At Revolution Training in Stamford, CT, we help people with all types of fitness problems. Occasionally, someone comes to our gym almost in despair. They’re not getting fitter, and they’ve boosted their workouts to several hours a day, seven days a week. We know the minute we learn their workout schedule, they’re exercising too much. Getting fit is more than exercising. It’s doing the right kind of exercises, with the right form, for the right amount of time.
Doing too much and not allowing your body to heal impedes your progress.
When you workout, especially when you do strength training, you’re taxing your body. That’s the whole idea of working out. You push your body hard. It causes micro tears in the muscles, which take time to heal, but when it does, it makes the muscle stronger. If you’re working out too much, you don’t give the body time to repair those muscles and recover. It leaves you more prone to injury and even illness. If you’re doing strength training, you need to give the muscles you stressed at least 48 up to 72 hours to repair.
Your body will give you signals when it’s time to cut back on exercise.
The signals your body sends can be quite clear or really frustrating and confusing. They may show up as chronic soreness or illness, which tend to be easier to spot. However, the first signs are even more elusive. It can affect your performance, whether it’s about the amount of weight you can lift or how far you can run without getting winded. You simply don’t do as well as before and start losing ground, then often workout harder, which makes it worse.
What other signs tell you that you need a rest?
Your friends and family will probably notice the other signs quickly. Your mood will change dramatically. That’s because your body is fighting hard to heal itself and you’re not letting it. If you’ve been around someone who is really sick, you know they’re often more emotional than usual. The body is fighting back hard and it can cause depression, anxiety, irritability, confusion and anger. Over-exercise also causes the body to fight for survival, so you may experience those same mood swings. You may feel fatigued, have delayed recovery time and be more prone to illness.
- Getting adequate sleep, eating enough calories and staying hydrated are an important part of recovery. If you exercise every day, don’t do strength training on the same muscle group two days in a row.
- Check your heart rate. If it suddenly jumps higher even when you’re not working out, it’s a sign you’re overdoing it at the gym.
- When you overwork your body, you may actually lose muscle mass and gain fat. That makes it counterproductive. You may have insomnia, which also impedes muscle healing.
- We’ll help you with a program that provides just the right amount of exercise, without overdoing it. Spending long hours in the gym or doing too intense workouts every day isn’t necessarily the way to a better body. Work smarter, not harder.
For more information, contact us today at Revolution Training