Triathlon Training Explained | Overtraining And Recovery

This week on our Triathlon Training Explained show, we are discussing all things overtraining! We will be looking at the causes, symptoms and how to recover.
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As triathletes we are constantly trying to find that perfect balance between training hard and getting faster and stronger, with recovery. We are guilty of it, and sometimes cut down rest and recovery a little more than we probably should, in order to fit in all our training around the working week.
We tend to push ourselves to the limit as triathletes, but ignoring recovery and signs that you’re overtraining can be pretty devastating... trust us. It’s also a confusing area, are you just tired from training, or are you on the verge of overtraining?
We’ve had loads of questions around this topic. So we’re going to be exploring this in more detail and chat to the following experts on the matter:
- Dan Harris - GB Rowing Start Coach
- Matt Bottrill - Triathlon and Cycling Coach
- Nathan Lewis - EIS Nutritionist
- Sarah Bolt - Forth, Blood Testing
For more information on this topic, check out the following links from training peaks:
- All About Overtraining - gtn.io/TPOvertraining
- How Long Does it Take to Recover From Overtraining? - gtn.io/RecoverOvertraining
- How Monitoring Your Heart Rate Variability Helps You Avoid Overtraining - gtn.io/TPHRVOvertraining
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Watch more on GTN...
📹 Triathlon Training Explained | How To Structure Your Training Plan - gtn.io/TriathlonTrainingExplained
📹 Training Strategies When You Have No Time | Train Around Work Or Study - gtn.io/TrainWithNoTime
Photos: © Triathlon / Getty Images
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[@gtn]

Do you get enough recovery? Let us know in the comments below 👇

[@JustinDoesTriathlon]

No. End of story, lol.

[@lisapet160]

Yes, I am scheduling passive recovery time and active recover session as well), it must be in the training plans for everyone who wants improvement over overcompensation.

[@debaetsstevie]

I use Stravistix for Strava ;)

[@debaetsstevie]

And no... I train not enough... But work to mutch... So no time to sleep...

[@joeyc8546]

These videos are the best! You have done some brilliant informative features. Well done! As far as rest goes until 2 months ago i wasnt getting enough rest or sleep. Now i am using Training Peaks and love it for the analysis AND planning. Adding the heart rate and sleep from my garmin, weight and BMI info has been so helpful for working out if the training, rest and diet is working. I have been over pronating for a while as it caused an injury so i have been noticing the current plan is helping loosen the calfs off which is a dream. Previously had to use massage so often. So far i have noticed from Training Peaks, i can do 1 half marathon a week at fast race pace and it does more good with enough recovery than 2 x 10k. Less pressure to go out and kill myself running and more time to go on the bike and work the glutes and quads. Heart rate is down the lowest i have had, mood is fantastic and energy is good so the training efforts are so much more productive. I did check back to my previous records from previous years and the mistakes with overtraining show up a lot. Thank goodness Training Peaks gives information like you highlighted, garmin and strava cant compete.

[@danielsaid5888]

I started triathlon 2 years ago and when I started I was abit overweight. When last summer came up i decided that i wanted to lose weight and with that I started fasting often and I also trained hard everyday to the point that I had to lay on the floor after every session. The overtraining then happened because I was training 6 times a week with my club but because I wanted to lose weight fast I also ran 5km on the treadmill about 4 times a week had and ended up overtraining to the point that I got digestion problems and I couldn't consume any cow's milk. It's been 5 months now and it's getting better. I know now that it's not about quantity but quality. I am 15 years now and I'm gonna start training with my club again and I will avoid any extra sessions maybe an easy bike but that's it since training triathlon 6 times a week is already enough. I am not overweight anymore, actually I'm quite fit. Could you tell me how to find my good balanced diet to help me get back on track and further improve? Sorry it's too long!

[@MarianFD]

Food, legs up and naps are as key as training hard

[@gtn]

Yes!

