OVERTRAINING SYNDROME

Most people fail to recognize that rest is what makes a person stronger. It occurs “in response to maximal loading of the cardiovascular and muscular systems and is accomplished by improving efficiency of the heart, increasing capillaries in the muscles, and increasing glycogen stores and mitochondrial enzyme systems within the muscle cells.” It is during this rest period that the systems increase their performance because they are attempting to compensate from the stresses put on them from the previous workout. This results in a higher level of performance for the next workout. However, without adequate rest, these systems do not have the ability to regenerate resulting in a plateau.