Overtraining: How to prevent and recognize it

Overtraining can come in a lot of forms; therefore, it can be a bit difficult to see or to recognize it. However, it certainly is something that should be prevented or at least treated. A number of lifters will still go to the gym, not knowing that their body is overtrained. In this blogpost we will take a look at overtraining in general and we will look at the ways it can be treated and possibly prevented.

The symptoms

First, we have to look at the symptoms that you may get when you are overtrained. The first thing that you will notice is that you will be a lot more tired during training. Maybe you can’t do the amount of reps that you were used to or maybe you will feel lightheaded during the workout. If you have overtrained you can also feel headaches and you can even feel depressed from time to time.

This is because your central nervous system is broken, this system will regulate all the essential tasks in the human body. When you are overtrained your body doesn’t have enough time and energy to recover, this is really bad for your health.

A few of the overall symptoms are:

· Tired feeling throughout the day

· Having headaches

· Losing grip strength

· Trouble sleeping

· Long periods of muscle soreness

· Depressed

· Moody

Prevent overtraining

The best way to prevent overtraining is to rest a lot during the week. Everybody needs rest, there is not a single person that can work out every day without suffering the consequents. So, after a few days of lifting you will need to have a rest day. The absolutely minimum of rest days is 2 times a week, any number below will result in overtraining. Do you feel guilty when you didn’t train a day? Always keep in mind that muscles can only be recovered by rest, so actually you are building muscle when you aren’t even working out!

Treating overtraining

Overtraining can be treated by taking a few weeks off. In this period of rest, the body is able to recover to its normal form. In this period, it is extremely important to make sure that you will receive all the necessary vitamins and protein. These will make sure that your body can build the lost muscle, your muscle will be recovered a lot faster than when you don’t consume any healthy foods at all. Fish oil can also be taken when your central nervous system has taken a blow, these tablets can be bought online and in stores.

Overtraining can be extremely dangerous is you don’t do anything about it. Do you recognize any of the symptoms and do you think that you have overtrained a bit lately? This is the time to do something about it, contact your physician if you want professional help. It is always good to go to this person, by checking regularly you can prevent overtraining in the long run. Overtraining, it isn’t fun but luckily it can be prevented by taking enough rest in between workout sessions!