[@SuperJohnfoster]

What is legs up

[@enordbuch]

@@SuperJohnfoster elevating legs helps blood flow a ND recovery

[@sylviaking8866]

DELOAD EVERY 6- 12 WEEKS. IF STRENGTH TRAINING CUT WEIGHT LIFTED BY 50 % FOR THE WEEK OR TAKE THE ENTIRE WEEK OFF TO FULLY RECOVER EXCESS FATIGUE.

[@makemebadfan95]

People focus too much on quantity of workouts per training week, versus quality. I used to be all about quantity, but once I started listening to my body and giving it proper rest after rough training sessions, I get less injuries. All about being intuitive and aware of your body. If your muscles are feeling tired and are feeling sore in places that you shouldn't be, there's nothing wrong with backing off a bit.

[@gtn]

Thanks for sharing that Dr Lum, it is important to be mindful and notice how your body feels

[@pedrocecconthurler9547]

Great job, guys! Very enlightening video! Nice to see that you looked for a lot of specialists to talk about this theme and give their perespective from multiple areas.

[@knittingdoula]

This was absolutely excellent, GTN!! So much excellent information and guidance. Thank you!! I would also love to see your channel cover sleep in even more depth. It's a huge and jmportant topic. Love your videos!!

[@waxymud7609]

Thanks ! Great video. Now I finally understand the graphs on Training peaks a lot better and you explained the morning heart rate question I asked a couple of months back. Nice one !!

[@gtn]

Thanks waxy mud, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@projectmoon13]

Today my body gave out and forced me to take a break. I had been doing an hour run an hour on the bike and an hour in the pool everyday for 2 months. My recovery day was Sundays. I eat mostly Mediterranean vegan and sleep very well. Today my body shut down and said “no”! Wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow? My new bike is arriving on the 22nd... I hope I’m good by then.

[@SpiritOfRadio1988]

Very helpfull... great job GTN !

[@GladiatorFightWear1]

Great information! I dealt with a big chunk of these signs for more then 6 months not realizing what was happening. Great to see things to look for in the future.

[@danielsaid5888]

Were you experiencing any stomach problems?

[@mcworks6822]

This is a life saving video for Athletes! very Helpful info's

[@dradbelson2736]

I had to go through such a phase too... I'm 15 now and it's about 10 months ago that I've started triathlon. I started to add and add sessions until I was at about 2-3 sessions a day. I felt the progression but after 2 months the first signs, which I of course ignored, occured and, as a concequence of that, I had to recover for 4 months! Of course I suffered depression as well... Now I'm back into training since two months, I feel some progression again and my heart rate starts to slowly sink again, finally. I hope I'll never have to experience that one more time... I don't think I'd survive that...

[@renaatcasier9011]

Useful. Thanks guys.

[@josephforeman4850]

I'm training for IM wales 104.6 2023, I think on balance my recovery is good; but know that eating right is essential to prevent injury and more. Does help that I'm a certified nutritionist mind :)

[@ironmantooltime]

Thing is with TSS is u need to use HRM for all ur swim (and bedroom) sets..

[@ironmantooltime]

Over-trained: does a high HR feel stressful or like you're kicking ass? If the former then ease off and take some rest till your back to the latter.

[@tomlawless4406]

Thank you, I’m gonna get a blood test soon as now, and I usually ask myself how do I feel about doing this session right now usually it’s like bring it on but sometimes, not very often, it says nope. Guess that’s why they get some athletes to write how they feel.

[@klqc4915]

YASSS 18 MINUTES OF GTN

[@gtn]

Thanks K LQC! Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@klqc4915]

Global Triathlon Network I always do❤️

[@1989srjones]

Great video, love learning a bit of sports science. I did think for a second that the nutritionist had a small photo of Heather on his cupboard though 🤣

[@gtn]

Thanks Stephen, glad you enjoyed the content

[@mat4naz358]

Nice video guys👍 Recovery comes in Trainingcamps often too short, but in fact it is one of the key things that every athlete should looking for. When you look at the Trainingplans from the pro athletes you will comment that they are mostly recover in their low-intensy-sessions...

