What is Overtraining?
Sometimes when your working out you feel really motivated and want to push to maximal efforts. It is really easy to believe this especially with the gym culture and you feel like pushing yourself can you lead to more gains and progress. But in reality this is not always the case and can lead to overtraining.
Overtraining occurs when you push you own body beyond its ability to recover. And it is not always just training hard, it can be training too frequently and not giving your body adequate rest. Although you may have the intention of growth this can backfire you as it can then lead to fatigue, an overall decline in your performance and sometimes even injuries which can set you back even more. So it is important to train smartly as overtraining can cause more harm than good .
When you are frequently and consistently training over a long period of time your muscles, nervous system and joints need time to recover and adapt. If you do not give your body this time to recover and you do not take any deload weeks eventually you will burn out and this can set you back.
Signs and symptoms of Overtraining
When you are overtraining it will not all occur at once it will gradually build over time. As you consistently workout at high intensity without allowing your body adequate recovery and nutrition your body will start to show signs which tell you that you are overtraining. It is important to look out for these warning signs and the earlier you can spot these signs the quicker you can get your recover back on track and not experience any setbacks. Here are some really common signs of overtraining:
Decrease in performance
One sign which shows you could be overtraining is a decrease in your performance. If you suddenly feel like you performance has dropped or you have plateaued even though you are still training consistently, this is a very telling sign that you may possibly overtraining. You may feel that you are lifting less weight that previous moved with ease and you are now struggling to lift or you are performing less number of reps compared to before.
Fatigue
Another of the most telling signs that you are overtraining is if you are feeling constant fatigue. Are you constantly feeling tired after workouts which does not ago with sleep? This is a big sign that you are overtraining. This fatigue is usually built over time and causes ongoing exhaustion which does not got away with rest. This type of fatigue will affect you both mentally and physically. It often spills into your daily life and can affect your normal every tasks such as staying focused at work or even simple things like walking to work or climbing flights of stairs.
If you suddenly feel like you are feeling drained both physically and mentally this is a huge sign that you maybe overtraining. If you feel like this it is important to listen to your body, take a deload and make any necessary adjustment to your training plan to get you back on track.
Persistent soreness and joint pain
Now although muscle soreness is a completely part of training, especially if you have not worked out for a while or you try a new movement their are times where this soreness is actually a sign of overtraining. Understanding when you soreness is lead by overtraining is important.
Signs that your soreness is caused by overtraining is you are feeling constant soreness or what feels more like joint pain which is lasting more than a couple of days. DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) usually begins 12-24 hours and peaks around 24-72 hours. It will usually ease off after 3-4 days with adequate rest. If you are still experience soreness for longer than this then that may be sign you are overtraining. If you feel this is you give you body some time to recover as not listening to your body can lead to it taking on more stress which puts you at risk of overuse injuries.
Sleep quality
Another sign that you may be overtraining is if you feel you have disrupted sleep. Do you feel that you are suddenly waking up during your sleep? for example waking up at 2.a.m. Are you struggling to fall asleep? Do you feel when you wake up you just want to stay in bed and don’t have the energy to get up and your sleep has not made you feel refreshed? these are all common signs of overtraining. Having good quality sleep is vital as this is how your body recovers and allows you to rebuild muscle tissue and restore your nervous system. So poor quality sleep will only make thing get progressively worse.
Frequent illnesses and injuries
Sometimes when you are training so hard as well as feeling burnt our you may also start to feel more frequent illnesses as your immune system takes a hit. Overtraining can make you more prone to illnesses so if you do feel like you are becoming more ill it could be from working out too intensely. You may also notice that are prone to more injuries. For example you may experience common injuries such as tennis elbow or joint paint as your muscles and joints are not getting enough time to repair between sessions.
What to do if you feel you have been overtraining?
If you have been showing signs of overtraining it is important to listen to your body and give it a rest as your body is asking for it to take a break and if you continue working out it will only slow down your progress or even lead to injuries. Here is what you can do:
- Rest week – If you feel your overtraining symptoms is severe then it will be take a rest week or as long as you need for you body to full recover.
- Deload week – This will generally be for most people, you would train at 50% of your training volume for one week
- Get enough sleep – Ensure you are having adequate amount of sleep, at least 7-9 hours a day.
- Prioritise Nutrition – Eat enough calories and fuel your body with plenty of carbs and protein.
- Adjust training program – Most importantly adjust your training program to prevent overtraining in the future
When to get help
If you continue to experience ongoing fatigue and symptoms please consult a qualified professional.