While most people have trouble getting motivated to work out at all, there are some people—who have trouble taking even a single rest day.
And though it’s good to keep moving and working out on a near daily basis, it’s possible to overdo it sometimes.
In the fitness world, this phenomenon of exercising too much is called overtraining, and most athletes of all levels have experienced it at some point in their lives (whether they know it or not).
Rather than helping you reach your goals faster, overtraining can actually send you backwards, resulting in symptoms such as unwanted weight gain/loss, lack of motivation to exercise, and fitness plateaus.
So how do you know if you’re exercising too much? Here are 9 warning signs you might be overtraining:
1. You’re experiencing prolonged muscle soreness
If you have muscular pains or soreness that doesn’t go away after three days or more, you should probably take that as a sign that you’re exercising too much.
After heavy or intense training, your body needs time to recover—and constant, relentless soreness means it’s not getting that chance. Take it easy, and let your body recover.
2. You keep getting sick
Most healthy and fit people tend to have a fairly good immune system, rarely getting more than a mild cold every so often.
So if you’re getting sick more than normal, or just feel pretty crappy and fatigued overall, you can be pretty sure your body needs a break.
3. Your energy is really low
If you’re feeling extra fatigued and have had low energy for days on end but you know you’re not sick, you’re probably exercising too much.
Rest up, or prepare to sacrifice performance.
4. You’re losing weight without meaning to it
While most of the population would love to lose some extra weight by accident, if you have unintentional weight loss and a decreased appetite and you’re not actually trying to lose weight, it may be due to overtraining.
Remember to always make sure you’re getting proper nutrition and try your best to take a break at times.
5. You’re feeling extra irritable
If you’re experiencing irritability as well as one or more of these other symptoms, you can make a safe bet that you’re exercising too much.
Feeling extra agitated lately? Save yourself (and the people around you) by taking a few days off here and there.
6. You’re experiencing early onset of fatigue
Feeling an overall sense of fatigue after prolonged intense training, or getting unusually tired early on in your workouts?
You guessed it: you’re probably overtraining.
7. Your resting heart rate is higher than usual
Most really fit people have a resting heart rate sub 50 or 60 bpm or so (the average person’s resting heart rate is 72 bpm). Check yours regularly: if you’re in great shape, but your heart rate is significantly higher than expected, you may want to give your body a break from exercise.
There are lots of apps that will track resting heart rate these days, or if you’re a fitness nerd you might be interested in checking out the Whoop wearable band to measure recovery, including resting heart rate.
8. Your heart rate variability (HRV) is low
While you want your resting heart rate to be fairly low, you actually want your heart rate variability (HRV) to be higher. Having a high HRV is a sign that your body is recovering well from stress (including your workouts). A low HRV is usually a sign that your body isn’t recovering well. Exercising too much can prevent you from proper recovery, and a low HRV will show it.
Again, there are a number of apps that measure HRV these days fairly accurately, or the Whoop does this as well.
9. You’re less motivated than usual
If you’re an avid exerciser like me, but you’re feeling less and less motivated to work out, it could be your body giving you a signal that you actually need some time off.
Take a few days or even a week off and see if your motivation returns. Alternatively, you may just need some time away from intense training or your specific sport. Try swapping up your regular workouts for nature hikes, new or fun learning-style classes, or a friendly game of tennis/frisbee/pickup basketball/something totally different.
