Overtaining

For some people, the hardest thing about exercise is getting started. For others, the hardest thing is knowing when to stop.


Overtraining is a common problem faced by individuals who do not allow their body adequate rest given the amount of training in which they participate. It can manifest as a myriad of physical, emotional, or behavioral symptoms including fatigue, elevated resting heart rate, increased infections and injuries, irritability and depression.

Often people overlook the signs of overtraining as they can be easily attributed to other causes. A few of the most reliable symptoms of overtraining are a lack of progress despite working hard, an inability to finish your normal workouts, and increase in injuries and illness.

Another reason to overlook overtraining is that folks may not know it is possible to train too much. It seems logical that if training 2 days a week is good, then training 6 days a week should be even better.

Your body, however, has to have time to recover. It is only through adequate recovery that you will see any improvements.

The only way to treat overtraining is to simply reduce the stress to your body. This can be done is several ways by reducing the volume, frequency, intensity, or time of your workouts.

Introducing periodization to your training plan can also be effective at incorporating enough recovery. Through the use of macro- and micro-cycles you plan the levels of stress to your system and more importantly, provide the proper recovery your body needs.

Just remember, more is not always better. You can reach your goals more safely and quickly by listening to your body and rest when you start to feel burned out or fatigued. Happy Training!