Some people can’t get enough of training. But if you constantly push your limits while exercising, you can overload your body. There are five important signs you should definitely not ignore.
Pushing yourself beyond your limits with motivating calls from a coach has already helped many hobby athletes reach their fitness goals.
But while the body can be easily outsmarted at the beginning, constant overtraining can cause unpleasant symptoms. And they can not only interrupt training progress, but can even make you sick.
Five signs of overtraining
The most well-known effects of overtraining are poor sleep, injuries that can keep you out of action for weeks and months, and problems losing weight.
Personal trainers can interpret the signs of overtraining, but if you’re training alone, you should know your body’s warning signals.
1. The fitness tracker sounds the alarm
Anyone who wears a heart rate monitor while training can quickly see whether they have overexerted themselves or still have room for improvement.
Most trackers that measure heart rate specify the personal maximum exertion.
Basically, if around 80 percent of this maximum has already been reached, you are in a good range for increasing your endurance with a cardio workout.
However, the closer you get to your personal maximum, the sooner you should shift down a gear to avoid overloading.
2. Stomach problems
Pain in the stomach area or vomiting during exercise are clear warning signals from the body that you are exercising too hard.
The reason: Due to the enormous exertion, the body no longer gets enough oxygen to adequately supply the muscles – lactate, which is produced as a waste product in the muscles during training, can no longer be transported away in the blood.
It accumulates in the blood and is noticeable through nausea and vomiting.
3. You no longer perform the exercises properly
If you feel like you have to cheat on exercises in order to complete them, you may be overwhelmed by the training.
Since the body is particularly susceptible to injuries in this condition, this means: It is better to lift fewer weights, but to perform each exercise technically cleanly.
4. Pain and injury occur
It is completely normal that your legs burn the next day when climbing stairs after an intensive leg day and is due to lactate formation in the muscles.
However, if pain in your joints and muscles becomes noticeable during training, this is a warning signal. If you feel pain during your workout, it is better to stop training.
5. You have difficulty breathing
If you need a moment shortly after an extensive HIIT workout to be able to breathe normally again, you’ve done everything right.
However, struggling to breathe for minutes after a workout, even when completely resting, can be a sign that something is wrong.