Recovery from possible overtraining

[Eaglefan]

Hey Rip,
First off I'd like to just say thanks for everything you do here. I appreciate it immensely.

I know I'm NDTP. Two badly herniated discs with the accompanying nerve abutment, a wrestling injury, stop me from squatting until I can be properly coached. 5'11, 160, down from a mid LP 170 after the injury. I've been training what I can, LPed bench to 210x5x3 and press to 135x5x3 before switching to 5/3/1 for a slower progress. But I've also been playing soccer and having a lot of 1 on 1 time with the girlfriend, again hurting recovery. I've been feeling sick too for a while but continued training as long as I could make my reps, hoping I was just unluckily sick and would feel better after.

I've been sick twice recently, headaches for like a month straight, just had a bout of strep throat again, my lymph nodes are fairly swollen still even after antibiotics. Libido has been down and I can only sleep 8 hours at the most, often waking up on the middle of the night to toss and turn. I feel really weak/tired all the time now, and Im pretty sure I've overtrained.

I'm sure it's obvious to you I haven't been eating enough, I know where I went wrong. I was at about 4000 cals a day on 5/3/1, but with soccer, girlfriend time, and my new manual job it just wasn't enough.

I've deloaded (workouts are hard even light weights now), am eating a lot, any advice on where to go from here? The fact that my glands have been so swollen for about a month worries me (the big C word) but I don't want to go to the quacks at patient first again.

Please tell me you've seen this and I'm just a dumbass for eating like a pussy.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Too many factors here to evaluate with too little information. On first glance you appear to be a skinny, beat-up, standard-issue kid with no focus, no discipline, poor time-management skills, and a constant hard-on. But there may be more, considering the swollen glands (which you have not really described). Dunno. Hard to say.

[Eaglefan]

Too many factors here to evaluate with too little information. On first glance you appear to be a skinny, beat-up, standard-issue kid with no focus, no discipline, poor time-management skills, and a constant hard-on. But there may be more, considering the swollen glands (which you have not really described). Dunno. Hard to say.

The lymph nodes in my neck have been swollen. I haven't missed a training session in months, once microloading slowed I switched to 5/3/1. Half GOMAD plus 4 big meals I thought would be sufficient on a slower progressing program. I assure you I have the discipline/focus, my training is always a priority. I never really stalled badly, and didn't want to be a pussy and stop training for minor problems. I understand how it sounds. I just wanted to know if you had any experience with the constant headaches/lymph nodes in the neck being connected with overtraining because Im worrying about more serious implications at this point.

Thanks again.

[Mark Rippetoe]

So, the heaviest you ever were at 5'11" was 170, and you're already doing 5/3/1. You haven't done the program. Typical silly kid shit.

But if you have swollen nodes in your neck and you're worried about it, you are a FUCKING MORON for not getting this checked. A FUCKING MORON.

[Eaglefan]

So, the heaviest you ever were at 5'11" was 170, and you're already doing 5/3/1. You haven't done the program. Typical silly kid shit.

But if you have swollen nodes in your neck and you're worried about it, you are a FUCKING MORON for not getting this checked. A FUCKING MORON.

I was doing the program, not near completion yet, and the injury was to the point that I couldn't squat even light weights. My press and bench were at an intermediate level, i chose 5/3/1 so I could rehab my back on deadlift day. I can't gain too much due to being a weight class athlete (a weight I'm not permitted to change), so I couldn't break through the tough points LPing the presses by just eating that much more, like Marty said.

And the only reason I asked about the lymph nodes was because I've searched and seen posts by crossfit and endurance types that talk about swollen lymph nodes as a normal symptom of overtraining. You didn't include that in PP and i havent seen anything searchimg this forum, so I wanted to check that that's not normal with actial strength training before I tried the doctors again.

If it were something you had seen/heard of before, I'd be a fucking moron for getting a node biopsy or something done when I could have just checked here.

