Finding The Balance: Debunking the Myth of More Exercise Is Always Better

I've definitely been guilty of this in the past. More running will make me a faster runner, more swimming, cycling and running will make me a faster triathlete, lifting more weight will make me stronger and build more muscle.

The reality is that what actually happens is you find out (the hard way) that there is a law of diminishing returns and that can be costly to your health and your performance.

Look, we all have to learn and most of us learn the hard way. As long as we learn from it and don't damage our health long term it's part of the learning process. 

Thankfully for my clients I can help them to not make the same mistakes that I have and keep them healthy and happy.

I also see people using more exercise with outdated thinking of burning calories. When their body fat and weight isn't changing you can't just keep increasing the amount you do. People like this usually haven't realised that their nutrition is the driving factor towards their fat loss goal.

Some signs that you are in fact, over the line, in terms of your training volume:

Persistent Fatigue One of the first and most common signs you are doing too much is a persistent fatigue or lethargy. This isn't the tiredness following a tough workout, this is a feeling of exhaustion that persists even after resting.

Decreased/Plateau in Performance Despite increasing training intensity or volume, you notice a decrease/plateau in performance. You feel a lack of speed, strength or endurance.

Recurring Injury Overuse injuries such as stress fractures, tendonitis and other physical injuries may become more frequent. Especially for those in very repetitive movement sports like running, swimming and cycling.

Sleep Overtraining starts to disrupt your sleep, where you are waking earlier and having much less restful sleep. Despite feeling tired you may also find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.

Appetite Overtraining can lead to changes in appetite and eating habits, including loss of appetite or increased hunger. This can also be accompanied by changes in body composition.

Mood You may start to have more frequent mood changes, irritability, depression or a lack of concentration. This is due to high levels of stress hormones in the body.

Recurring Illness Overtraining can affect your immune system, leading to an increase of infection and recurring illnesses.

Prolonged Recovery Time After exercise your body needs a certain amount of time to recover. When you are over trained, your recovery time between workouts can become significantly longer.  

Changes in Menstrual Cycle In women, over training can cause changes in the menstrual cycle, leading to missed or irregular periods.

Increased Resting Heart Rate  An elevated heart rate even at rest can be an indicator of over training. 

Enthusiasm To Train When previously you would be excited about going to do your workout, you start to dread it, making excuses where you never used to. If training brought you joy but now you dread it means that it's time to evaluate your training.

Everyone's response to training is different but if you are seeing the signs of most of the factors above it's time to reassess your training plan and recovery strategy.

MRV - Maximum Recoverable Volume

Maximum Recoverable Volume (MRV) in training refers to the maximum amount of exercise stress or load that an individual can handle and fully recover from within a given period, typically a week. This concept is crucial in designing effective training programs as it helps to prevent overtraining. The MRV can vary greatly among individuals based on factors such as their fitness level, age, genetics, sleep quality, nutrition, and stress levels. Understanding your MRV is a balancing act - training above this limit could lead to overtraining and possible injuries, while training below it might not provide sufficient stimulus for improvement or progress. Thus, determining and working within your MRV can optimize training results while minimizing risks.

How To Work Out Maximum Recoverable Volume

This requires monitoring of training volume, intensity and the way your body responds. Some general steps to work it out:

Begin At A Low Volume Start your training with a volume you know you can recover from in a week. This is your baseline.

Increase Gradually Every week or two, increase your training volume slightly. This could mean adding more sets, reps, weights or duration/distance to your workouts.

Monitor Your Response Keep track of how your body responds. Monitor your performance, mood, sleep, appetite and any signs of over training. This can be done through a training log, track your workouts, and mental and physical responses

Identify Your Limit At some point you'll start to notice negative effects start to appear, such as decreased performance, chronic fatigue, disturbed sleep, or mood changes. The point at which these negative effects occur is likely beyond your MRV.

Rest Days & Deloads If you are not taking rest days it's time to build them in. At rest is when our body absorbs the training we are doing, recovers from it and comes back stronger and faster, without it, you are diminishing the return on the investment in training.

All smart training plans should have some form of deload built in. We are not robots who can hammer training week in week out. Your plan should also be progressive, building to a peak and then backing off slightly to allow the body to adapt. If you are doing training camps then this is even more critical to allow for super compensation after periods of much higher training volume/intensity.

Adjust and Maintain Once you have identified your MRV, aim to adjust your training volume to stay under this threshold. This can help you maximise your training effectiveness while minimising the risk of over training. 

MRV is not a static number it can change based on things like your overall health, stress, diet and sleep quality. It's important to continually reassess and adjust your training volume as needed.

Determining MRV is a highly individualised process and can take time and experimentation to work out the right amount for you. This is where having an experienced coach can be very beneficial to help you navigate this process more effectively x