How much is too much?

[selfcritical]

A short block of deliberate over-reaching can and often is part of a long term plan.

 

[ambrosia]

I dont think you can necessarily over train, the trouble comes from not letting your body recover enough. If you're working out twice a day for 2-3 hours each but you're also eating 7000 calories and getting 10 hours of sleep you'll be okay. However, if you do the same thing but only eat 2-3000 calories and get 5 or 6 hours of sleep you'll start to feel it.

 

[KILL KILL]

I think that's a flawed way of training. It will only work for such a short time before you have to keep program-hopping. Who wants that out of their training?

Why not instead get on a solid routine that can be used indefinitely?

That's a good point but when it comes to sports training, I think most people vastly underestimate their physical capabilities.

 

[Tosa]

Too much for what? Are we talking about avoiding injury and increasing the risk of any degenerative condition? Or performance?

It's going to depend on a number of things. What had your training been like previously - running 7km regularly is nothing for someone who is a regular distance runner, but for someone who has been doing no running (say, a swimmer) it might take time to build up to tolerating that total impact volume. And the same sort of thing can be said for pretty much any activity.

There's recovery factors - sleep, diet, what other stressors your have in your life, etc.

And the genetic component. Some people will just be more able to tolerate or benefit from more exercise.

Then there's biomechanics. For example, the better a runner you are technically, the better you will be able to tolerate training volume. Similarly, things like posture when you're not exercising can influence the training volume you can handle. For example, if you suffer from severe anterior pelvic tilt, your lower back probably won't be able to handle the same training volume as if your pelvis had a normal tilt.

Finally, you can consider how the various kinds of exercise you do can influence how much total exercise you can handle and benefit from. For example, if you're already running regularly, then you'd be less able to tolerate additional exercise if it's high impact than if it's low impact, or if it targets the same qualities rather than different qualities.

 

[Dream101]

I wouldn't say the frequency is too much, its just the duration. I said its alot, because 6-10+km daily over a long period of time ends up bringing knee injuries. Of course if your running form is good (main reason for injuries is bad form and prolonged distance) and you're not feeling anything wrong, its fine; Which comes back to my first point in the initial reply.

I see what you mean. Good point.

 

[Dream101]

they also take a nap in the afternoon to recover from morning workout. lol they're on a full-day fighter's schedule, not something most people can afford to be on.

That's true.

 

[Dream101]

Too much for what? Are we talking about avoiding injury and increasing the risk of any degenerative condition? Or performance?

It's going to depend on a number of things. What had your training been like previously - running 7km regularly is nothing for someone who is a regular distance runner, but for someone who has been doing no running (say, a swimmer) it might take time to build up to tolerating that total impact volume. And the same sort of thing can be said for pretty much any activity.

There's recovery factors - sleep, diet, what other stressors your have in your life, etc.

And the genetic component. Some people will just be more able to tolerate or benefit from more exercise.

Then there's biomechanics. For example, the better a runner you are technically, the better you will be able to tolerate training volume. Similarly, things like posture when you're not exercising can influence the training volume you can handle. For example, if you suffer from severe anterior pelvic tilt, your lower back probably won't be able to handle the same training volume as if your pelvis had a normal tilt.

Finally, you can consider how the various kinds of exercise you do can influence how much total exercise you can handle and benefit from. For example, if you're already running regularly, then you'd be less able to tolerate additional exercise if it's high impact than if it's low impact, or if it targets the same qualities rather than different qualities.

Very good points. Thank you.

 

[These Two Hands]

I was once told overtraining is something that is only really achieved by professional athletes and the like, and there's no risk as an amateur or hobbyist. I then, around that time, managed to push myself hard enough to work up to 30min 10k's which at the time I never realised, but was later told was close to Olympic levels or something. Moral of the story; don't fear the reaper. Push yourself, and don't worry about breaking down. If you break down, rest. Push again.

Or I dunno, don't. What do I know lol? Pretty sweet times on that 10k though...

 

[Phlog]

7km daily too much? People in muay thai camps usually run 10km in the morning plus 5-10km in the afternoon PLUS all of their muay thai training.

They are also burnt out and used up before 30. Only the strong survive. They're methods are not an example of sustainability.

 

[PCP63]

A short block of deliberate over-reaching can and often is part of a long term plan.

I agree. But unless it's part of a structured plan, there's really no point, in my opinion.

That's a good point but when it comes to sports training, I think most people vastly underestimate their physical capabilities.

I agree 100%. I am a huge fan of the Sheiko programs, so I am a big proponent of training with high volume.

One thing I've always wanted to do to truly test myself is to drown-proof myself.

EDIT: I think that term is wrong. Basically, I mean going underwater until you pass out. With qualified instructors around, obviously. It is done in the Navy.

