You are serious about training. But have you ever made unreasonable demands on your body, even to the point of overtraining?
Rest assured: If you work out for up to five hours at the gym every week, you probably don’t run the risk of overtraining. But if you’re going to train longer, and training becomes an addiction even to the point of possible harm, maybe it’s time to rethink your goals. In this article, we will look at the symptoms of overtraining and their treatment.
Post-workout muscle recovery
It is very important to listen to your body and know the signs of overtraining. Here is a list of 12 common symptoms that you should constantly pay attention to.
Signs of overtraining
1. Change in resting heart rate
Have you noticed those heart rate bracelets that some guys wear in the gym? You won’t believe it, but they can help determine if you’ve overtrained. The altered resting heart rate is the result of an increased metabolic rate to meet the demands of training. But even if you don’t have one of these gadgets, you can simply monitor your morning pulse. This is an old-fashioned way of measuring before you get out of bed and start your day. If your resting heart rate is unusually high or low, you should probably talk to your doctor.
2. Unquenchable thirst
Do you often experience an unquenchable thirst? Are you starting to believe that no matter what you drink, you’ll still crave more? If this coincides with a period of increased time in the gym, there is a high chance that you have overtrained. Here’s why: Your body may be in a catabolic state, which means it starts consuming its own muscles for protein. The catabolic state naturally causes dehydration . The solution is simple: drink a lot of water and sleep a lot.
3. Increased muscle soreness
Muscle pain for a day or two after a workout is normal. But if you’re still feeling sick after the 72-hour mark, make sure to schedule a break and rest. This type of prolonged soreness is a sign that your muscles are not recovering, which negatively affects your efforts to build muscle. You should be able to work out in the gym — get in and out — in a maximum of 45-75 minutes.
4. Insomnia
Can’t sleep even though you fall asleep in the gym? Most likely, this is the result of a combination of overload of the nervous or hormonal system.
5. Depression
Exercise is usually good for your mental health, but if you over-train, it can have the opposite effect. People who have overtrained tend to view exercise as something they are not, namely challenging, conquering, or filling space. To avoid overtraining, it is important to know the real motivations of training. Set realistic short-and long-term goals, create a plan, and stick to it.
6. Frequent ailments
Feeling unwell is not part of a healthy lifestyle. In fact, sometimes it’s your body’s way of telling you that your immune system is suffering from overtraining. The process of overtraining means that your body is in a constant catabolic state, “which reduces immunity and increases” the chances of getting sick. If you over-train, you should rest and cut back on your workouts. You also need to adjust your diet, nutrition, and supplement intake, and possibly introduce vitamins A and E, as well as glutamine.
7. Loss of concentration
Focus is crucial. When you go to the gym, you should only think about the workout. Unfortunately, sometimes people bring other topics to the gym, which then becomes an hour of communication and your time in the gym increases significantly, because you do a set, and then talk for 15 minutes, then come back and do another set. This can definitely lead to overtraining or even ineffective training.
8. Increased injuries
Do you get injured more often? In particular, do you aggravate old injuries? If so, you may have overtrained. Why? When you over-train, your body doesn’t get enough time to recuperate between workouts, which means that at some point you start training in a weakened state. If you do this too often, you will probably have an increased chance of getting injured. To prevent overtraining, you need to introduce periods of forced rest into your routine, as well as change the intensity of training or enjoy active recovery. It can be something low-intensity and completely different from strength and cardio.
9. Reduced motivation
Please, the most common sign of overtraining. It’s not unusual to sometimes want to skip a workout. But if you normally live, breathe, and sleep in the gym and then suddenly lose interest, you’re probably overexerting yourself. Instead of going to the gym and possibly risking injury, it is recommended to take a break for a whole week and then reduce the amount of training.
10. Low self-esteem
For many guys, it’s natural to feel a sense of accomplishment after an intense workout. But when you get hung up on training, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that “the more, the better.” This has two dangerous effects: overtraining and low self-esteem. This feeling is associated with the body’s nervous system, as overtraining affects happiness levels, depression, insomnia, and irritability. Also, overtraining can be exacerbated by factors such as a lack of proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress factors.”
11. Progress stopped
Has your body stopped changing despite all your efforts? If so, you may have overtrained. When you over-train, your body moves in the opposite direction of growth, because your muscles are torn, and all you do is tear them again. Don’t risk entering the muscle-burning phase. Remember: your muscles need a chance to recover, and this is only possible when your body is given time to rest and recover before forcing it to exercise more.
