Five Ways To Identify Over-training
Regular exercise is an important part of your health and wellness but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing! Physical exercise damages muscle fibres. Rest allows them to recover and reconstruct in stronger formations. So physical gains actually occur outside of the gym. “Overtraining” is the fancy way of saying “too much exercise”. It’s an imbalance between work and recovery. There are five dead giveaways that you’re doing too much.
Number one is a drop in performance. You have less strength, endurance and co-ordination. Physical tasks you could handle effortlessly become difficult. Even though you’re hitting the gym each day, you’ll feel progressively weaker, slower, and more lethargic.
Number two is a drop in results. When hormones are normal you’ll find that losing fat and gaining muscle is basically a matter of healthy diet and healthy activity. This no longer holds true when you are overtraining because your hormones get out of whack. Testosterone plunges and cortisol rises. This slows down metabolic rate and increases insulin resistance, leading to your body holding tight to fat. You’re also more likely to have strong carbohydrate cravings because your body is seeking quick energy. To make matters worse, you’re more likely to succumb to the cravings because you’re exhausted. Besides, you’re burning it all off with your exercise, right? Probably wrong!
Number three is an increase in injuries. As you train in an increasingly weakened state you’ll find yourself aggravating old injuries, creating new ones, suffering crippling DOMS and find odds aches and pains that just won’t go away. It could be poor form, it could be muscle overuse, it could be muscle tightness. It’s probably a combination of all of them and it means your body is not a very comfortable place to be.
Number four is an increase in illnesses. If you’re exercising in a healthy manner you will develop a stronger immune system and will find you don’t get sick too often. However if you’re overtraining you’ll suddenly find yourself vulnerable to every lurgy floating about.
Number five is a drop in morale. That’s hardly surprising when your performance is going down, your weight is going up and you’re struggling with injuries and illnesses. You feel drained and sluggish both in and out of the gym. Exercise no longer elevates your mood, it makes you feel worse. You start to lose motivation to exercise at all.
The better you get at listening to your body the more successful you will be in meeting your goals. The good news is that over-training can be managed or prevented with some very simple strategies, check out my article to find out how.
Number one is a drop in performance. You have less strength, endurance and co-ordination. Physical tasks you could handle effortlessly become difficult. Even though you’re hitting the gym each day, you’ll feel progressively weaker, slower, and more lethargic.
Number two is a drop in results. When hormones are normal you’ll find that losing fat and gaining muscle is basically a matter of healthy diet and healthy activity. This no longer holds true when you are overtraining because your hormones get out of whack. Testosterone plunges and cortisol rises. This slows down metabolic rate and increases insulin resistance, leading to your body holding tight to fat. You’re also more likely to have strong carbohydrate cravings because your body is seeking quick energy. To make matters worse, you’re more likely to succumb to the cravings because you’re exhausted. Besides, you’re burning it all off with your exercise, right? Probably wrong!
Number three is an increase in injuries. As you train in an increasingly weakened state you’ll find yourself aggravating old injuries, creating new ones, suffering crippling DOMS and find odds aches and pains that just won’t go away. It could be poor form, it could be muscle overuse, it could be muscle tightness. It’s probably a combination of all of them and it means your body is not a very comfortable place to be.
Number four is an increase in illnesses. If you’re exercising in a healthy manner you will develop a stronger immune system and will find you don’t get sick too often. However if you’re overtraining you’ll suddenly find yourself vulnerable to every lurgy floating about.
Number five is a drop in morale. That’s hardly surprising when your performance is going down, your weight is going up and you’re struggling with injuries and illnesses. You feel drained and sluggish both in and out of the gym. Exercise no longer elevates your mood, it makes you feel worse. You start to lose motivation to exercise at all.
The better you get at listening to your body the more successful you will be in meeting your goals. The good news is that over-training can be managed or prevented with some very simple strategies, check out my article to find out how.