[@gtn]

Thanks Mat4 Naz! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@LUCYDIAMONDBOXER1]

I was hammering the cycling on Zwift and on the road. Results were climbing to FTP 357W 79 VO2 Max then slam... Plantar fascitis in left foot! This is an overuse injury down to not stretching and ramping up workload. STRETCH STRETCH and STRETCH again. Or Yoga. Might have to defer IM UK entry 😭😭

[@gtn]

Hey SAF1981, ouch! That doesn't sound good, we wish you a speedy recovery!

[@marcelomelo5914]

Nice video! In Feb this year i've overtrained and injuried. The result was 2 weeks off. Now i keep attention on my body signals and try to just swim or take a day off when results aren't getting satisfactory.

[@gtn]

Thanks Marcelo - great to hear you have recovered now - shows how important it is to take some rest!

[@notmyrealname6272]

Does suddenly weight gain with no reason from nutritional change indicate overtraining at all? Adrenal stress?

[@woody9382000]

Good job GTN.

[@gtn]

Thanks woody938!

[@joaodias2762]

Could you make a video on food?? Best meals for before and after training

[@gtn]

Hey Jaos - we have some ideas in the pipeline so stay tuned!

[@agad2008]

Hi, i would like your advice on how to track rhr and hrv on training peaks, because with my 735 Garmin i can take these Numbers on the morning but cant find any app to monitorize them. Cheers

[@paulgibson3248]

I deload every 8 weeks with strength training so I should doing the same on my cardiovascular schedule interesting

[@Alex00025]

This is my second time over training myself actually while I was working out I could actually feel when it happened my workouts were harder to do and my muscles look deflated and soft is this permanent? Will my muscles go back to normal?

[@dellabox]

great video.... if you already have experience with training tools and hip to the lingo.... bad video.... if you are new to triathlons. This video makes a lot of assumptions that people already have and are familiar with x, y, and z...

[@dragoon5444]

According to TrainingPeaks my form today is -33. I really do feel wreaked. But... I might be able to sneak in one more workout before easing off a bit. 🤨

[@gtn]

Hey Stuart, maybe its time to take a rest!

[@sharkymccool]

you guys should make a more average-joe edition of this video. I think very few normal people have access to all this monitoring tools that are mentioned here. For me it`s hard sometimes to feel the difference between a sore body from a hard training or an upcoming illnes or fatigue by overtraining. Now it`s to late, and i know, this time it was overtraining :D

[@MrShoji5150]

I workout hard in my day off, and get recovered during my job hours. It is good balance.

[@gtn]

Great to hear you have got the balance right

[@MrShoji5150]

Seriously, recovery system is serious skill for any sports. Just keep push hard doesn’t get to the point...also elite athletes build healthy eating habits, workouts routine, and sleeping habits more precisely than other athletes...that is the most important, but many people over looked...

[@mcworks6822]

My Question: What Supplement or Multivitamins most common used by Pro?

[@aamirnagaria2189]

CryptoM omega 3 fish oil

[@lachlanoneil8938]

I've been spearfishing alot which means I'm swimming 6+hours a day and I'm pretty sure all you need to do is eat alot and have a balanced diet but this might be harder when you have to be anorexic to ride a bike well

[@seanbebington8377]

A question , I live and train at just over 7000 feet above sea level! Does pure Beetroot juice help in red blood cells ? ...

[@gtn]

Awesome! Beetroot has many great health benefits and is known to boost exercise performance. Definitely one to add to the diet!

[@seanbebington8377]

Global Triathlon , thanks so much for the fast response .from a triathlete in South Africa..

[@ulfeliasson5413]

Is there a cure for Chronic overtraining? Been fatigues for a hundred years.

