There are tell tale signs when you exercise too much. Your body has a way of letting you know to chill for awhile because you have been overtraining. First of all, a term used for overtraining on a short term basis is called overreaching. This happens when you may have pulled a muscle or tendon. Your body will definitely tell you not to use that body part and give it a rest.
Overtraining occurs when you hit the gym with excessive frequency, intensity, and inadequate rest and recovery for your muscles. When you exercise too much there are symptoms to look for:
- Decrease in overall performance
- Constant fatigue
- Decreased appetite
- Sleep disturbances
- Muscle soreness
- Increased risk of getting sick or infection
- Decreased desire to workout
- Decreased body weight
When this happens take a week off, so your body can fully recuperate. It is not a good idea to push through this phase as it could be more detrimental. You could end up losing muscle mass.
Our bodies are fabulously efficient machines, listen to it!