IS THERE SUCH THING AS OVERTRAINING?

If you are reading this, you are most probably doing your best to kill it in the gym. But, have you ever found yourself placing excessive demands on your body to the point that you experience fatigue for a few days or possibly several weeks.

Well, the fact is if you are hitting the gym for more than five hours a week, and training is becoming your borderline addiction even to the extent of harming your body, you are overtraining and it’s time to re-examine your goals.

What Is Overtraining?

Typical in most fitness activities, overtraining occurs when you carry out additional training than your body can recover from. A short-term overload, which can be managed within a few days, is referred to as overreaching. However, overreaching can result into overtraining if the athlete fails to allocate sufficient recovery time.

If you are in this position, you will most certainly require the assistance of a knowledgeable personal trainer to help you get your training back on track. In any case, it is vital that you listen to your body for any signs of overtraining.

Here is a list of some typical overtraining signs that you should be aware of.

You Have Insatiable Thirst

If you have an unquenchable thirst that coincides with your gym training session, there is a high chance that you are overtraining which is causing the body to be in a catabolic state. When your body is in a catabolic state, you become dehydrated, and thirst is one of the initial symptoms of dehydration. To challenge this sign, drink adequate water and have enough sleep.

Muscle Soreness

While muscle soreness is normal for a day or two following a workout, persistent soreness past the third day can be a sign that your muscles aren’t recovering which can harmfully impact on your muscle-building efforts. To prevent this, work out 45-75 minutes max and pay attention to your muscles.

Exercise leaves you Exhausted Than Energized

The core aim of exercising is to give your body an energy boost. If you are not getting that good endorphin rush after a workout, or you feel overly exhausted or sickly, it is time to reassess your training.

You Cannot See Results

Unbelievably, exercising excessively can essentially cause you to lose muscle and gain fat. This is because when you overtrain, your body generates little amounts of testosterone and instead produces high amounts of cortisol. This causes the body to increase both insulin resistance and fat deposition.

You Become Restless, Lose Focus, and Lack Motivation

If you perform many aerobic exercises, your sympathetic nervous system goes into override, causing restlessness and lack of focus, which can eventually lead to the lack of self-drive to perform any physical activity.

Overtraining is real, and once its sets in; it may take days, weeks, or months for your body to recover. If this happens, ensure that you take an unplanned break to allow adequate time for recovery.