[AriSuper]

I'm sure it's obvious to you I haven't been eating enough, I know where I went wrong. I was at about 4000 cals a day on 5/3/1, but with soccer, girlfriend time, and my new manual job it just wasn't enough.

soccer, manual jobs and lifting don't get along that good. Basically, what you are saying you run like a 1/2 marathon few times a week, you work hard(depleting your body even more) and then to top it off you lift weights. Now don't get me wrong, there's a shit load of people who can withstand this, but apparently you are not one of them(for the time being). Something is gonna have to give, what exactly is up to you...
I will say these 2 things:
1) If you feel like crap when you lift - why don't you stop lifting, take a break and start slowly - if you were on 5/3/1, you've read Wendlers story, and you know that he advocates starting too light, maybe that is the approach you need at this point of your "active" athletic career.
2) Choose one goal - soccer or lifting(how many lifters are great soccer players and how many soccer players are great lifters) - if you dabble at both, well, this is what you end up with.

[Will Morris]

I've been feeling sick too for a while but continued training as long as I could make my reps, hoping I was just unluckily sick and would feel better after.

I've been sick twice recently,

headaches for like a month straight,

my lymph nodes are fairly swollen still even after antibiotics.

often waking up on the middle of the night to toss and turn

I feel really weak/tired all the time now

The fact that my glands have been so swollen for about a month worries me (the big C word) but I don't want to go to the quacks at patient first again.

I've trimmed down your post to highlight signs and symptoms that could be indicative of something sinister going on. As much as I respect Rip, I am completely dumbfounded you sought the quasi-medical assessment of a strength coach in lieu of going to a physician to get worked up. Don't get me wrong, Rip knows more than most when it comes to soft tissue injuries. I am all for asking his advice when it comes to a strained tricep, but you are concerned about CANCER. Get this checked out.....now.

[Mark Rippetoe]

And the only reason I asked about the lymph nodes was because I've searched and seen posts by crossfit and endurance types that talk about swollen lymph nodes as a normal symptom of overtraining. You didn't include that in PP and i havent seen anything searchimg this forum, so I wanted to check that that's not normal with actial strength training before I tried the doctors again.

If it were something you had seen/heard of before, I'd be a fucking moron for getting a node biopsy or something done when I could have just checked here.

Chronic swollen nodes are NOT normal symptoms of overtraining, because overtraining is not normal. They can also be lymphoma. And several other bad things. Now, there's an unfriendly word for you. You didn't say how old you were, but you said:

I've been sick twice recently, headaches for like a month straight, just had a bout of strep throat again, my lymph nodes are fairly swollen still even after antibiotics.

You can trust the wisdom of your CrossFit Level 1 boys if you want to, but I'd really think pretty hard about this, if I were you. It's probably nothing, but maybe you'd better ask somebody that can run some tests.

[Will Morris]

Chronic swollen nodes are NOT normal symptoms of overtraining, because overtraining is not normal. They can also be lymphoma. And several other bad things.

Chronic swollen lymph nodes are not normal......an unexplained headache lasting for a month is not normal.....couple those two together and you could potentially have metastatic disease and a secondary tumor in the brain....

Also, writhing in pain at night where it interrupts your sleep CAN be an extremely ominous sign, as is chronic unexplained fatigue.

If this were a practical examination in school and I DIDN'T include cancer on my differential diagnosis, I would fail.

[Eaglefan]

I've trimmed down your post to highlight signs and symptoms that could be indicative of something sinister going on. As much as I respect Rip, I am completely dumbfounded you sought the quasi-medical assessment of a strength coach in lieu of going to a physician to get worked up. Don't get me wrong, Rip knows more than most when it comes to soft tissue injuries. I am all for asking his advice when it comes to a strained tricep, but you are concerned about CANCER. Get this checked out.....now.

I wasn't asking for a diagnosis. I just wanted to check that this wasn't something he'd seen before in overtrained athletes. It isn't, so I will see a dr.

Chronic swollen nodes are NOT normal symptoms of overtraining, because overtraining is not normal. They can also be lymphoma. And several other bad things. Now, there's an unfriendly word for you. You didn't say how old you were, but you said: You can trust the wisdom of your CrossFit Level 1 boys if you want to, but I'd really think pretty hard about this, if I were you. It's probably nothing, but maybe you'd better ask somebody that can run some tests.

That's what I worry about. I didn't trust their opinions, that's why I was just checking here first. Hopeful more than anything I guess.

I'll check back after I get the results. Thanks for your time Rip et al.