[@lachlanoneil8938]

Yeah train less and eat more

[@bigpapafitness]

Video idea: How fast would retro athletes such as Mark Allen, Dave Scott etc...... be using modern technologies? Also the latter how fast would modern athletes be using only retro gear?

[@gtn]

Thanks for the suggestion Reid - we will have a look into that!

[@knittingdoula]

What a really cool question!

[@fallenangel9962]

Hmmm, I wonder if having 0 muscle mass is a sign of overtraining?

[@michaellionart4841]

There’s no easy fix if you’ve overtrained I’m afraid 😟

[@erickquezada2642]

I over trained and ended up with strained calfs .-.

[@gtn]

Ouch!

[@stevelong945]

dairy for recovery! !!!! 20years out of date. NEVER touch dairy NEVER it is not human food

[@B1gC4st]

Most people don't eat enough protein. After a Triathlon a steak and broccoli is better than the random italian half serving of nastiness that they served at my last Olympic. Cortisol dumps, for people on a normal sleep cycle will hit about 9AM and 2PM...so you want your caffeine just after that.

[@klqc4915]

TheStroBro I agree. But for me, as a 16 year old, most organic and healthy food is quite expensive over here in switzerland. And I dont wanna end up having spent more on food in a year than I could have for a TT-bike. But youre absolutely right although nastiness is really delicious tbh ;)

[@B1gC4st]

If the Nastiness is Good Nastiness, I'm all in. But if it's a half serving of disgusting pasta, I'm over it. Just give me a HotNReady from 5 Guys. I don't do organic or grass fed. The reality is that stuff at least in the US isn't that much better. If you can buy local that's where it's at. Or if you can hunt your own meat which I try to do as often as I can.

[@ironmantooltime]

TheStroBro Eat shitloads first and foremost and like an organic tart for the final 1%. Don't limit ur carbs, it will screw your performance.

[@B1gC4st]

I'm talking general nutrition. In race nutrition I'm often on the every 30 minutes take a gel train.

[@Jester123ish]

Well to be fair most people don't need a lot of protein and they aren't deficient, but then most people aren't aspiring athletes. If you want more protein the various soy products that are used as meat substitutes are an effective alternative, no saturated fat or cholesterol, which is better..

[@phxrsx]

Basically the nutritionist said go vegan...

[@jontystegmann4892]

this video is too long

[@gtn]

Sorry to hear that Jonty - we wanted to create an informative video and felt all the content was super interesting, cheers!

[@rehmsmeyer]

How gay is this dude? Asking for a friend.

[@bikeanddogtrips]

