Signs that you're excessively exercising include feeling fatigued, a decrease in performance, proclivity for injury, changes in appetite, and mood changes. If you're experiencing any of these issues, try adding more rest after working out and take days to rest and recover.
One test is by documenting your heart rates over time. Track your aerobic heart rate at a specific exercise intensities and speed throughout your training and write it down. If your pace starts to slow, your resting heart rate increases and you experience other symptoms, you may heading into overtraining syndrome.
The overtraining syndrome can occur in three different stages: Stage 1: Also called Functional Overtraining. The early-stage where very subtle signs and symptoms can indicate an athlete is starting to overtrain. Stage 2: Also termed as Sympathetic Overtraining.
It has to be stressed enough that resting is the only way you can recover from overtraining. This means that you need to cease activities for a determined period. The time period will vary depending on the sport and the activity level, but most recovery takes between four to twelve weeks.
Symptoms and warning signs of overtraining
“It's natural and expected to feel fatigued after challenging training sessions,” Dr. Goolsby says. “But feeling like you aren't recovering between sessions or experiencing overall fatigue and difficulty pushing yourself during workouts can be indicators of overtraining.”
That answer depends on the length and intensity of your workouts. If you workout for 2 hours straight at a very high intensity, then do it again every day, you could very well be overtraining.
ANSWER. Most athletes will recover from overtraining syndrome within 4-6 weeks up to 2-3 months. This will all depend on a few factors such as how overtrained you really are, genetics, and age. Determining how overtrained you are can only be answered by the amount of time it takes you to recover.
You're always sore
Studies show that muscles need anywhere from 24-72 hours to recover. But if you're still sore past the 72-hour mark, be sure to rest; this type of extended soreness is a sign your muscles aren't recovering. Soreness is your body's way of telling you to that it needs more energy to repair and recover.
Increased Injuries Frequent or recurring injury is usually a sign something is wrong, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). Constant Fatigue, Irritability, and Low Energy Being exhausted may signal you are pushing your body too far, too fast, according to ACE.
In the new edition of the NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (7th ed., Jones & Bartlett 2022), overtraining syndrome is described as “a condition in which an athlete or fitness client experiences fatigue, declining performance, and burnout ” (Sutton, 2022).
One of the 2 recovery days can be devoted to active recovery by moving with gentle activities. Try to plan one recovery day for every 2 to 3 days of training. Except after a competition or a very intense effort, it is ideal to avoid choosing 2 consecutive rest days.
Deciding how many rest days a week you should take depends on your fitness level and exercise intensity. But most people should aim for 1 to 3 rest days per week. You can use your rest days to support recovery by doing light exercise and working on mobility.
A person should take a rest day every 7–10 days or as needed to help the body and mind recover. A rest day can be an active day that incorporates gentle exercises such as walking or yoga. Alternatively, a person may opt for a full day of relaxation.
Burnout, or overtraining syndrome, is a condition in which an athlete experiences fatigue and declining performance in sport despite continuing or increased training. Overtraining can result in mood changes, decreased motivation, frequent injuries and even infections.
Muscle weakness or pain more than 48 hours later- It is completely normal to have muscle stiffness and soreness, even a day or two later, but if it is going on 3 days and the pain is still pretty pronounced, you probably overdid it. You could have even torn muscle or over worked some tendons.
However, too much can lead to overtraining syndrome and have a variety of deleterious effects including weight gain, poor sleep quality, immune system suppression, injuries, and increased hunger.
If you think you're slightly overtrained or riding that fine line, consider adding salmon, tuna, and chicken to your menu. These protein sources also have other important nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and iron. Don't add artificial animal protein sources like deli meat or processed meats.
Common symptoms of overtraining syndrome, in addition to an unexplained performance decrement, include generalized fatigue, mood disturbance, poor sleep, and increased rates of illness and injury. By definition, these symptoms persist despite more than 2 weeks of rest.
Overtraining can leave you with a weakened immune symptom, as your body struggles to cope with the stress you're placing it under. This can result in frequent illness, including mild illnesses such as colds and coughs, as well as feeling generally run down.