Expert: Alan Kahn - 3/5/2004

Question
After training too hard and not getting the right fuel inside my body (had to make weight) i sufferd from the overtraining syndrome. After 3 weeks rest my legs still feel compleatly weak even after a brisk walk and have no will to train even though i want to so badly. My doctor cant figure out whats wrong with me and iam becoming very worried and anxious. I would be extreamly greatfull for any advice you could give me or sugestions for someone else who i could see who deals with athletes overtraing.

Thanks alot,
Rory Todd,
Rochdale,
England.

Answer
Hi Rory,

You do sound like you are suffering from overtraining syndrome. The physical symptoms you describe are consistent with that. Not to worry, for this is a highly researched and talked about subject. I will provide you with a host of links to other sites that discuss overtraining in athletes. these sites will discuss that topic in much more detail than I can. I will address a couple other issues. First, you say your doctor can't figure out what's wrong. That is typical for and doesn't mean it is some deep, dark or rare physical or emotional disorder. Depending on the specifics of your sport and training regime, and your age, most docs who are not sports medicine specialists or work with athletes trying to make weight, as opposed to others with weight loss problems, are guessing at what the problem is. You may need a trip to the sports psychologist for the emotional symptoms you mention. Being "on edge" or overly worried and anxious are consistent emotional reactions to overtraining, and may also be increased by your own sudden loss of motivation. Most well conditioned athletes hit a wall and may lose the "joy" in their sport or training routine. Then get stressed out over that loss of joy and think something is wrong. It is a very common, along with a sense of depression. Here are a few links on that:

http://www.competitivedge.com/pub/

http://www.athleticinsight.com/AthletesAdvantage/Common_Issues.htm

Your anxiety and sense of emotional drain may very well be due to your own sense of loss and worry about why you are so weak.  I have a feeling you may have some longer lasting fatigue as a result of your diet. I'm not nutrition expert so here are is are a few links about that.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/

http://www.1whey2health.com/ebook/glutathione_athlete.htm

bottom line is you could have depleted so many vital minerals and cell nutrients that your body can take a month or more to recover.
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now for the overtraining links. Please note that some of these sites will say it could weeks to MONTHS to recover
from overtraining syndrome. So relax and take a rest from you sport, try to enjoy other aspects of your life and eat a balanced diet to restore all needing nutrients.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/overtraining/

http://www.fitmed.com/overtraining.htm

http://www.gssiweb.com/reflib/refs/228/wrestling.cfm?pid=39&CFID=205784&CFTOKEN=...

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2003/0603/hawley_pa.htm

http://www.rrca.org/publicat/sum99ots.htm  ( GOOD article)

http://www.gssiweb.com/sportssciencecenter/topic.cfm?id=61


http://www.hendrickshospital.org/ourservices/Overtraining_Syndrome.pdf  ( Great article but need pdf software to read it )
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/overtraining.html
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You might also do a web search on google or some other search engine about overtraining or nutritional balance / depletion.

Take heart my friend. IF your anxiety and worry IS related to the fatigue and overtraining, you should recover nicely in a few more weaks. If, however, there is really some other stress in you life going on, than you may consider that you physical fatigue could be more related to depression. Let's hope not.

I hope this has helped you.  Please keep in touch and let me know how it goes. If you have any other questions you feel I can help with, please do not hesitate to ask them.

sincerely, and with best wishes,

Alan Kahn
author, The Speed Bag Bible
speedbag@hot.rr.com