How Do I Know if I’m Over-Training?

Have you ever started back in to training at the gym or in sport and wanted to know how to ease yourself back in? Or maybe you’ve been to a physiotherapist and they have told you to be careful of certain movements or positions while doing your exercises? If any of this sounds familiar, this is an article about over-training and how to manage the signs and symptoms of it.

What is Over-Training?

Over-training is a concept based on your tissue load and capacity (how much training is too much?) where you may be working harder than your body can currently tolerate. If you’ve spent months away from sport or the gym and you go head over heels on your first day back then there’s a chance you may be over-training and putting yourself at risk of injury. This could then result in delaying you from getting back into your chosen activity in the short to medium-term. Thankfully, your body is great at giving you signs and symptoms of over-training so you don’t go too hard too soon… if you listen to your body.

Signs & Symptoms of Over-training

Our body sends signals to identify that we are over-training when we are pushing too hard. Some of these may include:

1. Pain during or after the completion of an exercise which stays for longer than 30minutes
2. Pain or stiffness first thing in the morning
3. Persistent pain higher than 5/10
4. Unable to finish a set of your chosen exercise
5. Feelings of exhaustion or unable to rest
6. Increasing the frequency of your exercise without the appropriate recovery
7. Pushing through severe pain which doesn’t go away

Managing Signs & Symptoms of Over-training

If the above signs and symptoms sound like something you could be going through, here are some helpful strategies to keep you on track and maintain steady progress:

1. Try taking a quick break and returning to the activity later
2. Reducing the weight or intensity of your exercise
3. Ensuring a proper warm-up before any activity
4. Continue your exercise but reduce the number of days you are exercising. You may simply be doing too much
5. Acknowledging that mild pain (less than 3/10) is usually okay as long as it doesn’t get worse
6. 10mins of ice for pain relief after exercise has finished
7. Keeping your body at a comfortable temperature throughout the day

What to do if nothing is working?

If you are unclear on any of the above, or you’re just feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, the best place to start is by booking an appointment with one of our physios. We can gather a thorough history of your exercise routine and accurately narrow down any potential areas for improvement or change!