5 Signs You’re Overtraining

Did you know that it is possible to train too much? Your body needs time to recover between sessions otherwise wear and tear can start to occur. Mild overtraining can take a couple of days to recover from but more severe forms of overtraining can lead to chronic or adrenal fatigue which requires a long recovery. With more intense workouts such as HITT, Crossfit and F45 becoming more popular it is important to know the signs of overtraining and learn to listen to your body.

1. You’re results plateau

When you first start training you generally see results fairly quickly. However when you’re overtraining results tend to plateau or even go backwards. Overtraining will cause your body to release more cortisol and less testosterone which leads to muscle loss and fat gain. This not only affects body composition but also strength and endurance during workouts.

2. You feel tired all the time

Overtraining will fatigue your central nervous system. Instead of feeling energised from your training you will start to feel tired and run down all the time.

3. You start getting injured

In a well balanced training programme you should have enough time to recover between workouts. When you overtrain your body doesn’t have time to fully recover between sessions which leads to wear and tear on your joints, muscles and ligaments. When annoying injuries start to pop up and not go away that’s a sign that you could be overtraining.

4. You get sick

This is similar to getting injured… When you don’t give your body enough rest and recover from training your immune system can become compromised and you start feeling sick and run down all the time.

5. Not sleeping well

When you train hard you should sleep really well. However when you overtrain your nervous system and hormones get out of balance which can lead to a poor night’s sleep.

The only person who knows if you are overtraining is you. It’s important to know the signs and start to listen to your body. If you don’t feel like training or feel like you need a few days off then don’t feel guilty. You are better to let your body recover properly and hit your next gym session at 100%!

Feel free to contact Brisbane CBD Chiropractor, Dr Miki Humphrey to get advice on how to train and recover.