Skip to the content 
Recovery is a commonly neglected component of training. You can be sure you’ll never see the results you want if you don’t allow yourself to recover properly from your workout. Learn the signs of overtraining so you’ll never stall your progress.
Your muscles don’t grow inside the gym. When you train, you create the demand for muscle growth, but it’s only outside the gym with proper rest and nutrition that your muscles can recover, adapt and grow. Which is why rest days are essential. The signs and symptoms of overtraining are very simple and often overlooked. However, it’s important to be aware of them and what they could mean to your training efforts and your progress.
4 common signs of overtraining
- Low Energy
If you’ve been over training, your energy levels will be the first to go. You’ll fatigue much quicker than you’re used to.
- Low Motivation
Low motivation will often accompany low energy levels. Typically, you’ll find you don’t have that same drive to go to the gym. Once you get to the gym, you’ll feel sluggish and the “want to” just won’t be there.
- Quick, Dramatic Decrease In Strength
Despite being in the gym all the time, you’ll experience a significant decrease in strength. You haven’t allowed your muscles to recover properly so they’re just not able to perform their usual workload.
- Physique Takes A Turn For The Worse
Despite all the extra work, it doesn’t seem to be paying off in the mirror. In fact, you’re starting to look worse. You may actually be losing muscle due to their lack of ability to fully recover from training. Muscle loss also correlates with the strength loss mentioned above.
What Can You Do About It?
If you’ve been dealing with the above signs for more than a few weeks, you certainly need some time out of the gym. If you find yourself in the advanced stages of the symptoms, you should probably consider taking a week off.
You need to allow your body to fully recover. Don’t worry about losing your gains or strength. In fact, you may be surprised when you return to the gym stronger and certainly fresher.
If you are experiencing mild symptoms, you may want to consider taking a day or two to rest and recover. It’s easy to forget that outside stressors, such as work, relationships, and life place a lot of stress on us too. You’re only able to handle so much. So in times of high stress, at your job or at home, in may be a good idea to decrease your gym frequency and allow yourself some time to recover.
There is however, a time and place to suck it up and push through it. Just make sure that you’re getting your rest days in and that your routine is specific to what you want to accomplish.
Ignore anyone else telling you that they workout seven days per week. Don’t fall into this unhealthy trap. Do what’s best for you and what your body is able to handle. Remember, you’re in the gym for your benefit and no one else’s.
