Are You Exercising Too Much?

Overtraining occurs when the amount of exercise you do exceeds your ability to recover.

Overtraining can either be in the form of muscular overtraining or central nervous system (CNS) overtraining.

Muscular overtraining is when you simply don't give your muscles enough time to recover after exercise (e.g. strength training) before you try to use them again. When you don't give your muscles enough time to recover you impede muscle growth and your ability to gain strength.

CNS overtraining leads to CNS fatigue, which is associated with changes in neurochemical levels in the brain. It occurs when exercising too frequently or for too long without giving the body time to recover. CNS fatigue leads to decreased performance in sport and exercise, changes in mood, and changes in the body's hormone levels which can lead to a change in body weight and composition such as increased fat stores and decreased fat burning.

Other factors such as a lack of sleep, poor nutrition and stress can increase your chances of overtraining. Your threshold for exercise before overtraining is very individual and may be very different to your friends'. Therefore it is important to recognise the signs of overtraining and alter your exercise routine accordingly.

My Workout Guide has been designed to minimise as much as possible the chances of overtraining. However, as mentioned, how much exercise you can handle is very individual and it is important to look for the signs of overtraining whenever you alter your exercise routine.