oh Heather heather heather, please be very careful with the advice on consuming meat fish and dairy. 1. meat. humans are natural herbivores, not carnivores no omnivores. we dont posses sharp fangs for tearing flesh and our jaw moves sideway to grind food. our intestinal tract is a much different length compared to a natural carnivore and our stomach acid is much weaker too. this makes digesting the body of a dead animal actually quite fatiguing and stressful on the body. saturated fats from meat also lines our arterial walls which in turn stops sugars getting through to our cells - leading to diabetes. 2. dairy. did you know that cows are actually raped to make them pregnant and then their calfs are taken from them. the farmer comes along with his gloved arm and shoves it in to the cows anus to stimulate her then shoving a tube of bull semen via a pole (and yes, it is collected that way). 9 months later and a baby calf. if it is male, it will either be killed or taken to a holden cage for a few weeks where it cant move - for veal. the female calf will be kept on a restricted diet until she can join her mother. milk not only contains legal amounts of pus, it also contains growth hormones and is a known cause of osteoporosis - brittle bones. this is due to dairy being naturally acidic to the body when digested. the body tries to compensate and return itself to a natural alkaline state - doing so by actually removing calcium from your bones 3. fish. did you know that around 80% of seafood has high levels of mercury every single nutrient, vitamin, mineral and amino acid can be obtained naturally from plants, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, legumes. you think you need to eat meat for protein? where do you think those animals got their protein from in the first place? a diet without meat, dairy, eggs and honey pretty much removes the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, various cancers, obesity, fatigue, osteoporosis and many many other illnesses. Take a look at many athletes who have turned to a plant based diet- serena and venus williams, lewis hamilton, mike tyson, david hayes, even scott jurack the ultra marathon guy is vegan. being vegan gives you an extraordinary amount of energy. personally i am able to bounce out of bed at 5.15 every morning - even in winter after having only had 4 hours sleep. could never do that a few years ago. i have energy throughout the day - no coffee or energy drinks and i exercise every day including 2 to 3 marathon runs every week. the best advice i can give you from experience is this 1. dont be afraid of sugar 2. lots of beetroot and spinach. helps to increase iron and nitrates in the body - meaning an easier flow of oxygen through the blood. 3. carbohydrates give you quick access to energy, however for long training sessions, fat is your friend. natural peanut butter, coconut oil and avocado -------------- two last things. 1. for absolute proof that a plant based vegan diet can save your life - do some research on The China Study The book is loosely based on the China-Cornell-Oxford Project, a 20-year study-described by The New York Times as "the Grand Prix of epidemiology"-conducted by the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford. T. Colin Campbell was one of the study's directors. It looked at mortality rates from cancer and other chronic diseases from 1973-75 in 65 counties in China; the data was correlated with 1983-84 dietary surveys and blood work from 100 people in each county. The research was conducted in those counties because they had genetically similar populations that tended, over generations, to live and eat in the same way in the same place. The study concluded that counties with a high consumption of animal-based foods in 1983-84 were more likely to have had higher death rates from "Western" diseases as of 1973-75, while the opposite was true for counties that ate more plant-based foods. the original study is the most comprehensive peer reviewed study on nutrition ever conducted 2. every burger, hotdog, slice of cheese, steak, chicken leg, glass of milk etc is the result of animal abuse, torture, rape, and murder. 3 trillion land and marine animals are killed by us for a 5 minute snack every year. cows behave like dogs in their natural habitat, pigs (which are slaughtered at 6 months) are smarter than 3 year old kids and are self aware - meaning they know what is happening when they are sent to the gas chamber (yes that same type of gas chamber brought in to play for the holocaust by joseph goebbels - that is how he had the idea), cows are often still conscious when they are hung upside down by one leg and skinned alive. There is no humane slaughter thank you for your time. i know this was a lengthy post, but if 10 minutes of my time here can help save lives, then it is very much worthwhile.

[@jontystegmann4892]

good points but i like a good steak and burger as an excuse for recovery

[@eduardgercog4422]

Worm can opened. yei.

[@1989srjones]

😴

[@gtn]

Hey, we spoke to Dr. Nathan Lewis because he is an expert in the field. We're still growing here at GTN and will have some more videos on nutrition up in the future. In the meantime, our friends over at GCN spoke to Nigel Mitchel asking if it is possible to be a vegan pro cyclist gcn.eu/veganathlete

[@jamiemeldrum2365]

Guy you might've heard of a World Class endurance athlete who does just fine on plants already... Rich Roll? I've been 100% Plant Based for over 3 years now, reversed my Diabetes & Hypertension, got off all meds, eliminated all my joint inflammation, and lost 120kg!!! Started training seriously in 2017 and did my first 70.3 in Busselton last December, going back this year for the Full Distance, and I can tell you now at 48 years old I've never felt better, or recovered faster, than when I ditched all the Animal Products from my diet. Well worth reading Joel Fuhrman's "Eat To Live" for a succinct summary of the Science, and you should check out nutritionfacts.org for the latest unbiased pure research results. Keep up the good work guys! But please don't keep falling for the old Marketing ploys of the Meat & Dairy industries, you can get by just fine without them, and both you and the planet will be better off!