stated above, the psychological system would also need to be addressed along with your nutritional status.

The negative effects of excess stress are tremendous, but they can be overcome.

Regards,
Dev Chengkalath
www.devchengkalath.com

Hi Amanda,

Had exactly same symptoms as you... what is your sport? I am comp surfer and squash and trained alot using weights... digestive problems, disturbed sleep etc etc high HR all came with my overtraining and a couple of injuries thrown in...
Read alot on the subject and as a PT knew the likely problems with overdoing things... however my programme to get out of it followed this:

2-3days off and do some light stretching and short run. You will probably feel worse but notice your sleep get better after the 2nd, 3rd night... then kick off a low intensity plan.

lower intensity workouts - the intensity was the main problem. I got into cycling and took up road biking which although more boring than usual sports was great for fitness. Started low volume and built up. i.e. taking 20min rides then increasing to over an hour at lower heart rates...
i was mixing in occasional days of conditioning but using body weight - chins/press/lunges etc - again starting low volume and building up. But doing some real interesting and sport specific core work/balance/strength which led in my mind it was purposefull and ultimately good for a training programme further on.

All taking 1 day of rest between any activity... painfull when you are used to doing something everyday, on rest days i just did some gentle stretching to feel 'like ive done something'.. i did this for about 3 weeks then included a surf at lower volume (i.e. time) at about 1hr - i felt loads more refreshed and came out still with lots of energy left...
The key was never to work to exhaustion, even when you are in a workout and feel really firing... heart rate is a great monitor and try and get this level on morning heart rates for a month before picking up the intensity (then follow) this with more rest after the initial higher intensity workout

if you want more detail - email me and i could send you my plan in more detail

extras:

Ultra clean diet - 'reduce' taking lots of supplements - just the usual fruit and veg high doses... but not to high as the added fibre and an upset stomach does not help.. i actually found taking some binding foods such as white rice, white bagel and peanut butter - although against the info on wholegrain for your digestion, the overtraining state almost needs to slow everything down to allow things to settle.
Get in extra carbs - you definitely need the glycogen and any drop will cause more problems than in a 'normal' state
Again, lots of protein but do not overload... i found small meals that did not tax the digestive system worked really well, avoid fruit after a meal....

Couple of supplements that worked really well (i think) is spirulina in a fruit juice early morning... l'carnitine on an empty stomach, and a bit of apple cider vinegar to calm down your digestion...

As soon as you feel run down or feel like you are slipping into a real overtraining state, lay off the heavier workouts, still do something though! as i found a little lower intensity to trick the mind worked wonders to get the good hormones flowing... just stopping completely really did not help me at all...

great book to get hold of - Periodization - Tudor Bompor - really detailed and has a great section on recovery

Give me a shout if you want more info or a plan...