There is always a back and forth fight over this topic.
Are you over-training and that’s why you aren’t seeing results?
Or are you under-training and seeing the same results?
For the most part, people don’t train enough. The majority of people are sedentary.
They don’t have a consistent exercise routine.
Maybe they aren’t sure what they should be doing.
Maybe they “don’t have time”.
Whatever it may be, they just aren’t active.
But when some do decide to go all in, they may be at risk for over-training or as some call it “under-recovering”.
These are the people that may have gotten to a point where they are training hard EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily.
But when your body starts telling you it wants to slow it down, yet you continue to GO, GO, GO, the problem(s) begin!
So how do you know if you are overtrained?
According to Precision Nutrition, these are some symptoms to look out for:
- Achy and creaky joints
- Muscular pain
- Feeling run down
- Un-motivated (to be active or just to be..)
- Anxious or depressed
- Fatigued or sleepless
So if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, does that mean you should stop training?
In my experience, it might just mean you should take a step back and re-evaluate what you are doing and why..
What do all of these symptoms allow you to accomplish when you do get to that point??
Nothing. Absolutely nothing!
You won’t be able to train.
You won’t feel like eating healthy foods.
You won’t feel like playing with your kids/dog/fish.
Work will be a struggle.
And to be honest, no one will want to be around you!
So what have we learned here?
Be smart about your training.
If you aren’t an elite athlete or a competing fitness/bodybuilding competitor, you DO NOT need to train for hours on end.
You don’t need to train more than once a day.
You only have ONE body. Treat it right and it will treat you right!
Prioritize time for recovery. Try some of these:
- Go for a walk (not a jog or run)
- Do yoga
- Meditate (one of my faves!)
- Play with your kids
- Get a massage
No matter which boat you are in (under-trained or over-trained), be smart about your body and the things you do to it.
You don’t want to grow old with achey knees, low back pain, and shoulder impingement.
That’s no way to live!
And it will get pretty expensive to treat all of those issues 🙂
TRAIN SMART