Are you overtraining?

Overtraining : When too much of a good thing becomes a problem

If you are training hard and not giving yourself time for recovery with rest days then you could be overtraining.

Here are some signs and symptoms:

1. A higher resting pulse rate than normal
2. Fatigue when you would not normally be tired
3. Injuries like sore shins, inflamed joints, back or shoulder pain.
4. Not getting a result or even getting worse with training

The onset of these symptoms can happen even after one repetition if the action is too great a load for the muscle to perform.

Avoid overtraining by:

1. Having good technique in cardio or resistance training.
2. Allow time for recovery. Muscles get greater adaptation in size and strength in rest after exercise, not the activity itself. The higher the load or intensity the more time for recovery is needed. Some recovery times can be a week or more!
3. Increase loads and intensities slowly. A 10% increase is the usual rule for this. If you normally do 20 push ups and you want to do more just add 2 more a time.

Trent Marsh | C2K Fitness Co-ordinator - C2K Master Personal Trainer | 25 Feb 2009