Is It Possible To Overtrain?

The topic of overtraining is one of the most talked about in the fitness industry. 

Overtraining is the point in which the body’s ability to recover from exercise is exceeded. You have given your body more than it can handle. You must keep in mind that our body sees exercises as stress. We are forcing our muscles with more or less difficult exercises to induce the growth of bigger muscle fibers.

Just like we need rest from psychical stress, we need rest from physical stress as well. What you need to know is the fact that muscles don’t grow while you workout. In contrary, your muscles grow while you sleep - that is when your body is recovering from the stress workout caused and creates bigger muscle fibers to accommodate on that stress.

Therefore, it i possible to overtrain, whether by performing exercises that are just way over for your fitness level or by not having enough rest. To determine whether or not you have overtrained yourself, we provide you with the list of most common symptoms of overtraining:

• Lack of energy and motivation

If your body has no time to rest properly, it will have no energy to function. Feeling tired and exhausted will not give you the motivation to work out more. Just the opposite - you will lack the will and motivation to work out.

• Muscle soreness that lasts for an extended period

Muscle soreness can be a sign of progress and is a sign of the body adapting to the training stress. But, if it is a constant thing, it means you are not giving your body enough of rest.

• The sudden drop in performance

Your body and your workout cannot progress if you are not resting enough. If you see that your performance is not progressing, or that it is dropping, perhaps you have overtrained yourself.

• Disrupted sleeping habits

Some people will be overstimulated by the intense exercising and therefore unable to fall asleep or achieve deep sleep. On the other hand, you can exhaust yourself to the point where you will be sleeping more than usual to get proper rest. Keep in mind that neither is good. If you experience any of those two, adjust your workout routine to the point where your sleeping pattern can function adequately.

• Increased number of injuries

If your body doesn’t have time to recover small injuries caused by workout, they can turn in more severe problems.

• Decreased immunity

Body exhausted from the constant stress of overtraining will have no energy to fight off viruses and infections. Oft-recurring common colds or sore throats can be a sign of overtraining.

No matter the results you want to achieve, you always need to remember to listen to your body and provide yourself with enough of rest and recovery. Some of the most effective and recommended recovery strategies are the following:

Sleep

As we have already mentioned, muscle growth happens when you sleep. Therefore, without enough sleep, your muscles will not be able to recover. Look at your body as a battery - if you do not charge it enough, and yet use it every day in a rigorous tempo, it will not be able to power you the right way. This is a much bigger problem than just not being able to work out due to sleep deprivation - your whole health can suffer. Get that minimum of 8 hours of sleep, your body will be grateful to you!

Proper nutrition

Your body needs nutrients that will help build new muscles and give you enough energy for your workout. Although the focus is often on protein intake, you should not forget about vitamins, minerals, and other supplements that are explicitly designed to help the recovery of the body after the workout. However, keep in mind that supplements won’t do much good if your entire diet is not made of nutritionally rich food. In Madbarz app, you can find a lot of healthy and tasty recipes for every meal of the day that will help you enrich your diet and recover your body.

Rest days

We have already mentioned that your body sees working out as stress. Putting your body through the same stress every day is not a good idea, especially if it is a new kind of stress. Your body needs to adapt. That is why it is recommended for beginners to have a higher number of rest days, while experienced athletes can work out for 5 or 6 days a week. Properly distributed rest days compatible with your fitness level are not a sign of weakness or laziness, but an effective way of helping your body build muscle and gain strength for further training. Madbarz app has workout plans with rest days incorporated and adjusted for every fitness level. That approach minimizes the chance for overtraining happening. Download the app and start training in a healthy way!

Stretching and tissue treatments

It is a well-known fact that stretching at the end of an exercise helps keep your muscles flexible and reduces pain and tightness in the muscles. However, you should consider adding other tissue treatments as a part of your recovery routine. Treatments such as professional massages or foam rollers can provide a deep tissue massage that will improve circulation, relieve muscle pain and tension, and improve muscle flexibility.

No matter how much you want to achieve results, you should always keep your health in mind. Give your body enough of rest and the results will be better than expected! Don’t bother yourself with counting how many rest days you need - let Madbarz do that. Get Madbarz Premium (link) and start some of our workout plans - created by professionals, tailored for every fitness level specifically!