Overtraining can seriously damage your performance. It can also reduce your motivation and inspiration to train. It is not always the case that spending more time = better results. It is important to be judicious in when we train and when we rest.
1. Start off with Base Training
If you are relatively new to cycling, avoid jumping in with intense interval sessions. It is best to build up your aerobic fitness, through steady training rides. When you have built a certain base level of fitness, the body will be able to cope with intense interval sessions much better.
2. Set Aside Periods of Rest
In a week of training. You should set aside a minimum of one day for rest. Sometimes a gentle short cycle can be as good (or even better) than a complete
rest.
3. Right Variety of Training.
The basic principle of training, is that we stress the muscles so they have to grow. But, after this stressing period we need to give them time to recover. Therefore, when doing interval training it is most effective to avoid doing it on consecutive days.
4. Training Cycles.
We can split our training up into 4 week cycles. If we do 2 or 3 weeks of heavy training, the next week should be a significantly lighter load. Again it is using the principle of stress and recovery.
5. Good diet
It is important to maintain a good diet with the basic nutrients. As you do more training, your calorie requirements may increase by more than you expect.
6. Rest When Ill
When you have a virus or are recovering from a serious illness – be patient and don’t stress the body too much.
7. Training Diary
Keep a training diary where you can record your heart rate, recovery period, how you feel and how much you have been training. This will help indicate good patterns and also times when your usual resting heart rate is much different.
Overtraining is not an exact science. It will differ between different cyclists. What may cause symptoms of overtaining in one cyclist may be insufficient training for other people. Basically, don’t compare yourself with other (pro)cyclists. You have to go at your own pace.
