Peter Attia MD | My recent lesson in overtraining @PeterAttiaMD | Uploaded July 2024 | Updated October 2024, 19 hours ago.
No one reading this will be surprised to know that I love working out, or that, as a result, one of my personal vices is overtraining. I know, I know – that probably sounds as stilted and pretentious as a job candidate who responds to an interviewer by saying “my biggest professional weakness is that I’m too committed to my work” – but as I explained in a recent premium article on VO2 max, overtraining is indeed well known to paradoxically impair physical performance. On a whole-body scale, overtraining can even lead to poor sleep, low mood, and a variety of other symptoms. I know this. I’ve seen it in some of my own patients. But call it stubbornness, habit, or whatever you will, I’ve nevertheless persisted in my exercise routine. That is, until I was recently forced to skip some workouts due to a hectic travel schedule – and was stunned by what I saw when I got back to my old routine, as I explain in the video below.
After a break from upper body workouts for one week, I hit personal records in not one, not two, but every exercise in my next upper body session. It felt fantastic, and the only plausible explanation for the improvement was the break from training. The magnitude of difference it made left me downright flabbergasted, even though I’d known on an intellectual level that overtraining can negatively impact performance and that my own training regimen put me at risk of this very effect.
--------
About:
The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 90 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more.
Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan.
Learn more: peterattiamd.com
Connect with Peter on:
Facebook: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB
Twitter: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW
Instagram: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG
Subscribe to The Drive:
Apple Podcast: bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts
Overcast: bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast
Spotify: bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify
Google Podcasts: bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information and the materials linked to this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content on this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they have, and they should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. I take conflicts of interest very seriously. For all of my disclosures and the companies I invest in or advise, please visit my website where I keep an up-to-date and active list of such companies. For a full list of our registered and unregistered trademarks, trade names, and service marks, please review our Terms of Use: peterattiamd.com/terms-of-use
No one reading this will be surprised to know that I love working out, or that, as a result, one of my personal vices is overtraining. I know, I know – that probably sounds as stilted and pretentious as a job candidate who responds to an interviewer by saying “my biggest professional weakness is that I’m too committed to my work” – but as I explained in a recent premium article on VO2 max, overtraining is indeed well known to paradoxically impair physical performance. On a whole-body scale, overtraining can even lead to poor sleep, low mood, and a variety of other symptoms. I know this. I’ve seen it in some of my own patients. But call it stubbornness, habit, or whatever you will, I’ve nevertheless persisted in my exercise routine. That is, until I was recently forced to skip some workouts due to a hectic travel schedule – and was stunned by what I saw when I got back to my old routine, as I explain in the video below.
After a break from upper body workouts for one week, I hit personal records in not one, not two, but every exercise in my next upper body session. It felt fantastic, and the only plausible explanation for the improvement was the break from training. The magnitude of difference it made left me downright flabbergasted, even though I’d known on an intellectual level that overtraining can negatively impact performance and that my own training regimen put me at risk of this very effect.
--------
About:
The Peter Attia Drive is a deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing longevity, and all that goes into that from physical to cognitive to emotional health. With over 90 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including exercise, nutritional biochemistry, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more.
Peter Attia is the founder of Early Medical, a medical practice that applies the principles of Medicine 3.0 to patients with the goal of lengthening their lifespan and simultaneously improving their healthspan.
Learn more: peterattiamd.com
Connect with Peter on:
Facebook: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB
Twitter: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW
Instagram: bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG
Subscribe to The Drive:
Apple Podcast: bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts
Overcast: bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast
Spotify: bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify
Google Podcasts: bit.ly/TheDriveGoogle
Disclaimer: This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional healthcare services, including the giving of medical advice. No doctor-patient relationship is formed. The use of this information and the materials linked to this podcast is at the user's own risk. The content on this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they have, and they should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions. I take conflicts of interest very seriously. For all of my disclosures and the companies I invest in or advise, please visit my website where I keep an up-to-date and active list of such companies. For a full list of our registered and unregistered trademarks, trade names, and service marks, please review our Terms of Use: peterattiamd.com/terms-of-use
