If you’re reading this blog, you’re likely a fan of fitness and probably take your workouts pretty seriously. With intense exercises like HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and CrossFit becoming increasingly popular, and more and more fitness celebrities obtaining more and more influence on social media, many of us are training more intensely than ever. And that’s fine. Great, even. As long as you’re not taking the extreme to the extreme… Man lifting weights If you enjoy an intense hour’s workout five, perhaps even six days a week, you’re not likely to be at risk of overtraining. The risk of overtraining comes when you start expecting too much from your body, and it can’t recover adequately. So how do you know if you’re doing that? If you’re really “in the zone” and perhaps getting overly fixated on your training, you might find it hard to even recognise the symptoms. So here are the signs you’re asking too much of your body…
Long-term muscle pain
It’s common to experience muscle soreness for a day or two after training. This isn’t a bad sign at all. In fact, it’s usually good and a sign that you’re working those muscles harder and making them stronger. However, if your muscle soreness lasts longer than three days, it’s probably time to take a break. Rather than fret that you’re missing precious workout time, rest assured that this was a sign your muscles weren’t recovering properly, which can only be a hindrance to your performance and gains.
You’re not sleeping well
Hmm, you’re working super hard on your training, feel knackered when you finally hit that sofa in the evening, but you can’t sleep when you go to bed. Sound familiar? This is a sign that you’re overloading your central nervous system with your unreasonable demands. And it’s not just your physical body that suffers; it’s your mental state that’s also affected. Constantly working up a sweat about your workouts is certainly going to affect your mind as you’re always switched on, always thinking about your gains. Stop, rest for a few days and your body will thank you for it.
Increased Injury
A pretty obvious sign, but still one that you might ignore unless you’re literally on your back, unable to move. Are you finding your body’s letting you down a bit when you’re training? Perhaps that left calf keeps twinging, or your shoulder feels like it might “go” any minute? If you keep training at the same intensity, these minor injuries can worsen and you’re at risk of re-aggravating injuries that haven’t had the time to heal properly. If your ankle is hurting, lay off the treadmill till it’s recovered, or if your shoulder doesn’t feel right, it’s time to take a break from the upper body strength training. Working out when your body is in a weakened state isn’t big, and it isn’t clever.
Feeling less motivated
When we go hell for leather over something, it can take all our focus, all our drive, and all our energy. If you’re fanatical about your exercise regime, it’s not surprising to reach a breaking point and suddenly feel completely disinterested. So, what do you do now? It’s time to allow yourself that rest from the workouts for a week or so, without feeling guilty for not wanting to pick up the dumbbells. Focus on other areas of your well-being (areas you may have neglected) instead, such as ensuring you’re getting enough sleep, eating properly and socialising. Then, start up a new programme, which isn’t as intense as the one you were doing, and don’t be so hard on yourself. 
You’re getting run-down
When it comes to training, nothing’s going to stop you hitting that 5k target, or completing those sets you’ve assigned yourself. But once you’re out of your gym gear, are you finding yourself feeling a little sluggish in the other areas of your life, or are you finding you’re actually starting to get unwell? More frequent colds, an ever-recurring ear infection, or perhaps you feel like, much to your frustration, you always seem to catch the bug that’s going around. It’s highly likely that your system is getting over-worked and is therefore running in a weakened state and your immune system is suffering. Carry on as you are, and there’s got to be a breaking point. It’s time to calm it down a bit and get your body back in tip-top shape.   So, having read the symptoms, ask yourself truthfully – are you overtraining? You might not relate to every one of these symptoms. In fact, you might only be able to tick off one or two. Even if none of these resonate with you, if you have a suspicion that you’re doing too much, you’re probably right. Every person is different. Our advice is to take that rest – at least a week – and re-evaluate your training programme. We’re all for training hard, reaching goals and enjoying the many benefits of exercise, but it’s so important to make sure you’re not placing unreasonable demands on your body. As long as you’re enjoying your training and it’s not negatively impacting other areas of your life, you’re doing it right!