REDs and Overtraining: The Hidden Performance Killer

I thought I was bulletproof.

6.8% body fat at 1.69m tall. Training like a machine. Strength, cardio, mobility—hitting all the pillars. Sauna and cold plunge daily. Clean eating that would make a nutritionist weep with joy.

But I was missing two invisible foundations. Functional mobility and strategic fueling. I looked healthy from the outside. Instagram abs. Aesthetic physique. But my movement patterns were broken, and my eating patterns were sabotaging recovery.

Then my body broke.

Not dramatically. Not obviously. Just… broke. Small injuries piling up like compound interest. Performance declining despite increased effort. And finally, the big one—cartilage thinning in my knees that took 2 years to heal.

I had fallen into the trap that destroys more athletes than any single injury. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). The hidden assassin that strikes when you’re doing everything “right” but missing the most crucial pieces. Adequate fuel for the fire you’re burning and proper movement patterns to handle the load.

The REDs Reality: Your Body’s Strategic Shutdown

REDs isn’t an eating disorder. It’s a survival response.

When Energy In < Energy Out + Recovery Needs, your body makes strategic sacrifices.

1. Immune function → constant illness
2. Bone health → stress fractures multiply
3. Reproductive hormones → sex drive vanishes
4. Recovery capacity → injuries never heal
5. Performance → decline despite harder training

The research shows athletes with REDs have 3x higher injury rates¹, 40% reduced hormones², and 67% more infections³.

I had most REDs symptoms but with two key exceptions: illness and libido. Daily cold exposure for 18+ months had bulletproofed my immune system. I haven’t been sick once. My sex drive remained normal despite clear signs of systemic stress like poor recovery, stress fractures, and persistently dry skin on my fingers despite constant moisturizing. These missing classic warning signs made REDs more dangerous because I thought my body was handling the stress fine.

The Overtraining Injury Cascade

My REDs manifested as mechanical breakdown.

The Destruction Timeline:

1. Stress fractures in big toes – excessive running volume
2. Shoulder destruction – seated dumbbell butterfly movements through full range of motion, overtrained until I lost mobility
3. Hip flexor dysfunction – tight, overactive hip flexors compensating for weak glutes and poor movement patterns
4. Knee cartilage thinning – final breakdown when repair couldn’t keep up

The hip flexor issue was insidious. Sitting. Driving. Poor squat mechanics. All created chronically tight hip flexors that pulled my pelvis forward, shut down my glutes, and created a cascade of compensations throughout my kinetic chain.

I wasn’t addressing the deep stabilizers, the rotational patterns, the functional muscles that actually keep you moving well. Each injury was my body screaming for rest, fuel, and proper movement patterns. Each time, I thought more training was the answer.

The Optimization Trap: How “Perfect” Became Poison

The Old Me (Stable)

• Body fat: ~12%
• Training: Moderate intensity, good recovery
• Nutrition: Whatever I wanted
• Performance: Consistent, injury-free

The “Optimized” Me (Broken)

• Body fat: 6.8%
• Training: High intensity across all modalities—strength, Zone 2, Zone 5, plus mobility
• Nutrition: Clean, higher volume but lower caloric density
• Performance: Declining despite increased effort

The Fatal Math (1.69m, 6.8% body fat)

• Daily burn: 2,800-3,400 calories (including sauna/cold exposure)
• Daily intake: 2,200-2400 calories
• Deficit: 600-1,000 calories per day

For someone my size at such low body fat, this deficit was devastating. Every day I was systematically starving my recovery while increasing training load.

The Intermittent Fasting Trap: When “Optimization” Becomes Sabotage

But the energy deficit wasn’t my only mistake. I was also doing an 8-hour eating window. Every single day. On paper, it looked optimal. In reality, it was another stressor on an already depleted system.

The Problem Pattern

• Genuine hunger in the morning (body signaling metabolic need)
• Attempting to force-feed 2,800+ calories into 8 hours to hit targets
• Actually managing only ~2,400 calories due to digestive limits
• Digestive stress from trying to cram so much food
• Additional fasting stress on an already lean body

The Realization: At 6.8% body fat, my body was already in scarcity mode. Adding time restriction sent more starvation signals, potentially suppressing testosterone and increasing cortisol.

