Lately, I've been going to the pool twice each day in order to split our standard 3000 yard workout into two managable blocks. The main reason is that my schedule is such that it's easier for me to find two hour-long blocks of free time each day, rather than one long block. I go early in the morning, and then again later in the afternoon. I swim every day, but I go twice about two or three days each week. I've been swimming about 12000 yards a week.
I'm fairly new to swimming -- about 18 months. I've yet to compete except for an open water race (Tiburon Mile) last month.
Am I overtraining or doing myself harm by going twice a day?
Parents
Former Member
Overtraining is defined more by your body's ability or inability to adapt to a higher level of training than by any absolute level of training. Whether you are overtraining can only be determined by whether your body is failing to deal with your training. Typical symptoms are lowered levels of performance, longer recovery times, generalized fatigue, deteriorating mood and motivation, poor sleep, etc. Swimming the same amount split over two sessions is probably easier on your body than swimming it all in one session as you have recovery time between the two halves of your workout.
Overtraining is defined more by your body's ability or inability to adapt to a higher level of training than by any absolute level of training. Whether you are overtraining can only be determined by whether your body is failing to deal with your training. Typical symptoms are lowered levels of performance, longer recovery times, generalized fatigue, deteriorating mood and motivation, poor sleep, etc. Swimming the same amount split over two sessions is probably easier on your body than swimming it all in one session as you have recovery time between the two halves of your workout.