 

[Dream101]

I was once told overtraining is something that is only really achieved by professional athletes and the like, and there's no risk as an amateur or hobbyist. I then, around that time, managed to push myself hard enough to work up to 30min 10k's which at the time I never realised, but was later told was close to Olympic levels or something. Moral of the story; don't fear the reaper. Push yourself, and don't worry about breaking down. If you break down, rest. Push again.

Or I dunno, don't. What do I know lol? Pretty sweet times on that 10k though...

Thanks for the input.

And 10km in 30 minutes? That is world class. Much respect for achieving that!

 

[Kiwi Tricker]

I was once told overtraining is something that is only really achieved by professional athletes and the like, and there's no risk as an amateur or hobbyist. I then, around that time, managed to push myself hard enough to work up to 30min 10k's which at the time I never realised, but was later told was close to Olympic levels or something. Moral of the story; don't fear the reaper. Push yourself, and don't worry about breaking down. If you break down, rest. Push again.

Or I dunno, don't. What do I know lol? Pretty sweet times on that 10k though...

Sweet enough that this year you would have been a top-5 finisher for women at the Olympics, and in the 1970s there's a good chance you could have won or achieved a top placing for men as well.

You're maintaining a pace of a 5-minute mile for 6 miles consecutively. Without anything to substantiate your claim I have to call shenanigans. Of course, I'll gladly rescind my allegations if you're able to supply any meaningful proof, but until then I'm just going to leave this right here:

 

[j123]

I was once told overtraining is something that is only really achieved by professional athletes and the like, and there's no risk as an amateur or hobbyist. I then, around that time, managed to push myself hard enough to work up to 30min 10k's which at the time I never realised, but was later told was close to Olympic levels or something. Moral of the story; don't fear the reaper. Push yourself, and don't worry about breaking down. If you break down, rest. Push again.

Or I dunno, don't. What do I know lol? Pretty sweet times on that 10k though...

I have to disagree with this. Aspiring, dedicated amateurs can burn out/overtrain. I put in quite a bit during my first camp, while working a 9-5 job. I was training twice a day: running/conditioning/lifting (depending on the day) in the mornings (usually about 60-90min), and about 3h at night. Even at this point, close to the end of the camp I was feeling worn out. What made it worse as well was I was ignorant with nutrition and sleep.

There are a 2 other aspiring amateurs at the gym I'm at who do nothing but train (2-3 times a day, 6 days a week). One of them has their income provided from their his parents, the other does contract work and he usually works every other season. These guys are a bit younger.

The training between average pros and hopeful amateurs are almost the same, the difference is the fight duration, gear and pay. Overall, anyone serious ammy or pro will put in the time and effort. Eventually overtraining and getting burned out will happen. So saying it doesn't happen because they're not pro, I wouldn't say its true.

 

[These Two Hands]

Sweet enough that this year you would have been a top-5 finisher for women at the Olympics, and in the 1970s there's a good chance you could have won or achieved a top placing for men as well.

You're maintaining a pace of a 5-minute mile for 6 miles consecutively. Without anything to substantiate your claim I have to call shenanigans. Of course, I'll gladly rescind my allegations if you're able to supply any meaningful proof, but until then I'm just going to leave this right here:

Nah, I have no way of proving it; and you're under no obligation to believe it. It was the fittest I've ever been in my life, that period. Point was if I had have been worried about overtraining or pushing myself too hard I'd have never done it.

And yes I am kicking myself all the time for never getting proof of it; at the time, although I knew it was fast, I never knew how good of a time I was running at. Story of my life, really; did a bunch of stuff and all I'm left with is a bunch of beer-stories nobody's gonna believe except for tho0se who saw me do it lol.

 

[These Two Hands]

I have to disagree with this. Aspiring, dedicated amateurs can burn out/overtrain. I put in quite a bit during my first camp, while working a 9-5 job. I was training twice a day: running/conditioning/lifting (depending on the day) in the mornings (usually about 60-90min), and about 3h at night. Even at this point, close to the end of the camp I was feeling worn out. What made it worse as well was I was ignorant with nutrition and sleep.

There are a 2 other aspiring amateurs at the gym I'm at who do nothing but train (2-3 times a day, 6 days a week). One of them has their income provided from their his parents, the other does contract work and he usually works every other season. These guys are a bit younger.

The training between average pros and hopeful amateurs are almost the same, the difference is the fight duration, gear and pay. Overall, anyone serious ammy or pro will put in the time and effort. Eventually overtraining and getting burned out will happen. So saying it doesn't happen because they're not pro, I wouldn't say its true.

Yes, sorry I should have been more clear. I'm not saying that amateurs can't burn out, I'm saying that when I was told they can't and believed I was at no risk of it I was able to push myself harder than ever before, or in fact after, that period of time in my life. Sometimes it can be good to do; I wouldn't recommend doing it consistently without respite though.

 

[Phlog]

I've certainly over trained, working a construction job and kickboxing training for a fight I've gotten ill and run down. A lot comes down to genetics, I can't train as hard as some but I get good results with less.

 

[ironwolf]

I wish I could do a 30 minute 10k....