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Overtraining Research Paper

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The feeling of successfully completing that last rep. Almost nothing beats it. But when is there a limit to the quantity and frequency of weight-involved strength training? Many people involved in the development and strengthening the muscles of the body while being asked the question will say something along the lines of, “There is no limit.” and, “The harder you work, the better you perform.” But the truth is, strength training can be harmful to anyone who works out frequently. Overtraining in many instances creates negative effects, despite the positivity of training in your musculoskeletal system. Overtraining, or excessive strength training, can be very harmful for an athlete, including the effects of overtraining syndrome, “burnout” …show more content…

Jeffrey B. Kreher represented by the National Institutes of Health, is the “maladapted response to excessive exercise without adequate rest, resulting in perturbations of multiple body systems (neurologic, endocrinologic, immunologic) coupled with mood changes.” According to the New York Times, about 60 percent of competitive athletes have overtrained while managing their hard-working lifestyle. Overtraining can cause muscle growth to stop completely and actually promotes muscle loss: it involves adrenal dysfunctions and the imbalance overtraining causes in hormones. The other major symptoms of overtraining are fatigue, mood changes, anger issues, altered sleep patterns, higher risk of injuries, depression, and even the loss of competitive desire in any aspect. According to a study by Rice University, testing on athletes with overtraining syndrome had a lower exercise performance, a decreased mood state, and some showed an increase of cortisol, or the stress …show more content…

This is created by constant and heavy, intense training that gives no time for your muscles to recover. Intense training is incredibly good for an athlete, but to a certain extent. Every athlete has a limit, when their muscles start deteriorating, essentially promoting no muscle growth and eventually losing muscle (Rice University). In an average athlete, there should always be a one day break in between working out the same muscle groups.

The human body is not invincible. None of us are Captain America, and our muscles will break down when lifting weights. If a human’s muscles do not get the time it needs to recover, then muscles will stay broken down and torn, thus leaving no time for the muscles to rebuild as a stronger muscle. The important part of the lifting process is the regeneration of the muscle, as the goal is for those muscles to become stronger and healthier, and if not given a proper resting period, ruins the whole purpose of the lifting process.

All in all, overtraining can prove to be harmful to humans’ bodies, going against the fact that lifting is always beneficial for the body. Athletes need to stay healthy to stay an athlete. So to all coaches I beg that you keep athletes, especially those still in the developmental stage of their life, healthy and happy.

Sincerely,
Nathan

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