Is it possible to overtrain?
But the thing was, I was seeing results and when that happens you don't want to stop. You know that what you're doing is working and you don't want to jeopardise that.
However, over the last few years, I have realised that you definitely can overtrain. I thought that muscle soreness and fatigue were the only indications of overtraining but that certainly isn't the case.
The reason I write this blog post is that recently I have been very training hard again, sometimes twice a day, and I'm really enjoying it but the only problem is I am getting muscle soreness and an elevated resting heart rate. When I researched this I realised that one reason might be that I'm training too much...I know right, train too much?? Not possible? Wrong...
Let's go through some of the symptoms of overtraining together →
Persistent muscle soreness
Most of you who train know that you can get muscle soreness quite easily. In fact, there are two types of muscle soreness - immediate and latent. The first type is when you train extremely hard in a short period of time and this can cause a build-up of lactic acid within the muscle, and then the muscle or the liver should metabolize this within about 30-60 minutes prior to exercise.
However, the latent muscle soreness (DOMS) is usually from mini tears that you have created in your muscles during the workout. These tears are associated with 'eccentric' movements, which is when you bring the weight back down after lifting it. So, if you were doing a bicep curl, the curl itself would be a concentric movement and then on the way down it would be an eccentric movement. Now the muscle is working against the weight and this causes tiny tears as well as some tearing of the membrane of the muscle cells.
Elevated resting heart rate
Measure your heart rate in the morning, is it 7 or more beats above your usually resting heart rate? Then you have not fully recovered from your workout. It can last up to three days after an intense workout, if the discrepancy is less than 7 then don't worry too much - our heart rates fluctuate a lot depending on activity levels.
Increased susceptibility to infections
Overtraining can cause your immunity to weaken and then you become susceptible to infection and disease, however, moderate exercise strengthens your immunity so don't worry, we are talking about people who train hard every single day, such as athletes:
" Studies from several exercise laboratories have shown that after a single exhausting exercise session there is temporary immune depression, with marked changes in numbers and functional capacities of lymphocytes. These changes, which last for up to several hours, are seen in athletes and untrained individuals."
Increased incidence of injuries
This is self-explanatory, overtraining causes you to feel weaker and obviously you have an increased risk of injury. You need to rest, eat well and take care of yourself.
Depression & irritability
Overtraining significantly affects your stress hormones, including cortisol and epinephrine. This hormonal imbalance can cause mood swings, unusual irritability and an inability to concentrate.Insomnia
This is caused by fatigue, and ironically, you need sleep to recover, but if you don't get enough this can lead to even more insomnia.
Decreased appetite
Stress causes an increase in hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine, which can inhibit appetite.This was a big problem for me first time around, but now, I make myself eat because I know it helps my recovery, helps me grow muscles and re-fuels me after a big workout.
If you love to train, like me, then just remember to look after yourself. You NEED rest and you NEED to fuel your body properly. Take at least one rest day a week, you can still go for a walk but give your muscles the time they need to repair.
I am currently studying several personal training and nutrition books to learn more about what our bodies need. You should always keep educating yourself about your body and one day you'll find the balance between training, rest days and good nutrition (that's my goal anyway!)
You've got this! Enjoy your workouts and look after yourself!
💪
