Weight Gain/Water Retention from Overtraining

jamie31 · November 2010

I am seriously looking for some educated answers here! I know for a fact that I am overtraining. I have ALL the symptoms, plus i think that fact that I train for 3 hours a day 7 days a week is enough to know that I am over doing it. I have noticed in that past week that I have looked a little puffy and have put on about 8lbs ( in ONE week). Could this be a side effect of the overtraining?

FemininGuns · November 2010

I think this is very much possible. I was overtraining... Had a pain in my right hip that radiated to my back... Was doing too much for sure. Cut back on my cardio just a little and training legs on the Friday so I can do a long run on Sunday made a HUGE difference. The scale hadn't budges in 6 weeks, last week I implemented my new plan and I already lost a pound this week and I don't hurt anymore. So yes, I think that you can gain weight with overtraining.

sandy429 · November 2010

Overtraining plays havoc on the body's hormonal systems. Part of the problem is the elevation of cortisol, a catabolic hormone. This results in a number of things happening. To start with, it reduces secretion of growth hormones, decreases protein synthesis, and impairs the thyroid glands.

This means overtraining leaves you with a lower metabolism, more retention of salt and water, and a greater amount of muscle protein breakdown. All of this negatively impacts the physique and body composition. In the aftermath, it leads to more fat and less muscle, which is obviously undesirable.

jamie31 · November 2010

Overtraining plays havoc on the body's hormonal systems. Part of the problem is the elevation of cortisol, a catabolic hormone. This results in a number of things happening. To start with, it reduces secretion of growth hormones, decreases protein synthesis, and impairs the thyroid glands.

This means overtraining leaves you with a lower metabolism, more retention of salt and water, and a greater amount of muscle protein breakdown. All of this negatively impacts the physique and body composition. In the aftermath, it leads to more fat and less muscle, which is obviously undesirable.

Sandy, Aside from taking a few days off workouts what else should i do? Should i be taking certain supplements or anything?

TateFTW · November 2010

I'd advise against taking a few days off, then just going back to what you were doing. You need to lower your training volume, or it will just happen again. The only way you need 3 hour training sessions is if you are preparing for a marathon. And even then, the longest sessions should only be 2-3 days a week.

If burning fat is your goal, you need to look into HIIT. You can do sessions as short as 15 minutes that burn as many calories as running for a whole hour.

As for supplements, yes, there are cortisol blockers. Many bodybuilders use them to help recover from a cycle of steriods. This is not the way to go, as your body will only be further taxed and start to react in other negative ways.

You've been extremely succesful in your weight loss. Slow down and enjoy it a little!

ErinMarie25 · November 2010

I'd take a few days off and when you get back to working, not working out so much.

You're probably holding A LOT of water. How much water do you drink? You need a lot more the more you workout so you probably aren't even drinking enough so your body is holding onto it.

LotusF1ower · November 2010

I am seriously looking for some educated answers here! I know for a fact that I am overtraining. I have ALL the symptoms, plus i think that fact that I train for 3 hours a day 7 days a week is enough to know that I am over doing it. I have noticed in that past week that I have looked a little puffy and have put on about 8lbs ( in ONE week). Could this be a side effect of the overtraining?

Yes it could be just so.

I always swell up after training, however, that swelling eventually goes, it gets less as I get used to my training sessions. I do not train everyday though, only every other day, otherwise I would get injured (I know this as it has happened in the past).

Rest days are crucial in training.

You will know if you are overtraining because you will begin to get stale, you may feel bored with your exercise, irritated with it. Those are some of the emotional effects of overtraining, the physical effects are that no matter how much you train, you do not improve - when that happens, you need a break, because nothing will change until you take one.

sandy429 · November 2010

Overtraining plays havoc on the body's hormonal systems. Part of the problem is the elevation of cortisol, a catabolic hormone. This results in a number of things happening. To start with, it reduces secretion of growth hormones, decreases protein synthesis, and impairs the thyroid glands.

This means overtraining leaves you with a lower metabolism, more retention of salt and water, and a greater amount of muscle protein breakdown. All of this negatively impacts the physique and body composition. In the aftermath, it leads to more fat and less muscle, which is obviously undesirable.

Sandy, Aside from taking a few days off workouts what else should i do? Should i be taking certain supplements or anything?

As far as supplements go, a good multivitamin is all you need.

You do need a couple of days off, and then when you return, just do one workout. You don't need three hours a day to make a workout effective. Give 100% to one, and you'll be fine. Also, schedule a couple of recovery days a week. They don't need to be complete rest days, but two days of just yoga or Pilates during the week will do wonders for your body & mind.

And most importantly, you need to eat. You can't drive your car across the country on a half tank of gas, so you shouldn't expect your body to perform on very little fuel.

:flowerforyou:

Weight Gain/Water Retention from Overtraining

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