5 signs you are overtraining

Overtraining is a big problem for people who are already very busy, physically active or lead stressful lives. Working out is hoping to increase your quality of life; the last thing we want is to push too hard and create a negative impact from our training.

Here are five signs you might be overtraining:

1. You’re constantly tired – if you’re abnormally tired, even after a good night’s sleep, that can be a sign you’ve been pushing too hard and your nervous system is fatigued

2. You’re not recovering – if you’re more sore than normal, and taking much longer to recover, you might be in the early stages of overtraining

3. You see a dip in strength – the earliest sign of overtraining is a performance dip. If you’re suddenly not as strong as normal, you should ease back

4. You get sick a lot – one of the symptoms of overtraining is a repressed immune system and more sickness

5. You start hating the gym – if you’ve been pushing yourself too hard it can have a negative psychological effect. You start to hate going to the gym, and mentally struggle to get switched on for your workout

If you find yourself with any of these symptoms you should ease back on your training, take some time off to rest, and then rebuild slowly. Do not push through it, it will only get worse!