The Solution: Ditched rigid eating windows. Now I eat when hungry with one rule. No food 4+ hours before sleep for optimal sleep quality.

My Current Approach

• Eat when genuinely hungry (usually morning for me)
• Stop forcing food when not hungry
• Natural overnight fasting creates 12-14 hour windows automatically
• Monthly strategic fasts (16-18 hours) twice per month on (active) rest days only

For Autophagy Benefits: I realized I was already triggering significant autophagy through:

• Daily sauna and cold exposure ✓
• Zone 2 training (often fasted in mornings) ✓
• Strength training ✓
• 8+ hours quality sleep ✓
• Polyphenols from dark chocolate and spirulina ✓

The aggressive daily fasting was overkill that compromised recovery. Now I get the cellular benefits without the metabolic stress.

The Tech vs. Body Wisdom Reality

Despite having Whoop recovery scores and Garmin training readiness, the technology wasn’t enough. Devices showed “green” when my body was screaming red flags. They adjust to your declining baseline. Not to where your baseline should be.

The 4-Question Morning Protocol

1. “How do I feel when I wake up?” – True energy or forced energy?
2. “Am I excited about today’s training?” – Enthusiasm or obligation?
3. “How’s my sleep quality, regardless of duration?” – Rested after 7 hours or groggy after 9?
4. “What’s my stress response to normal tasks?” – Manageable or overwhelming?

These questions cut through algorithmic noise and connected me to what my body was actually saying.

The Reconstruction Protocol: Strategic Systems Repair

Weeks 1-4: Foundation Reset

• Increased calories by 600-800 (focusing on clean carbs)
• Reduced training intensity by 40%
• Stopped daily intermittent fasting – switched to eating when hungry
• Started addressing functional mobility – hip flexors, rotational patterns, deep stabilizers
• Added swimming for shoulder rehabilitation
• Introduced backwards incline walking at 15% for knee tracking

Weeks 5-12: Progressive Integration

• Continued 400-500 calorie surplus
• Swimming twice weekly for low-impact cardiovascular base and shoulder health
• Reintroduced Zone 5 work (once weekly)
• Systematic functional movement correction – addressing compensations and movement dysfunction
• Built backwards walking to 20-minute sessions with higher intensity

Weeks 13+: Performance Optimization

• Swimming 2x/week for shoulder health maintenance
• Daily 10-15 minute backwards incline walking
• 20-30 minutes daily functional mobility – hip flexors, glutes, rotational patterns
• Full training intensity with proper fueling protocols

The Movement Medicine Arsenal

Swimming Revolution: After seated dumbbell butterflies destroyed my shoulders through excessive range of motion, freestyle swimming became rehabilitation. Water’s buoyancy allowed pain-free movement while rebuilding proper shoulder mechanics.

Hip Flexor Liberation Protocol: Tight hip flexors were the root of many evils. And this pattern is incredibly common in overtrained athletes. Here’s why. When you’re chronically under-fueled, your body prioritizes survival over movement quality. Hip flexors become overactive compensators while glutes shut down. The result? Anterior pelvic tilt, knee tracking issues, and a cascade of dysfunction up the kinetic chain.

The protocol that saved me.

• Couch stretch: 2-3 minutes each side daily
• 90/90 hip stretch: Focus on internal/external rotation
• Glute activation: Clamshells, bridges, single-leg work
• Psoas release: Targeted soft tissue work

Most people chase symptoms (knee pain, back pain) when the real culprit is locked-up hip flexors from poor movement patterns and inadequate recovery.

