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How much exercise should you limit yourself to?
Anyone who trains intensely to improve their performance is at risk of overtraining, especially when following high training loads to achieve their goals and improve their results. Studies have shown that these loads are accepted by the body only if the rest and recovery periods are respected. 1
To know how much exercise to limit yourself to, it's advisable to adapt your fitness goals to your physical condition. Instead of trying to achieve all your goals at once and risking injury, you should create realistic programs and pursue them one at a time.
What is overtraining syndrome?
Overtraining can be divided into two categories: overexertion and overtraining. 2 Unusual muscle soreness can be a sign of overexertion. It occurs when an athlete doesn't allow enough recovery time between intense sessions, often after several consecutive days of excessive training. Overtraining is a step up, as it results from extreme overexertion. 1
The body can't manage the imbalance between effort and recovery. This phenomenon affects professional athletes and athletes in general, regardless of their fitness level. But some of the individuals most at risk are novices!
There are several triggers/stressors for overtraining syndrome 1 :
• Increased training load without adequate recovery
• Monotonous training, lack of alternation between different muscle groups
• Too high frequency of competitions (depending on the sport)
• Sleep disorders
• Personal life stressors
Am I training too much? Six signs of overtraining
Are you wondering if you're exercising too much? If you notice any signs of physical activity and daily life, these are signs that should be taken seriously:
Muscle and joint pain
Heavy, sore, and tense muscles are a sign of overtraining. However, there is a difference between normal muscle soreness from exercise and excessively sore muscles caused by too much exercise. 3 Muscle soreness after physical activity typically lasts 24 to 48 hours. If the discomfort persists for more than 72 hours, it's a sign that you've overdone it. Severe muscle soreness that prevents you from performing your daily personal or professional activities is also abnormal.
Some injuries, called "overuse injuries," also indicate that the body has been overworked. Tendonitis resulting from physical activity 4 are a type of muscle or joint injury caused by repeated trauma, and are often the result of overtraining.
Drop in performance
Overtraining can actually have the opposite effect of what you intended: performance deteriorates as you train harder and harder. This is a direct consequence of the body reaching its limits. 1
Decrease in concentration
Athletes may experience symptoms of overtraining other than physical ones, such as difficulty concentrating and nervousness, according to some studies. 1
Constant fatigue 5
Persistent fatigue and a feeling of exhaustion are warning signs of overtraining. Feeling tired or even exhausted after an intense workout is normal. It's important to give your body enough rest to prevent fatigue from lingering long after recovery.
Insomnia
Sleep disturbances can occur as a result of excessive exercise. According to a study conducted by BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation, 100% of overtrained subjects suffered from poor quality sleep. 6
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Are you hungry after your workout? You've burned off your stored calories, so it's perfectly normal! Loss of appetite and weight loss are likely symptoms of overtraining, as demonstrated by a study of the syndrome conducted by Sports Health. 1
Listen to your body: preventing overtraining syndrome
Various preventive measures can help limit the risk of overtraining syndrome: 1
Listen to your body: preventing overtraining syndrome
Various preventive measures can help limit the risk of overtraining syndrome: 1
• Take time to rest between each physical exercise you perform during the day, whether at the gym, outdoors or at home
• Schedule complete rest days and give your body the time it needs to recover
• Adapt the volume and intensity of your training to your performance and your mood
• Make sure your diet contains enough calories for your training load
• Drink enough water and stay hydrated
• Get enough sleep
• Vary the exercises and the muscle groups used
Nutrition can help you recover from your workout
Eating a balanced diet is just as important as giving your body time to rest to take care of itself. Maintain your health and achieve your fitness goals by adopting proper sports nutrition and adhering to these key principles: good hydration, a post-workout diet based on a combination of complex carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and essential nutrients, and a balanced energy balance with carbohydrate intake. Studies have proven that muscles need 7 amino acids and protein for recovery, the latter contributing to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass. The amount of protein needed varies and depends largely on the athlete and their training load.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435910/ [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ] [ ↩ ]
- https://www.hss.edu/conditions_overtraining.asp [ ↩ ]
- https://www.kidney.org/content/understanding-muscle-soreness-%E2%80%93-how-much-too-much [ ↩ ]
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/overuse-injury/art-20045875 [ ↩ ]
- https://journals.lww.com/acsm-healthfitness/fulltext/2015/03000/overreaching_overtraining__more_is_not_always.4.aspx [ ↩ ]
- https://bmcsportsscimedrehabil.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13102-019-0132-x [ ↩ ]
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212987/ [ ↩ ]