Warning signs of overtraining

The problem with overtraining is that often you don’t even know it’s happening. You’re enjoying your training so much you don’t realise you’re overdoing it. So you just carry on, and the problem gets worse and worse. Or, let’s be honest, you just don’t know enough about training and you’re doing it all wrong … could be that.

Let’s backtrack a minute … why are you even training? Maybe it’s to improve your general fitness. Maybe you want to lose weight. Or gain weight … maybe you want to pack on some muscle. Or, of course, it may be that your training is sport-specific – you want to excel at your tennis, or squash or whatever. But overtraining can happen in any of these situations. You can get so wound up in trying to lose weight, gain muscle, get fit, become a better sports person, etc, that you don’t realise you’re overdoing it, so you end up creating problems for yourself.

How do you know you’re overtraining?

If you don’t even know whether you’re overtraining, here’s a few pointers.

Unusually fatigued. If your training leaves you feeling washed out and really tired, that’s not a good sign. Sure, your training can leave you tired, that’s to be expected, but what I’m talking about here is when you feel exhausted, drained and listless. That’s really not a good sign. And it usually means you need to ease off on your workload.

Changes in appetite. If your appetite is affected, that’s also a sign that things aren’t exactly going well. And the idea of training, generally, is to feel good, right? You don’t do it to feel lousy, or to become unhealthy. So again, be aware, this is probably a sign that you’re doing something wrong. If you notice you’re much thirstier than normal that can be an overtraining sign as well; your body is telling you it needs lots more water to cope with the strain it’s undergoing and to help with all the increased repair work it’s been saddled with.

Losing perspective. If your training is spilling over into the rest of your life and making it difficult for you take care of normal everyday things, that should be a red light, right there. And if you finally realise that you’re spending far too long in the gym, or visiting it far too often, take note. Listen out for those alarm bells!

Muscle ache or soreness. It’s natural for your muscles to ache after a hard workout, and it’s usual to feel it the next day, or even the day after that. But if it goes into the third day, that’s a sign you’re pushing it too hard. You need to allow time for your body to recuperate, and if you’re overdoing it one of the ways it will make itself known is in prolonged muscle soreness.

Sleep disturbances. If you’re finding it difficult to get a proper night’s sleep, that may be due to overtraining. Remember, your body recovers and rebuilds damaged tissue during healthy sleep, so if you’re not getting enough of it you’re not actually benefiting very much from your training.

Obsession. You may notice that you’re becoming obsessive about your training, and you’ve started to see it as more important than it really is. This warped view of things can indicate that you’re starting to lose perspective. A possible cause of this? You guessed it … overtraining!

Frequently unwell. You train for health reasons (even if your main objective is something more specific, such as weight loss or muscle increase). A sure sign that you’ve gone down the path of overtraining is that you’re often suffering from colds, sniffles, etc, and that you seem to catch any infection that’s doing the rounds. If your health was up to par, your body would comfortably swerve these things, or shake them off pretty quickly once they’ve tried to take effect. But if you’re suffering the effects of overtraining your immune system can be weakened to the extent that you’re left almost defenceless against any possible attack.

Too many injuries. It’s to be expected that you’ll encounter injuries from time to time if you do any kind of physical training. In normal circumstances you’ll recover from them quickly and carry on, but if you’re pushing too hard your body isn’t being allowed enough time to do that. Because of the increased levels of effort you’re putting out it’s likely you’re short of the energy needed for recovery as well.

Losing motivation. Maybe the first thing to put you on the alert will be a lack of motivation. If you’ve previously been so keen on training that others would mistake it for obsession and suddenly you feel you could take it or leave it, take heed, you’re being given a sign!

What can you do to change things?

Once you’ve recognised the problem the solution isn’t that difficult. In fact it’s pretty much common sense. Overtraining is basically a case of trying to do too much,  too quickly. You’re putting out too much energy and not allowing your body to recover from all your hard work. So the answer is staring you in the face … take a break! Or at least make changes.

You could make changes in the number of times a week that you train; perhaps drop down to 2, or maybe 3 days a week, instead of 4, 5, or even more. You could change the numbers of combinations of reps and sets that you perform, or adjust the actual weights you lift. Even the length of time you spend in the gym is up for re-negotiation. I know you love to work out (that’s how come you’re overtraining!), but instead of the hour and a half or two hours (or more!) in the gym, cut it right back to an hour, or even 40 minutes. Don’t be horrified, you can do a very effective workout in 40 minutes to an hour if you’re doing it right.

And the biggest change you can make is to take a break. Take an entire week off and let your body rest up. Don’t worry, you won’t lose ground! Make a point of getting plenty of relaxing baths, or visit the sauna or steam room to help pamper your body for a change, instead of constantly pushing it to its limits.

Go easy on yourself!

Another good approach is to spend time doing something physical quite apart from your usual training. Ideally, something less taxing. This not only gives your body a chance to relax a bit (and, incidentally, use your muscles in different ways), it’s also a way for your mind to calm down and relax. It’s not exactly meditation but the results aren’t that much different.

Take better care of yourself. Make sure you get to bed at a reasonable time and that you get enough sleep. Make sure your diet’s right. And maintain focus, without becoming obsessive. Once you’ve made those few changes you’ll soon be feeling the benefit.