Backwards Walking Secret Weapon: Walking backwards at 15% incline:

• Forces proper glute activation that forward walking can’t achieve
• Improves knee tracking by strengthening vastus medialis oblique
• Enhances proprioception and ankle stability
• Provides cardio challenge without impact stress

Strategic Mobility Targeting

• Shoulders: Wall slides, band pull-aparts, doorway stretches
• Thoracic spine: Cat-cow, quadruped rotations
• Hips: 90/90 stretches, pigeon poses, couch stretches
• Ankles: Wall mobilizations, band distractions

The Carbohydrate Strategy Revolution

Pre-training: 40-60g quality carbs 1-2 hours before
During long sessions: 30-50g per hour after first hour
Post-training: 80-120g carbs within 30 minutes
Evening: Complex carbs for overnight recovery

My Performance Breakfast Formula

Massive steel-cut oats with:

• Frozen fruits for quick carbs and antioxidants
• Vegan protein powder for amino acids
• Various nuts for healthy fats and calories
• Spirulina for antioxidants
• Ceylon cinnamon for blood sugar regulation
• BCAAs for muscle protein synthesis
• Sea buckthorn for vitamin C and omega-7
• Dark chocolate 85-100% for antioxidants and sanity

Other High-Performance Foods

• Sweet potatoes: 400+ calories, sustained energy
• Dates and figs: Quick-acting for pre/during training
• Rice and pasta: Higher glycemic for post-training replenishment
• Quinoa and avocados: Complete nutrition density

The Long Ride Reality Check

Extended sessions demand strategic fueling.

3-hour bike ride example (1.69m athlete)

• Energy expenditure: 2,400-2,800 calories
• Plus daily needs: 2,200 calories
• Plus recovery costs: 300-500 calories
• Total requirement: 4,900-5,500 calories

Fueling Protocol

• Pre-ride: 600-800 calories 2-3 hours before
• During: 250-300 calories per hour after first hour
• Post-ride: 600-800 calories within 45 minutes (2:1 carb:protein)
• Next day: Maintain elevated intake for glycogen replenishment

The REDs Assessment: Are You At Risk?

High-Risk Factors

• Body fat below 8% (men) or 16% (women)
• Multiple training modalities with high volume
• History of overuse injuries or stress fractures
• Perfect immune health masking other symptoms
• Performance plateau despite increased training

Daily Red Flags

• HRV consistently suppressed
• Resting heart rate 10+ beats above baseline
• Loss of training motivation
• Poor sleep quality despite good hygiene
• Small problems feeling overwhelming

If you check 3+ boxes, you’re flirting with REDs. I was in a serious relationship with over 3. Wish I’d known this assessment earlier. Thanks Lionel Sanders for bringing my attention to it.

The Performance Transformation

Six months after implementing systematic recovery:

• Strength gains: 20% increase in key lifts, explosive power returned
• Endurance capacity: Higher power outputs in Zone 2 and Zone 5
• Movement quality: Pain-free rotational patterns, full shoulder mobility restored
• Recovery metrics: HRV normalized, sleep efficiency up 15%
• Injury rate: Dropped to zero, knee issues completely resolved
• Mental performance: Clarity and motivation returned, stress resilience improved

The beautiful irony? I maintained my 6.8% body fat throughout recovery. But my performance skyrocketed. Proof that leanness isn’t the enemy. Inadequate fueling and poor movement patterns are.

The Bottom Line: Power Over Pretty

At 6.8% body fat, I looked incredible from the outside. Instagram abs. Aesthetic physique. But I was functionally broken, moving poorly, and slowly destroying myself from within.

The mirror lies. Performance tells the truth.

REDs is the hidden assassin stalking high-performers who confuse suffering with progress. Who optimize for appearance over function. Who stack “healthy” practices without considering their cumulative stress.

But you’re not training for Instagram. You’re training for the arena.

The principles:

• Fuel is your weapon: don’t enter battle with inadequate ammunition
• Recovery is training: adaptation happens during rest, not stress
• Listen to your body: technology provides data, your body provides wisdom
• Sustainability is strength: breaking down isn’t discipline, it’s sabotage

Feed the machine. Fuel the fight. Win the war.

Your future self—the one crushing goals at 100—will thank you.

Got insights about your own recovery strategies? Share them below!

References

1. Mountjoy M, et al. (2014). “The IOC consensus statement: beyond the Female Athlete Triad—Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs).” British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(7), 491-497. ↩︎
2. Loucks AB, et al. (2011). “Energy availability in athletes.” Journal of Sports Sciences, 29(S1), S7-S15. ↩︎
3. Drew MK, et al. (2017). “The relationship between training load and injury, illness and soreness: a systematic and literature review.” Sports Medicine, 47(4), 861-883. ↩︎