13 Signs of Overtraining

The idea that you can over train may sound ridiculous.

We’ve often said that the pyramid of a fitness plan is exercise, nutrition and rest. It’s easy to lose sight of the rest component when we’re so focused on the exercise component. It may sound strange, but training too much can sometimes lead to a point that you are actually hindering your ability to see gains in your fitness plan.

Now, I want to be very clear that overtraining isn’t something that commonly happens when you workout 4 to 5 times a week for an hour. It can happen that way if your intensity level is through the roof, but it is pretty rare.

So the best way to determine if you are overtraining is if you see a number of different signs in the way that you’re feeling. These symptoms are not only physical but can also be psychological.

The following are a number of signs of overtraining:

• Ongoing lack of energy
• Muscle soreness and aches
• Sore joints
• Inability to sleep
• Lessening of physical performance
• Moodiness and irritability
• Loss of enthusiasm for training/competition
• Ease of injury
• Decrease in immunity
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Headaches
• Decrease in intensity during workouts

If you are feeling that you are overtraining, we suggest the following:

• Take at least one week off
• Go for a massage
• Meditate
• Soak your body
• Increase your sleeping time
• Do some stretching for relaxing
• Yoga

It may seem difficult to pull back on your workouts when you are so committed to your plan, but remember that when you over train, you will prevent you from reaching your optimal results and will actually help you in the long run.

Pay attention to the signs of overtraining and be sure to take the time to recover for your next workout.