Are you overtraining?

Getting motivated and active can be easy for some.

For others it can be one of the hardest things to fit into their lifestyle, to work up the enthusiasm to do or to know where to start.

A small minority of people may love their training so much that they struggle to strike a balance and, in worst cases, land themselves with gym addiction or a harmful relationship with exercise.

Overtraining occurs when the volume and intensity of exercise surpasses the body’s ability to recover. Whilst the tendency may be to give it your all and push through the pain when training to achieve a goal – be it weight loss or strength-based – you could in fact be hindering your progress and damaging your body.

As a long-term fitness fanatic and more recently qualified personal trainer, finding a balance with training has been, and continues to be, a challenge for me. In the past I loved feeling fit, being able to eat whatever I wanted knowing I could burn it off and having what I thought to be a good body.

Now, I have goals based around my physique, strength and fitness that drive me into the gym to train. I have classes to teach and generally a physically demanding job and lifestyle. I favour being active over sitting in and doing little with my time but that usually means I’m not resting even when I set myself a ‘rest day’. I’m often tired, sometimes grumpy (only sometimes) and I have trouble shutting off outside of the gym and work, especially at night.

I took a day off on Saturday – no gym and no work – and I felt refreshed. Just from one day. It got me thinking about the importance of rest, how my body needs that time to recoup, recover and restore and how I hadn’t been allowing it this.

Whilst increasing fitness levels and strength gains calls for periods of ‘overloading’, too much overload and not enough recovery can be detrimental.

Sufficient rest periods are vital for muscle repair and recovery, replenishment of energy stores and allowing the body time to adapt to the stresses put upon it during exercise. Insufficient and ineffective rest not only affects the body but the mind too. Below is a list of common symptoms for those that are overdoing it, if you feel you’re suffering from one or more of them, then schedule in some much needed R&R. Take a week off if possible and when you do get back on it, be sure to add some rest days to your workout routine.

Signs and symptoms that you’re overtraining:

• Extreme tiredness
• Lack of appetite
• Lull in terms of motivation
• Poor immunity (picking up colds more frequently)
• Decreased endurance and capabilities
• Feeling irritable and moody
• Insomnia
• Frequent injuries
• Insatiable thirst
• Muscle soreness extending beyond 72 hours