Overtraining is a very serious problem that can affect your body in many ways. This article will discuss what overtraining is, how it affects your body, and what the signs are that indicate you may be at risk for overtraining.
If you’re not careful, it can cause weight gain, muscle loss, and even lead to depression or other mental health issues. It’s also difficult for people who are overtrained to get back into their normal routine because they feel so much fatigue and exhaustion from the damage it causes.
The best way to avoid it is by listening to your body and taking breaks when necessary. Listen to your body and watch out for the signs I’ve outlined below.
What is Overtraining
It is something that many people in the fitness industry deal with. It’s when you do too much, or are doing something that your body is not accustomed to and it has a negative effect on your workouts.
It can cause weight gain, muscle loss, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel disorder and acid reflux, difficulty sleeping, and memory loss.
The Signs and Symptoms
The symptoms are where you won’t feel as motivated to train, headaches and migraines, your body might not recover from a workout that was usually done with ease before but now it’s too much for the same intensity level and weight lost or muscle mass gained even if they’re eating enough calories.
The signs are when you have a lack of energy, weight gain for no reason or muscle mass lost from the workout routine that’s usually being done at an intensity that is too much for your body to handle.
Ten Signs Of Overtraining To Look Out For
You experience a decrease in performance.
An important sign of overtraining is when a person fails to make progress despite increased intensity or volume. This includes decreased agility, strength and endurance but can also cause slowed reaction times and reduced running speeds.
Your muscles ache and you have muscle soreness.
You’ll start to feel chronic muscle soreness and aches. The soreness can be felt in the muscles, joints and may also extend to include the connective tissue (ligaments).
You find it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.
During sleep is when our body starts to build itself. It can interrupt this process. As a result, the body will be unable to repair and strengthen muscle tissue to prepare for future workouts.
You have chronic fatigue or low energy levels.
Your immune system may also start to suffer as well due to overtraining which can lead to illness such as colds and flus more often than usual.
You feel pain in joints that are usually stable.
Stable joints will slowly become unstable in the face of overtraining. The same can also happen to muscles.
Feeling of dread when you think about working out.
It’s much harder to stay motivated and want to work out as well, even when you know the consequences.
This is because your body needs time off from heavy exertion in order for muscle cells to recover and grow back stronger so that they can handle future workouts better.
Feelings of guilt after a workout.
What once used to feel like a success will start to feel like guilt. Which will hinder your fitness progress.
Loss of appetite and weight loss.
You’ll start to lose appetite which leads to weight loss. Not giving your body the right amount of nutrients it needs to keep you going.
You’re irritable and easily agitated.
During overtraining your mood will gradually change as your body tries to repair itself while also being stressed by the workouts that are happening at this time. Your energy level can drop which then leads to feeling more anxious and irritated than normal.
Your resting heart rate is elevated.
By not having enough nutrients and rest your body could experience an increase in heart rate. Your body will constantly try to repair itself and when it can’t get enough nutrients to do so the heart rate will increase.
You’re feeling more depressed.
The more overtrained that you are, the less happy or satisfied with life you’ll be. You may even feel like there’s a war going on inside of you as your mind tries to recover from all of the stress it’s been put through.
These are the just a few signs of overtraining, it’s not something to be taken lightly. Though it’s a common problem, recovery from training too much is not always quick and easy.
It will take more work on your part to recover from this painful state than most people are willing to give themselves credit for so it’s best to identify these signs early to prevent further problems.
In the long run it can affect your weight, muscle loss and much more. If you suspect yourself or someone else may be overtrained, then you and that someone should consider taking some time off and seek help from a physician or other health professionals.
You might also want to read about how to avoid overtraining so that you never have this problem again. With just a few simple changes in your routine, it’s easy to get back on track and keep your fitness goals alive without all of the negative side effects.
What are some ways you’ve avoided overworking? Let me know in the comments below!
