Is Getting Too Much Exercise Really Possible?
A common misconception people have about exercise is that you need to work out all the time in order to see results, even to the point of exhaustion. However, the reality is, crowding your already busy schedule with more gym time isn’t exactly the best way to help you reach your goals. In fact, it can do the exact opposite.
Constantly working out without giving yourself time to rest can lead to overtraining syndrome, which negates all of the positive results you get from regular exercise. If you’re curious to learn more about this topic, then keep reading to see what happens when you exercise too much and how you can avoid overworking yourself while still getting the results you want.
What Happens When You Exercise Too Much?
During an intense workout, you create microtears in your muscle fibers. While this sounds scary at first, it’s actually necessary for your muscles to grow bigger and stronger. These microtears are why you feel sore a day or two after your workout, as you are experiencing something called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Your muscles will repair these microtears during the recovery process, which is why it’s important to rest following your workout. When you exercise too much and don’t give your body time to recover, you prevent your muscles from healing properly.
You can figure out if you’re working out too much by looking out for the common signs of overtraining, which include:
- A lack of energy; feeling sluggish throughout your week even when your routine hasn’t changed much
- Sleep deprivation and a lingering feeling of unrest after waking up
- Mood swings, depression, and a lack of desire to work out
- Excessive muscle soreness that lasts longer than usual
- A physical injury or chronic pain
As you can tell from the list above, you might not only suffer physically from overtraining but also mentally. Mood swings and depression are common symptoms people may experience when they are pushing their bodies too hard.
How Do I Avoid Overtraining?
There’s a fine line between pushing yourself harder when you need to and overdoing it. This line is different for everyone, as we’re all individually capable of different amounts of exercise per week, so you’ll have to learn what works best for you. That’s why the key to avoiding overtraining is listening to your body and learning the warning signs above, so you can pull in the reins before it’s too late.
But, don’t use your rest days as an excuse to slack off when your body is actually doing just fine. The best thing to do is to create a weekly schedule that includes a healthy number of workouts with rest days in between, and then stick to it! Don’t take off unnecessary days and make excuses, or you won’t see the results you want.
Since our 9Round workouts are pretty intense, we recommend working out three days a week, especially for beginners. Over time, our members often start to work out more often or they simply increase the difficulty of their workout with progressions provided by their 9Round trainer. This is perfectly fine as long as the member feels comfortable with their exercise load. However, we still recommend everyone takes at least one rest day each week, as even the most physically fit people need some recovery time to help their bodies out.
Ultimately the temptation to overwork yourself will come when you feel like your fitness progress has stalled, so be sure to talk to your 9Round trainer about how to increase the difficulty of your workouts without increasing your number of days in the gym. By doing so, you can continue having your rest days while still keeping your progress on track.
If you’re currently on the hunt for a new, exciting fitness routine, then come try our revolutionary kickboxing workouts for FREE using the link below!
