Overtraining Symptoms

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While many people do not regularly train, or do not exercise at all, some who train too much can experience uncomfortable symptoms of overtraining. Overtraining happens when we continue exercising when our body has not recovered from the previous workout. It appears when workout lasts longer and more intensely than we are physically capable of, when training exceeds bodily current needs and go to extremes. However, if this goes unnoticed, overtraining can cause short and long-term health issues and can lead to chronic fatigue, depression, hypothyroidism, weight gain, etc. In terms of its usefulness, we can distinguish regular or beneficial training from counterproductive overtraining. The article “All about Overtraining” lists the reasons why overtraining occurs and what are its symptoms.

How Overtraining Occurs:

• Inadequate recovery between training sessions
• Too much high intensity training, typically for too long
• Sudden drastic increases in distance, length, or intensity of exercise routine
• Daily intense weightlifting
• High volumes of endurance training
• No vacations, breaks, or off-seasons
• For athletes, excessive competition at high levels (i.e. trying to win every race)
• Inadequate nutrition, typically in the form of caloric and carbohydrate/fat restriction
• Insufficient sleep
• High amounts of stress and anxiety

Common Signs of Overtraining:

• Excessive fatigue/lethargy, especially outside of the gym
• Loss of motivation, energy, drive, and enthusiasm to train
• Loss of sex drive
• Increased stress, anxiety, irritability and feelings of depression
• Insomnia, sleep problems, or nightmares
• Poor concentration, hyperactivity and an inability to relax
• Large fluctuations in weight
• Loss of appetite
• Constant excessively sore and/or weak muscles
• Increased susceptibility to sickness and injury
• Lower performance in competition, such as racing
• Higher resting heart rate and elevated resting blood pressure
• Longer periods of time for heart rate recovery to normal levels after exercise
• Diarrhea, nausea, or headaches

Put simply, whenever we notice that our exercising works against us and does not help us feel better, we most likely press ourselves too much and go to extremes. Now, our body needs some time to recover. It will be good for us to refrain from exercising or lessen sports activities. Significant increase in water intake and proper diet with an emphasis on carbohydrates can fasten our recovery period. For some people, switching from hard and intense training on more relaxed ones such as yoga or Pilates can help the body to find a balance. Occasional changes in longevity and intensity of training, as well as combining other types of sport like swimming can prevent us from overtraining. If we listen to our body, we will easily recognize when it need some rest or switching between types of training. But, if we fail to notice it, we have to remind ourselves of the list of symptoms and act accordingly.