Overtraining

Overtraining is not uncommon in highly intense and physical careers but it doesn’t mean that it needs to be this way. I think it’s possible to be high level aerialists without constantly pushing our bodies to the limit, as this can be detrimental to physical and mental health.

Reasons for overtraining might include fear of losing strength, fear of body change, not listening to the body, lack of self-care, pressure from others, need for distraction, to name a few.  

I used to be obsessed with the soreness that came from training and if I didn’t feel it when I woke up I would push harder to feel it again the next day. I discovered it was coming from some kind of self-sabotage and punishment for not being ‘good enough’. Since I have unpacked what has been behind this I have started to let it go.

It’s not an easy thing to do especially if it is a long term habit and is often not as simple as just training less. Depending on what is personally fuelling it, it can be extremely uncomfortable to explore. However, the more we understand our reasons, the more we can work towards healthier training habits.  

Scrolling social media can lead to a lot of ‘rest day guilt’ with the constant stream of training videos making us think we should be in a studio and training something. Flexibility training can easily sneak into a rest day because we think it can be ‘less intense’, but is that rest? 

Our minds and bodies need a break from the intense things we put them through. I’ve only recently become able to watch a whole film without sitting in a split. Its ok and important to rest and if you need more rest than someone else it doesn’t make you a lesser person or aerialist. It also doesn’t make you ‘lazy’.

What are your thoughts on overtraining?