When It Gets Too Much: Recognize Overtraining

While most amateur athletes struggle with not exercising enough, there's also the other extreme: overtraining occurs when you don't give your body time to recover.

Tiny injuries are piling up, your stress hormone levels are permanently high, your performance is declining. Once you overtrain, the symptoms won't go away until you switch back and give your body - and mind - a long rest.

The 5 Main Symptoms Of Overtraining:

1.Drop In Performance 

You train more and manage less - something is wrong. Unexplained drop in performance is the first and most important of the symptoms of overtraining.

2.Pains

If it doesn't hurt, it doesn't help - especially strength athletes train according to this principle. However, if the soreness is significantly more than you would expect post-workout and it doesn't go away for days, it can be a sign of overtraining. Common symptoms include joint pain and swollen muscles. Runners have the dreaded shin splints: dull pain in the lower leg that can last for months in the worst cases.

3.Listlessness

This sign is easily confused with the notorious weaker self, because everyone sometimes doesn't feel like exercising. But if you completely lose the joy of movement and have to force yourself to make every little effort in everyday life, then it's time for a break.

4.Weight gain

Exercising too much can make you fat. When you stress yourself out too far, your body releases the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone is designed to get you through tough times by providing energy, i.e. breaking down the protein in your muscles. But because you are not starving at all, but are eating normally, your body stores this energy as fat on your stomach, back and neck.

5.Constant Tiredness

Professional athletes who have overtrained themselves describe the feeling as follows: Like a truck ran over me. They constantly feel exhausted, have to force themselves out of bed in the morning, sometimes sleep 13 hours a night.

Overtraining Or Something Else?

Overtraining and its symptoms can look like a whole different problem: the flu, an under active thyroid, maybe something wrong with ligaments and joints. A look at your training calendar can provide information: Do you take rest days, or do you have to force yourself to do nothing? Do friends and family say that you can hardly be found outside of the gym anymore? These are also signs that you need more breaks.

In the event of pain and unclear symptoms of the disease, it is best to see a doctor.