Overtraining does exist, and here's how to overcome it

Let's be honest, we've all been tempted to skip a workout one day. But most of the time we manage to overcome this situation, by giving ourselves a little pep talk.

However, overtraining, also called fitness burnout, is a completely different (and more dangerous) matter. It's when you feel constantly exhausted. Nothing seems to make this fatigue go away. Or when you lose interest to the point that exercise disappears from your top priority list.

In order to better understand the phenomenon of physical fatigue, let us consider this topic in more detail:

What causes overtraining?

Sports fatigue can be caused by three factors: long and intense repetitive sessions, lack of recovery, and poor nutrition.

I would like to point out that sports burnout, like burnout, can have repercussions on physical and mental health. Its physical consequences include, among others, general fatigue, decreased performance and longer recovery time.

Mentally, this can make you feel bored or completely exhausted, to the point where you start to dread exercising.

In addition, when you train too intensely or for too long, you become vulnerable to dangersOveruse syndromewhich can increase the risk of injuries to joints, ligaments and tendons.

Overuse syndrome can also cause dehydration and overwork of the immune system, with the risk of illness upon contact with even the slightest pathogens. This explains the importance of taking this syndrome seriously and following a balanced exercise routine.

Do you do more than 5 sports training sessions per week and wonder if overtraining is not maliciously occurring? Ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I training too intensely and/or for too long?
• Have you felt unusually tired or in pain recently?
• Has there been a significant decline in my training performance recently?
• Do I have persistent muscle aches, muscle or joint pain?
• Am I having trouble sleeping? Or anorexia?

How to prevent overtraining?

take it easy

If you are a beginner, I advise you to try not to overdo it. This is the winning formula for burnout. Start with simple body-weight or light-weight exercises. Don't do too many repetitions and gradually progress to more vigorous exercises.

Give yourself at least two to three days off per week to recover. In addition, it is important to set realistic and achievable goals to avoid unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Divide your exercise wisely

For best results, train a muscle group no more than twice a week and rest those muscles for at least two consecutive days before training them again.

Take time to rest and recover

Rest and recovery are an essential component of any strength training program. Every time you perform an exercise, you destroy small parts of your muscle fibers. During the recovery phase the body repairs and strengthens muscles, allowing for progress.

This is crucial to providing your body with fuel and protein, in addition to good rest.

That is, deep sleep stimulates the production of somatotropin or human growth hormone, which is the hormone responsible for bone formation, fat burning, and muscle growth and repair.

Don't focus too much on the numbers

Setting training goals helps you stay focused and motivated to continue with the program. It also gives you a feeling of accomplishment once you achieve them.

But always obsessing over how many reps you did or how many pounds you lost will make you feel dissatisfied.

I suggest you focus more on the quality of exercise rather than the quantity. And enjoy what you do. Exercise is supposed to make you feel good!

Bring diversity

Doing the same exercise every day will be boring, but not only that. This may also cause your performance to plateau. So what can you do? You just need to change your software.

Whether it's bodybuilding, CrossFit, weightlifting, etc. Don't forget to change the number of repetitions, the number of kilograms, the type of exercise, and the rhythm as well, in order to revive your training and make your body progress with a new stimulus.