Do You Have All The Signs Of Overtraining?

It can happen to anyone! But many don’t recognize the signs of overtraining which could lead to serious injury both mentally and physically.  It could literally derail an athlete. When you push your body too long with high intense exercise you could be overtraining. I recently completed an high intensity workout called Insanity Asylum Volume 2  which is only 30 days long. However before that I also completed another 90 day high intensity program that I think lead to my demise. My workout last week was absolutely horrendous.  Exercise moves that used to be so easy were an absolute struggle. I was excessively winded throughout the workout. I felt weak. I had a hard time with every single portion of the workout and I knew that it just didn’t make sense. My muscles all felt very heavy throughout my workout.  I was saying to myself  “I should be in tip top shape.”  What is going on?!?!?!!!! It finally came to me.  I was having serious signs of overtraining and I needed to do something about it!

Signs of Overtraining You Must Not Ignore!

Do not get a superman complex and think that you can’t suffer this and experience signs of overtraining. It can happen to anyone.  Not allowing your body time to recover can actually decrease your results.  Here a  few signs of overtraining and symptoms that you shouldn’t take lightly.

• Constant muscle soreness
• Persistent fatigue
• Depression
• Mood swings
• Poor performance
• Early fatigue
• Loss of motivation
• Extended periods of recovery

I was experiencing quite a bit of these signs of overtraining. I didn’t realize it at first but I definitely felt irritable at times and my wife can vouch for that!! I quickly learned that these were all symptoms I shouldn’t ignore and I needed to shut down for a little while and let my body recover.

What Exactly Happens When You Have Signs Of Overtraining?

When you experience the signs of overtraining your muscles are basically not getting enough time to recover and grow.  You are constantly forcing them day in and day out to work harder which will lead to muscle plateau and ultimate decline. If you do not take a break right away you could push yourself to such a severe limit that it could take weeks to recover.  You may think you are ok after a few days off but within days of working out you are right back to where you started.

The Mental Signs Of Overtraining

We all experience it. The exercise high.  Whether you are a runner, weight lifter, kickboxer etc we all will experience the exercise high which comes from the endorphins your body naturally generates.  Exercise basically can become an addiction.  The feeling we have after a great workout is our own drug.  We feel on top of the world.  We stand taller, feel slimmer and are even more confident throughout the day.  But unfortunately this could all leads to signs of overtraining and ultimately your demise.

Signs of Overtraining – How To Recover

The first and foremost thing you should do when experiencing signs of over training muscles is to take a break and give your body time to recover.  These are signs of over exercise.  Switch your workouts up and rotate the days you are doing certain body parts so it gives your body a chance to adapt and recover.  Also make sure you are reducing the intensity of your workouts for a period of time.  Luckily I caught myself and knew what was going on so I just shut myself down for four days and did absolutely nothing.  It was a struggle at first because I was so used to working out six days a week but once I got past the first day I enjoyed taking a few days off.  I knew my body needed it.  Another thing I focused on was sleep.  Your body needs more sleep to recover and I made sure for those days that I either went to bed a little earlier or slept in a little later.  Your body needs sleep.  So don’t forget to give it what it needs to repair and grow.  Another bonus is if you have some extra cash a deep tissue sports massage is not a bad idea either.  This will allow the massage therapist to really work on those areas that are severely fatigued and help alleviate those signs of overtraining.

Signs Of Overtraining – Fuel Your Body Properly

Don’t forget to be fueling your body with proper nutrition to also avoid signs of overtraining from creeping up on you.  If you are working out very hard you need to make sure you are eating enough calories for your body to recover.  Being in a severe calorie deficit and working out really hard is a very bad combination.  But also make sure that what you are eating is nutritious and supplying your body with the right amount of vitamins and minerals. I make sure I drink my Shakeology daily because I know I am getting an abundant amount of vitamins, minerals, high quality proteins and superfoods.

Signs Of Overtraining – Last Thoughts

In summary, if you feel these signs of overtraining starting to occur don’t turn a blind eye and feel you can’t get hurt. It can only get worse and lead to a very bad outcome and weeks of recovery.  Take the break.  Check you ego at the door and rest for a day or two.  A few days of rest can do wonders for you both physically and mentally.  Give yourself that time. Every now and then you need to treat your body with some rest so you avoid these signs of overtraining.

Your Coach,

DAVE