Myths are very prevalent in fitness. Anything that has been around for quite some time such as fitness is more than likely going to develop some “’half-truths” or full out lies. Myths main attribute in they can hinder a person’s progress in the gym by either believing the myth or not.
Overtraining is no myth and can do some long-term damage to person physically and even emotionally.
In this “go hard or go home” culture that the fitness world so easily advocates, it is easy to forget the importance and positive attributes of resting and recovering. After all, the body is being broken down during any kind of physical activity, so why would anyone think more of that would be a good thing? Part of fitness that is so alluring to the tried and true is also discipline. Discipline involves knowing when to take a break for the overall good of one’s body and the long-term goals of one’s fitness journey.
Overtraining is much easier to accomplish when workouts are longer and/or more intense. The more you put the body through, the more rest it will need. Split workouts usually allow a person to workout more days of the week because different body parts are being trained every day, allowing rest and recovery to take place more frequently. But one should still take note and give themselves a break even if they are doing split workouts.
HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and CrossFit are forms of training where overtraining can easily take place. These types of workouts should be spaced out more and have more rest days due to their intensity.
Signs that a person may be overtraining are:
- Tiredness
- Tightness
- Decrease in performance
- Increase in injuries
- Restlessness
- Elevated blood pressure
- Decreased strength
- Decreased endurance
- Decreased max heart rate
- Allergic reactions
- A change in menstrual patterns
These are just a few as mentioned. Another unnamed symptom of overtraining is mental frustration. How hard it must be to physically exert one’s self so much only to start dealing even with a few of the listed symptoms above? People workout to be better physical versions of their current self. When working out makes a person virtually suffer, even outside the gym, a step back needs to be taken and some revaluating should take place.
Working out is fun. Seeing progress is a very fulfilling and rewarding thing. When working out becomes exhausting and counterproductive to what one is trying to achieve, it is no longer working out, it becomes useless.
Overtraining is no myth.
