What is "overtraining" a.k.a. "CNS fatigue"?
After intense training sessions, I sometimes have the following symptoms:
My mind races. I can still be functional and productive, but getting it to hold still long enough to make a simple decision is harder than it should be. In my journal I've used the word "scattered" to describe this feeling.
I have trouble going to sleep, both at night and for naps.
I've read this sort of thing described as "overtraining", or "CNS fatigue", which I put in quotes because they seem to be controversial.
This forum post seems to be describing the same thing, except it has a focus on nutrition and supplements to combat these conditions.
I want to know, in terms of what's going on in the body, what these conditions are. Please include citations (preferably academic) in your answers.
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Overtraining is a very real thing. In a nutshell:
"Overtraining is the cumulative result of relentless high-volume or high-intensity training, or both, without adequate recovery, that results in the exhaustion of the body's ability to compensate for training stress and adapt to it." (Practical Programming--Rippetoe and Dr. Kilgore)
According to the Practical Programming book, symptoms that accompany overtraining include:
Primary indicator is a loss of performance capacity
Disrupted sleep
Increased chronic pain
Abnormal mood swings
Elevated heart rate
Change in appetite
Other physical and mental abnormalities--can look like depression in severe cases.
Correcting Overtraining
There are several factors that affect recovery, including:
Rest (this is priority 1 if you are overtrained)
Sleep
Nutrition--both macro nutrients and micronutrients need to be right
Stress--life stress can compound training stress
You can choose to take one of two approaches:
Reduce your work load so that it is about 50-60% of what you were doing until the symptoms are relieved.
Take a break until you really feel the need to get back in the gym.
Paul Carter calls it "feeling crispy", and his recommendation is to just take time off until the gym is calling you. The reason being that sometimes you need a complete mental break from the stress of even going to the gym. Once your body is ready for more work, it will want to go back to the gym.
Overtraining is a chronic problem. The best indicator for overtraining is your progress in the gym. It's not possible to be overtrained while making good progress. The first symptom you describe is perfectly normal after an intense workout. Just make sure to hydrate, drink a post-workout shake (Protein + Carbs), rest and you should feel fine within an hour or so.
Your second symptom doesn't seem connected to training. A lot of people have trouble sleeping for a variety of reasons. Just because you can't sleep doesn't mean it's a direct symptom of overtraining.
Overtraining isn't a specific medical condition, instead it's an umbrella term that describes various symptoms related to exercising too much -in relation to other factors like calorie, protein, sleep, stress levels etc.
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