Improve Your Cycling By Training Less?! | How To Tell If You're Overtraining

If you love cycling and enjoy nothing more than riding your bike, it's all too easy to get carried away and work yourself into a bit of a hole. Riding too much and working too hard can be really detrimental to your performance so, in this video, Hank and Manon give you some advice on how to avoid overtraining to make sure you get the most out of yourself on the bike!
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Not all exercises are suitable for everyone - there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. As with any strenuous exercise, you should take into account factors such as your flexibility, strength and overall health to determine if an exercise is appropriate for you, and consult a doctor/physician before beginning a programme of exercise. Discontinue your exercise session immediately if you experience any pain, dizziness or discomfort.
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[@evanking920]

Judging how I feel daily, I've been overtrained my whole life....

[@nightsfalling]

When I overtrain it’s hard for me to fall asleep even if I’m tired. It takes me a few days to be able to sleep good.

[@Sir-Prizse]

I have completely destroyed my muscles. I had no car and no bus connection, so I had to cycle to work for three years, with high stress and long working hours. I then noticed at the end of 2020 that I was no longer getting better and was recovering worse and worse. I was very susceptible to infections and muscle pain, to the point that I no longer perform at all. Over a period of another 9 months I got my driving license, until I physically collapsed. When I bought my car, I didn't ride a metre on my bike, and that's been the case since November 2021 and I get sore muscles at the slightest strain like walking. I now work for a bike parts online shop where everyone is sporty and rides bikes with the most amazing equipment. And I can only watch because I'm no longer good for anything. I have to massage my legs daily and treat them with pain-relieving gels to be able to do my office job at all.

[@Lukas-bl9wy]

An interview about this, with Tom Dumoulin would be really interesting

[@stuartdryer1352]

Another one is finding it hard to get my heart rate up in a ride even after I've warmed up. Also, I almost always want to ride my bike so if there's a day when I don't it's a sign something isn’t right.

[@irvhh143]

I'm so dedicated to cycling that even my house has wheels.

[@blairjefferson6617]

As a new be to teaching spin, I appreciate your efficient cues and simplicity of the workout. Simplicity does not mean that your aerobic capacity is not challenged. Thank You, Coach Jefferson

[@petrospsychis33]

Priceless infromation, keep up the good work guys 👍👏.

[@mellatienza5708]

Glad to see you back on GCN Ms. M!

[@evanking920]

An old metric that was popular in the 70s and 80s was measuring Systolic blood pressure. A systolic reading that was 20mm HG over your baseline for an extended period of time indicated Over-Training (in an otherwise healthy athlete). This metric is much harder to accomplish easily and consistently.

[@stuartdryer1352]

I can tell you for a fact and from personal experience that one can be overtrained, or at least very badly in need of a rest, without affecting systolic or diastolic BP.

[@evanking920]

@@stuartdryer1352 I totally agree, the physiology of exercise has come a long way...that being said...this was a Soviet technique,...they were dealing with athletes that were "supplemented" and reacted differently than normal humans.

[@jamesmckenzie3532]

HRV plus RHR is what I used for a long time. I add in the Chronic versus Acute Training Load values from TrainingPeaks and I have a good idea whether to go on the road or to the café.

[@bmwm30072007]

When i overstrain my maximum heart rate goes down a lot. I have to feel strong to do hard work out. But i will be adding my list to measuring my HRV.

[@tomstricklin3409]

I’ve enjoyed monitoring my resting pulse From 44 to 50. When I’m in recovery it’s over 50.

[@EroticBurrito]

Ah yes - I was looking for another whoop advert. Some of the Information was quite useful but lately its just quantity over quality with huge amounts of sponsoring.

[@melorockmyworld]

I agree. Just a couple of weeks ago, Connor had a video talking about whoop data from pro cyclists during a grand tour and just by looking at this video's title I could guess it would be another advert to whoop. Advertising seems to be taking control, guys...

[@douglasburnside]

Shameful! There were a whole 7.3 seconds of blatant commercial advertising showing charts from the Whoop app, and worse than that, one of the presenters actually *spoke* the word Whoop once. That's adds up to more than 1.5% of the entire video spent in a deliberate attempt to deceive you and convince you to waste your hard-earned money. If I were you, I would *demand* a refund of the money it cost to watch this video.

[@EroticBurrito]

@@douglasburnside wow. You really got it figured out

[@melorockmyworld]

@@douglasburnside I actually laughed reading your comment. I didn't actually wrote mine as a complain, but rather as a constructive criticism. If I wanted to complain, I'd say that video advertising has legally to be introduced as advertising with something like "paid promotion", and this wasn't... Now, be a pretty boy and run to the nearest local bike shop swap your recently bought disc brake overpriced bike for a gravel one, since GCN's focus seems to be shifting from making a fool of everybody not riding discs, to making a fool of everybody not riding a gravel bike.

[@AndyCrowther]

@@melorockmyworld so if there's a product that helps with the video subject, you're saying they shouldn't tell us about it? I have a different channel were I often use examples of tech I'm using to help achieve things. None of it is paid for, why do you assume Whoop paid for this small mention? Yes, Whoop may have given them the products in the first place, but if they're seeing real benefits to it, why wouldn't they tell us? I know I'd want to know...?

[@fj9077]

Great video as always. Just wanted to point out that it's not just taking time "off the bike" but rather time off period. Can't have everyone switching to running for a week and wondering why they're not recovered!

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Actually switching to slow running but only short 20-30 minute runs is great for recovery.

[@LifeofMaik]

There is no overtraining, only underrecovering!

[@westmantooth6846]

cause too much training

[@YourMomXD1337]

My problem is i get dizzy when i ride my bike. But i dont feel tired or fatigued i just feel lightheaded. I guess i have hypoglycemia. As i dont really consume anything with much sugar.

[@westmantooth6846]

fortunatley i never get sick no matter how fatigued but i get really irritable which is a nightmare

[@ejpeiker]

Amazing how much different Americans pronounce the word respiratory - I had no idea of this difference despite having been in the UK many times... It's on par with the difference in how we pronounce aluminum. :)

[@stuartdryer1352]

And capillary.

[@NatureSounds4TV]

Is this the country of bicycles?

[@ki-ski8231]

My polar watches tell me to have a rest for 4 days, overtraining is normal for skiers in training camp )

[@BurtTMacklin-fbi]

No slowmo on this 0:49 please.

[@richardwoodworth8357]

Another Whoop advert.

[@Neil-clare]

She preddy 😍

[@alainpryt9641]

👏👍🇫🇷🚴🏻‍♂️

[@cudzy_krzysio]

Dnd

[@cudzy_krzysio]

Dndm

[@superstrada6847]

GCN; How far you have strayed from accuracy. No mention of the caveats & limitations of said product and methods. No input from world class endurance training experts, physiologists and coaches. Wish it were that simple i.e., Buy said product and all will be well.

[@mikecoglione1308]

As always there is a commercial spin and they are pushing the whoop. However after using the Whoop for 1 1/2 years despite its cost and how its tried to be sold I can say its a great indicator if you're getting sick. That HRV is key when its dropping it means you're not tolerating your training load. As a victimin of overtraining last year I fell in the hole and had to take 5 (FIVE) months off the bike I can definitely vouch for it. I feel like I am falling in the hole again now and I Am training less, and less, and less but the truth is life stressors have been taking over the last month with poor sleep. So its not just how hard or much you're training the other stuff does count unfortunately. Thankfully I am training less and while my fitness doesn't seem to have been affected I think the overall long term outlook needs to be protected.