Overtraining: Your #1 Enemy
By Bryan Kimble

Overtraining is the trainee’s number one “enemy” next to training injuries. Overtraining results from an imbalance between the amount of stress applied to your body and your ability to adapt to it. Overtraining results in losses in muscular size and strength as well as actually increases the probability of illness/injuries.

Here is a list of some of the symptoms of overtraining:
· Decreased muscle size and strength
· Longer-than-average recovery time after a workout
· Elevated waking pulse rate
· Elevated morning blood pressure
· Increased joint and muscle aches
· Headaches
· Hand tremors
· Tiredness
· Listlessness
· Insomnia
· Loss or decrease in appetite
· Injury
· Illness

We live in a world where most people accept the axiom that is a little is good, a lot is better. That is not necessarily true. Too much exercise will reduce the body’s resources [e.g. protein stores in our immune and skeletal systems] and allow the above mentioned to start to take place. You can actually train yourself to get weaker! There have been many research studies done over the past fifty years that show that athletes can
actually overtrain themselves into illness! Thus the logical conclusion would be that high intensity strength training should be limited to one hour or less per training session to restrict the amount of protein destruction. There is another and far more important reason to limit your time spent training – your time for more essential aspects of life, such as your church, family, friends, work, etc..

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed!
What the heck is RSS?