How can you tell if you're overtraining? I'd like some "expert" advice from some 50 somethings (or a coach of 50 somethings!) about how to know when what I'm doing is too much. I've added weights to my swimming - I go three times a week for weights - which I follow by a fairly easy swim to loosen up my muscles. I'm still frequently sore the next day (and the next, and the next) however - but I know this is to be expected - if I didn't feel sore, I wouldn't feel like I was actually even pushing myself. the other three days of the week, I generally put in a good 90-120 minutes workout, getting in from 4500-6000m. Sometimes, like today, I get to the point where I just can NOT muster up the energy to put any real effort into the swimming - today, for instance, I did fairly well for the first 3000m, but then once we started the "real" workout, the first main set, I was just pooped. I could swim, but at only a slow pace. (By this I mean that an interval I usually can keep on a 200 by about 10 seconds, I missed by 1 second - and I was wearing zoomers. And the thought of doing like a 50 sprint, was out of the question.) This was NOT a day that I swam following weights, BTW.
Do you think this is a nutrition problem, and that I'm just not getting enough protein in my diet? I have to say categorically, that eating BEFORE practice is out of the question - I swim at 5:30 in the morning, and would probably barf if I ate before practice, although I do sometimes eat some Shot Blox. Am I overtraining & need to cut back somewhere? Or is this a short term transition (it's been going on & off for weeks now) & I need to just hang in there?
Thanks in advance!
I have learned that you have to listen to your body. In general we need more recovery as we age (I am 55).
I think it can be challenging to find the right amount of weight training. Personally I believe that three days/week is too much. I typically lift twice weekly, and as a distance swimmer I lift primarily for maintenance.
You could try a gel of some sort during swim practice. But the key is adequate nutrition after working out--carbs and protein within 30-45 minutes so that you replenish your muscle glycogen stores.
I agree with Gull. I've had much better pool workouts this past year cutting back to drylands 2x per week. 3x a week left me too fatigued to swim fast. And you can't always do weights on a "recovery" day. Could your weight workouts be too long? 6000 meters sounds very long and hard to me -- 3000 m before the main set?! Is this still the age group workouts?
Muscle soreness and fatigue also could be related to red blood cell magnesium levels. Mine is chronically low.
I have learned that you have to listen to your body. In general we need more recovery as we age (I am 55).
I think it can be challenging to find the right amount of weight training. Personally I believe that three days/week is too much. I typically lift twice weekly, and as a distance swimmer I lift primarily for maintenance.
You could try a gel of some sort during swim practice. But the key is adequate nutrition after working out--carbs and protein within 30-45 minutes so that you replenish your muscle glycogen stores.
I agree with Gull. I've had much better pool workouts this past year cutting back to drylands 2x per week. 3x a week left me too fatigued to swim fast. And you can't always do weights on a "recovery" day. Could your weight workouts be too long? 6000 meters sounds very long and hard to me -- 3000 m before the main set?! Is this still the age group workouts?
Muscle soreness and fatigue also could be related to red blood cell magnesium levels. Mine is chronically low.
