Most people who want to stay in shape would probably take their program seriously. However, training becomes an addiction for some to the point that they are exposing themselves to possible harm.
Overtraining is so rampant nowadays. People fall in love with the “all or nothing” mentality and train like there is no tomorrow. Unfortunately, this idea may bring negative results to your body and the overall fitness program.
Here are eight alarming signs of overtraining you should be aware of. Don’t say goodbye to your men’s workout clothes just yet as there is still time to redesign your program and reassess your goals.
1. Prolonged Muscle Soreness
Muscles soreness is common after a workout. It is, in fact, a natural body mechanism during recovery time and is essential in muscle hypertrophy.
But if you experience muscle soreness for over 72 hours, it could be a sign that you are spending too much time in the gym. According to experts, the maximum stay in a gym should be 45-75 minutes. Extended body soreness will give muscles a harder time to recover and may cause serious injury.
2. Recurring Sickness
Sickness is a huge sign of an unhealthy lifestyle. Sometimes, it can also be a sign of overtraining.
Being frequently sick is a message from our body that it needs rest and its systems are faltering. Continuous exercise keeps your body in a catabolic state, which increases your chances to be sick.
Aside from avoiding long hours in the gym, a proper diet and taking vitamins A and E will help you fight common diseases.
3. Unquenchable thirst
Increased gym time may often result in insatiable thirst as being in a catabolic state causes dehydration. It is essential to keep your body hydrated before, during, and after a workout and get enough sleep to prevent this condition.
4. Frequent injuries
Getting injured more often is one of the most alarming signs of overtraining. You may sustain an injury or reaggravate an old injury if you overtrain as you don’t give your body enough time to rest.
The worse part in an injury is stopping the progress in your fitness program. You will be sidelined for weeks or months and may have a chance to go back to zero in your routine – a double whammy for you.
To prevent injuries, allow your body to rest and recover and try different intensities on your exercises.
5. Depression
Remember that workout is not just about physical but also mental. Training properly can enhance your mood, thoughts, and overall mental health.
Meanwhile, increased gym time may bring you the opposite results. As mentioned earlier, overtraining may not give any changes or progress to your body. As a result, you might feel frustrated about not getting the desired results despite exerting maximum efforts.
6. Distorted Sleep Patterns
Spending more extended hours in the gym may have a negative impact on the nervous system and the hormonal system. As a result, you may suffer from difficulty of sleeping or insomnia.
Getting enough sleep is a crucil part of body recovery after a workout. The harder and longer the workout, the greater the body needs to rest. But if you overtrain, the hormonal imabalance will keep you up at night.
7. Changes in Personality
People who overtrain tend to become more aggressive, short-temepered, and depressed as increased gym time intensify personality traits.
This may also affect your self-condifedence and self-esteem as you don’t see any progress or accomplishemnts despite working doubly hard. As a result, you become less motivated to continue your fitness program.
8. Lost Focus
As you gain more stress in working your body too much, you fail to maintain the right focus and concentration, which is criticial in performing an exercise. Losing your focus may affect the coordination of the body and may result to injury.