An over trainer’s guide to overtraining… written by an over trainer

Location: Sherwood Park, AB

Photo by: Dr. Raza

I’m addicted, to say the least. There’s something about the sport we do that’s just so compelling to me, and more often enough, I can’t pull myself away from it. Days full of thoughts of “I don’t want to be here” or “I need a break” come and go every now and then, but no matter how loud the thoughts are…. I stay. Some days the sounds of people socializing or the opportunity to watch someone nail a technique they’ve been working on forever just isn’t enough. Some days, I even want to quit. Whether I mean it or if it’s just a thought that pops into my head because I’m tired, I don’t know. Despite all of this… I stay, and if you’re reading this, you probably have experienced this as well.

I had one idea drilled into me from a young age. It was the idea that if you take a break – you’re lazy. “Your opponent probably isn’t taking a break, so why should you?” is a frequent thought. It’s absurd when you really think about it, I know this, but as a competitor and athlete with a hunger to win just like you, it’s hard to push that thought away.

There’s a topic that often comes around for those who choose to dedicate everything we have into the sport. You know exactly what I’m talking about. That one word that seems to dig under our skin and sits there until we can’t take it anymore. Overtraining. “You’re overtraining,” “You need to take a break,” “You need rest.” If you’re anything like me, that sparks a fire under your butt to train more, just to prove that you can do more. Not to prove a point to them – but to yourself.

I read a quote one day a long time ago. A fellow practitioner posted it, and it changed the way I looked at the amount I train. It said, “Am I training too much? Or am I just willing to do more than you ever would?”

Now, overtraining doesn’t seem like this crazy idea that needs to be looked at so negatively. Everybody has different limits and goals. It’s important to remember not to slow down your training because other people say so. You should be slowing down because your body and mind give you those signs to do so.

Jiu-Jitsu is supposed to be fun. It’s supposed to be an escape, and it’s meant to be something you look forward to doing. If you’re starting to feel like you’re losing interest or not having as much fun, take a night off, maybe even a full day. Once I started taking the odd day to myself to do anything else, I became much happier to be in the gym. It’ll help your mind reset and be ready for your next class. Some people say that the days you don’t want to be there are the days you learn the most. While this is true sometimes, other times it just isn’t. If you push too hard, you’re going to lose all interest and quit. Remember the reasons you started training,

Always listen to your body. If you’re a little sore from the class the night before or tired from work that day, don’t hold yourself back from going. Soreness is normal and can be pushed through. After all, our sport is hard. However, if your body is creaking and cracking throughout the day, maybe it’s best to take a night off. You need rest at some point, and you’re only going to have to take more time off if you end up injuring yourself because you pushed a little too hard. It’s not worth it; you and I both know this.

At the end of the day, Jiu-Jitsu is something we do because we enjoy it. Would you push a kid to do a sport they love to the point where they hate it and don’t want to do it anymore? No, probably not. So why would you do that to yourself? Always remember to enjoy the process, and don’t let other people’s thoughts and concerns of you overtraining get into your head. In the end, you’re the one that’s out there. You’re the one who knows how you’re feeling, and you’re the one who is responsible for your well-being and enjoyment of the sport. It’s okay to take a break, and I guarantee your opponent is taking one too. I bet they’re taking one right now. Enjoy Jiu-Jitsu, but don’t forget the other enjoyable things in life too.

Take a breath, and take a break.