A heavy workout can result in muscle soreness, which is your body’s way of saying that it needs to be stronger to cope with the physical load. Your body overcomes this by getting to work on building a bigger and better muscle network that can do the job you’re asking of it with less effort. However, when you ask your body to do a heavy workout every day, it becomes overworked. Signs you are over exercising then start to surface as your body finds it difficult to cope.
So, what are over exercising symptoms? And how do you know if you are over exercising?
Let’s look at five signs of overexercising now.
Signs You Are Over Exercising #1 You Feel Tired Or Sick
Fatigue is just one danger of over exercising and is the main reason that personal trainers and fitness experts recommend having a rest day or doing light exercise every third day. When your body becomes fatigued it’s under greater stress, which can lead to muscle, ligament and joint damage and reoccurring injury.
Another danger of over exercising is suppression of the immune system, which can lead to you getting colds and other illnesses more often. While the effects of immune suppression don’t last long, it’s essential that you care for yourself during these down times and that you don’t continue to push yourself. Otherwise, you may make a simple cold far more complex, and the recovery time will take far longer.
Sign #2 You Hit A Plateau
If you’ve been working hard to improve your fitness, but you cannot increase your strength or improve your performance, then it’s likely that you’ve plateaued. To overcome this, you need to look at why you are plateauing. Sometimes not reaching fitness goals can occur because you are over exercising. If this is the case, you need to look at how you’re training and make changes to your exercise routine.
Another reason you are plateauing could be because you are training improperly. If you exercise with poor form, especially when making compound moves like dead lifts or squats, you may strain muscles. Poor form can lead to skeletal and muscle damage and issues with your back and other major alignment problems. If this occurs then you should look for chiropractic care or have a sports massage to assist.
Another way to overcome a plateau and poor form is to go back to basics. Instead of using dumbbells, bars or kettle bells, work on doing exercises in front of a mirror using just your body weight. Using a lighter weight during exercises and deloading can also make a big difference.
Sign #3 Your Resting Heart Rate Is High
Most fit people have a resting heart rate of 50 to 60 BPM. If your heart rate is higher than you expected, this is a sign that you need to give your body a break by having a rest day or changing your exercise routine.
Many apps are available that track your resting heart rate, but you can easily check your heart rate yourself. To do this, grab a watch with a hand that counts seconds and then put your two longest fingers on your neck, under your chin and in line with your voice box. Then count the number of times your heart beats for 15 seconds. Next, multiple the number of beats by four to get your beats per minute.
If you want to monitor your heart rate constantly try a wearable monitor. These let you check your heart rate function before, during and after exercise.
Of course, to ensure your heart rate is accurate, make sure you’re resting and haven’t just exercised. It’s also recommended you take your heart rate first thing in the morning when you wake up and before you have any caffeine or any other stimulant.
“Exercise Is A Celebration Of What Your Body Can Do. Not A Punishment For What Your Body Cannot Do.”
— Women’s Health & InShape NewsFlash
Sign #4 You Feel Irritable
If you are agitated, this could be a sign that you are exercising too much. You might think that you need to push yourself harder and go for the burn, but if you’re irritated, feel anxious and don’t want to continue, this is a surefire sign that you are doing too much. So, stop what you’re doing and go for a walk, swim or stretch instead.
You have to remember that over exercising is putting stress on your body. This stress can become overwhelming physically and mentally. Giving yourself a break can restore your mind, body and soul.
Sign #5 Prolonged Muscle Soreness
Your body needs time to recover after exercising. If you are experiencing pains that don’t disappear after three days or more, you are exercising too much. To overcome prolonged muscle soreness, take it easy and have a rest day; change your exercise routine to reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Other ways to reduce soreness include contrast showers work great, and there’s also a supplement called magnesium malate that aids in the recovery of muscle strain.
Signs You Are Over Exercising Key Takeaways
In conclusion, by paying attention to what your body is telling you and taking note of how you feel, you can avoid over exercising symptoms. You can also take better care of your body and health by:
- Watching for fatigue. If you feel tired, then rest. It is that simple.
- Look out for colds and illness. If you don’t feel well, don’t exercise. Give your body time to recuperate.
- Be aware of plateauing. If you don’t see improvement, then change your exercise routine. Also, be mindful of your form.
- Check your resting heart rate regularly. If it’s higher than average for your age, then rest more and exercise less or change your routine.
- Be mindful of your mood. If you feel cranky often and everything is annoying you, then stop what you’re doing. Find an activity to do that’s relaxing and less effort.
- Understand muscle soreness. If you experience it for more than a few days, you need to rest more and workout less.
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