It's not over training just under recovery.

One of the many super hard workers
Following the Renegade Athletics program

You guys have all heard me say.

"There is no such thing as over training, Only Under recovery. "

 I don't remember where I read it or who got it from (maybe Dan Jon)  but it wasn't me that said it first. However I really do believe it, it has occurred to me however that it may not be clear what I mean by this.

First, In general the CrossFit Tulare and Renegade Athletics program are high volume program, and while the volume is thoughtfully directed and controlled to assist in recovery, it will still beat you down if you are not focused on Recovery. So lets talk about recovery then. What all does it entail

When thinking about recovery it is important to focus on things we can control. There are sorts of stresses in our life that are out of our control and focusing on those just adds stress ( which affects recovery) . Our goal then should be to make the things that benefit our recovery a priority in our lives.

The Big Three. I choose to focus on these knowing that there are many other things out there that can assist in recovering from the hard training we do in the gym every day, but also recognizing that these three are the most in our control.

Sleep. Get is while you can

1. Sleep: I know that the Voice or American Idol or whatever the  heck you watch is wildly entertaining. However you need to sleep and 4 hours is not enough. Another saying I have heard ( and again I am not sure where ) is 'the Hours before midnight are worth a whole lot more than the hours after." This is more true than we would like to admit I think. But in general I feel better going to sleep at 9 and waking up at 5 than i ever did going to bed at 1 and waking up at 9. Perhaps ( in my completely non scientifically supported opinion) It has to do with the natural rhythm of our bodies, from various hormones released during different parts of the day to the general activities that take place at different times of the day I mean really, in general,  what healthy activity are you doing at midnight. either way our body needs sleep and it needs full restful sleep. If you are having trouble changing weight ( Losing or Gaining ) try starting by improving your sleep habits. Lack of sleep is a vicious cycle that affects everything.

Nutrition can make a huge difference

2 Nutrition: You probably are not eating enough. If you follow a strict paleo diet as most understand it. And If you have ever said I could/should never weigh that much, then you probably are not eating enough. If you progress as stalled and you are not seeing improvements in your performance you probably are not eating enough. Most of nutrition talks in the gym revolves around losing weight and I understand. America is by and Large Fat. Really Really Fat. However eating for performance and eating for weight loss while not mutually exclusive do not generally go hand in hand. I am not advocating junk calories but if you want to eat to perform you need to make sure that you are getting enough and that you are getting the right stuff. If your performance is suffering and your Under recovery is affecting you life, addressing nutrition comes in a very close second to fixing your sleep habits

3 . Mobility: Foam roll/ Stretch/ Mobilize. What ever you you call it it is a fact that training as often and as hard as you do you will tweak something from time to time. While your form and technique can minimize the chance for injury you will at some point tweak/ pull/ strain/ or otherwise hurt some thing. and you will do it more than once. The way you keep these things from turning into injuries that de-rail or hamper you training is by putting the time in to make sure you body it ready to go. Using the techniques we teach in the gym or you teach yourself from places like mobilitywod.com.

Mobilization. Improves Performance and reduces chance of injury
also it looks like your dancing

These three are all under our control and we all have the time to make sure we do these right 80% of the time. and doing these things will help you make the most out of your training and if you guys are going to put in the work like you have been you owe it to yourself to make the most of it by prioritizing these things.

Finally if you come to me and say I am feeling "over trained" I'll probably tell you to take a day off and then ask you about all of these things. If you Insist that you are sleeping, eating, and mobilizing sufficiently  I have two words for you. PROVE IT. Saying I eat all the time doesn't really tell me any thing track it write it down and be honest, You might be surprised. Same goes for sleeping record how long and how well you slept, rate it 1-5. 5 is the best and you only get it if you didn't get up or wake up once during the night.