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Fitness

Coaching Tip: Top Signs of Overtraining

Exercise is a good thing, right? Well, like all things, exercise is good in moderation.

Becca Borawski

Written by Becca Borawski Last updated on Oct 19, 2021

Exercise is a good thing, right? Well, like all things, exercise is good in moderation. Too little exercise leaves us overweight and unhealthy, but too much exercise can stress out our systems and cause a whole different variety of health problems.

Exercise is a good thing, right? Well, like all things, exercise is good in moderation. Too little exercise leaves us overweight and unhealthy, but too much exercise can stress out our systems and cause a whole different variety of health problems.

While, as the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research explains, some elite athletes are able to withstand high volumes of intense workouts, it is because of their ability to control the non-training factors in their lives. When surrounded by regular life, getting proper recovery is more difficult.

Simply put, over training happens any time we are not allowing enough recovery time to recuperate from our workouts. It can affect us mentally, physically and emotionally.
How do you know when you are doing too much?
  • Persistent fatigue – are you more tired than you should be?
  • Elevated resting heart rate – this may be especially evident first thing in the morning.
  • Frequent illness – does it seem like you catch every cold and virus going around?
  • Decreased strength and performance – are you getting weaker and slower despite your workouts?
  • Insomnia – are you tired all day, but have difficulty sleeping at night?
  • Chronic muscle soreness – are you muscles always sore and tender?
  • High cortisol levels – you may notice it’s hard to get rid of the weight around your mid-section.
  • Depression – loss of motivation and enthusiasm.
If you find yourself answering yes to these questions, what can you do about it? Take a break from your training. Maybe you need to take a break altogether, or maybe you can cut back in volume and intensity.
Have you been doing the same type of exercise at the same high-intensity level every day? Take a week long break and then go back to working out, but mix it up, both in the type of workout and how hard you go at it. Instead of running every day, try weight lifting or yoga.

Most of all, just get back to the basics – schedule a massage, get regular sleep, have days where you don’t work out at all, and follow a good nutrition plan. Exercise is a great thing and endorphins make us feel wonderful, but too much can be more damaging than good.

Becca Borawski

About Becca Borawski

Becca found her way to a career in health and fitness through Martial Arts and CrossFit. Originally a music editor for film and television, Becca started studying Martial Arts in 2000. Though she started with traditional Martial Arts it was not long before she discovered Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and her path was forever altered. She began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Muay Thai and started working with professional MMA fighters, building websites, working on fight promotions, and producing videos.

As a competitor in BJJ herself, Becca wanted to get stronger and fitter. In 2006 she discovered CrossFit and became a student at CrossFit Los Angeles. In only a couple of years she became CrossFit Level III Certified, left her career in the film industry, and dedicated herself full time to coaching. She has since been certified through CrossFit in Olympic Lifting, Powerlifting, Nutrition, Endurance and Kids coaching. She also held an NSCA-CSCS from 2006-2008 and is a certified IndoRow instructor. In addition to coaching adults, she founded the CrossFit LA Kids program in 2010 and taught children aged 5-17.

Becca regularly takes on new sports, which have included indoor rowing, fencing, and most recently, cycling, as she believes it makes her both a better athlete and a better coach. In order to reach more people with her coaching, Becca also created ModernAthena.com – a website dedicated to women in pursuit of physical fitness and self-improvement.

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