Rigorous workouts break down body tissues and cause cellular damage. If this cumulates from ongoing bouts of training, it could lead to overreaching (light form of overtraining) and eventually to overtraining syndrome which is the most severe form of overtraining. Overtraining syndrome represents the peak of training and non-training stressors tearing down the body at a rate faster than it can rejuvenate itself.
The best way to avoid this is to alternate between easy, moderate, and hard workouts (known as periodization). Variables such as sets, reps, time between sets, movement between sets, duration, volume and intensity can be manipulated through periodization. Periodization principles work for competitive athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike. It helps maximize muscular endurance, strength, power, motor performance and muscular hypertrophy in minimal time while reducing incurrences of overtraining.
Warning Signs Of Overdoing Fitness
Once the body reaches states of overtraining syndrome, undesirable physical, physiological, and emotional changes usually take place. Unfortunately, there is no test to determine when you are severely overtraining, but listed below are warning signs that you might experience before or during overtraining syndrome:
- General aches and pains
- Lethargy
- Decreased performance
- Insomnia
- Reduced training capacity
- Moodiness
- Depression
- Loss of lean body weight
- Illnesses
- Headaches
- Increased injuries
- Compulsive need to train
- Decreased appetite
- Anxiety
- Poor concentration