Overtraining Symptoms: Too Much Exercise?

Powerlifter Mike Westerdal, owner of http://www.criticalbench.com, has shared some of his most commonly seen symptoms of overtraining with the blog.

Overtraining is a very real danger to candidates. Many are training in new exercises for the first time (pullups or running) and pushing themselves too far, too fast in anticipation or fear of the trials of OCS. Overtraining might be over-diagnosed in civilian gyms, but future Marine officers aren’t the type to shirk effort or pain, and are the type of motivators who need to be reined in more often than pushed. Overtraining is chronic among this group!

Even though he’s speaking to weight-lifters specifically, all of the below can apply to you as well. From Mike:

Mike Westerdal on Overtraining Symptoms

Personally I think overtraining is a word that gets thrown around too much.

A lot of people use it as an excuse to not work out hard and to take extra rest when they really don’t need it.

However overtraining can be real. Sometimes we push ourselves so hard and the body just needs a break. Here are some signs that you might be overtraining.

Just do me a favor and don’t over-analyze and act like a hypochondriac about it.

• Do you feel tired, drained, and lack energy?
• Do you have general aches and pains in your muscles and joints.?
• Suffer a sudden drop in performance. Weights that used to feel light somehow feel heavy.
• Trouble sleeping at night.
• Get weird headaches that you don’t usually have.
• Your immune system is definitely weaker… You keep feeling like you have a cold you can’t shake.
• Your wife or girlfriend tells you “You’re moody”.

Overall I’m not a big fan of deloading but you do need to back off from time to time. I tell people they need an entire week off from the gym and some just can’t stay away.

If you’re one of those people….your lifts are stuck and you want to take time off try doing a program with higher volume. You’ll lower the weight, do more sets and in the end you’ll actually move more weight when you’re all done.