Fatigue

About 7 years ago i started rock climbing and in an attempt to support my body's strength i came across the original book from Coach Sommer. Given my one pointed drive toward progressing in rock climbing i started putting into practise what i was finding in the book with great intensity. I just went for it over a period of about 3 years and kept pushing for that next level. Given that none of my peers/friends were putting in what i was and there was no one to really analyse properly what i was doing (even the osteopath i visited intermittently was not really able to give me something solid to work with), i had no gauge for what was right (and not kinda right but really right) and what was too much/too little. Toward the end of this period i just ran out of steam. I no longer had the stamina to really enjoy the sessions with friends and it just got worse and worse. To the point that, amongst other reasons, i decided to quit rock climbing. By the end i felt like i just wanted to stay in bed for a day or two after each session. The fatigue was overwhelming. I was also studying for a PhD in physics at the time and had lost much of my mental acuity as well. Something had gone awry. I never visited a doctor (not that i really value a GP when it comes to an athletes body) and i no longer had enough money to fund trips to the osteo/physio. I just stopped, rested and waited for things to return to equilibrium. And the time went by. Weeks, months, a year. And although after about a year i definitely realised how extreme the whole thing had been, i also had a sense that something had not settled down. The very thought of pinning myself to a rock face just filled me with exhaustion. I couldn't bare it. It was about this time that i heard of damaging the nervous system through overtraining. And to this i direct this post. It has now been about 4 years since i dropped the climbing and gymnastics training. Life has taken me down many different paths since but i find myself wanting to return to supporting my physical body with all the right things. I have spent many years finding what nutrition works for me and now it's time for the body in the form of strength and flexibility to be attended to again. But this time to proceed with great care and patience.

So finally to a question. I would love to hear if anyone has any experience of what i am describing with overtraining and fatigue. I'm aware that it could be something completely unrelated to training but i want to start in a place that seems obvious. If anyone knows of this, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would really love to start Foundation 1 and feel physically agile again. Thanks for listening.

Antony

I experienced a similar fatigue for years. In the end, taking thyroid hormones nearly resolved that completely. Ever had your TSH checked?

your fatigue lasts a long time, there is a medical condition called chronic fatigue syndrome, which I hope you have not 

Yep been there. I was at the gym during the week pushing hard, overdoing it on the weekend and had what the dr said was a glandular fever relapse...bottom line was I overdid it over an extended period of time. Changed up nutrition dropped training aside from occasional sport with friends for 5 years or so. It took 2-3 years to overcome the fatigue, most of it was mental after 6 months or so looking at it with hindsight.  Then started to add more and more activities into the mix inc bike riding (commuting), not in any form of plan but simply the desire to keep moving. 2 years ago started bodyweight work, calisthenics yoga and then here. much of it at higher intensity. I found finding something I enjoy was the key to getting back into it. Foundation work 3 days, movement one day,  handstand and flexibility work 2 days and riding 5 days. I'm particularly sensitive to that sense of overtraining now