Reasons for Overtraining

Overtraining, as the name suggests, is the act of training your body too much. Many people have the misconception that in order to achieve a well-toned body one must spend hours performing extensive workouts. This is far removed from the truth and various media projections could be held responsible for propagating this belief. It is true that people who are involved in doing workouts want to get immediate results but this is not always possible. So it is important to bear in mind that patience is essential while working out because a strong and well-toned body cannot be obtained in a short span of time.

Common symptoms of overtraining

Overtraining occurs when there is an imbalance between training and recovery. Some symptoms that indicate that you are overtraining are as follows:

• Feeling tired and fatigued most of the times
• Losing body weight rapidly
• Decreasing performance level
• Increasing number of infections
• Rapidly increasing heart rate during exercise

What causes overtraining?

Extending each training session beyond 1.5 hours: A recent research has revealed that training for 3 to 4 hours every day is as good as training for a maximum of 1 to 1.5 hours. If you want your muscles to grow, you must allow it some time to rest and sleep. When you are doing extensive workouts your body consumes a lot of glucose. In order to maintain the blood sugar level at a stable state the body's stress hormone forces the occurrence of gluconeogenesis on the muscle tissue. When the muscle tissue is broken down it leads to release of amino acids in the blood stream which in turn helps the liver to synthesize glucose. The glucose allows your brain to function properly. Thus, keeping your workouts short will ensure that you do not end up eating away your own muscles.

Improper Eating Habits: If you are involved in intense workout sessions the energy reserves of your body are being used up constantly. If they are not replaced, you are likely to suffer as muscle contractions are not possible without sufficient glucose. Consuming enough carbohydrates is essential for someone who does extensive weight training.

Lack of Rest and Sleep: Those who perform extensive exercises must sleep for at least 8 to 10 hours every day. You need to give your muscles enough rest so that they get time to grow and repair. A proper training program entails that you train extensively for two days and then either rest or perform some light aerobic exercises for the next few days. It is important to give your body parts a rest of 48 hours between subsequent training sessions.

Ways to avoid overtraining

• Get a personal trainer and chalk out a proper training program for yourself
• Ensure that there is variety in your workouts
• Do not train any particular muscle group too much. Make sure you have a balanced workout.
• Include some cardio as well as sports activities in your training program.
• Never get too involved in your workouts. Remember to catch up on some rest.

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