How to Stop Overtraining

We may want to push ourselves to meet new goals, but there can be a fine line between pushing ourselves to the limit and overtraining. And research has shown that more and more of us are actually pushing ourselves past what is healthy for our bodies when we train.

Serious athletes are trained to exert their bodies to their max point, and many recreational exercisers, from the grunting guy straining to lift too much at your gym to your friend who always complains she feels dizzy after a workout, may think they should do the same, all the time. The problem is that recreational athletes may lack the knowledge to know when their bodies are telling them to rest, which makes them perform worse — and, as a consequence, just want to train even more to start seeing results. That can lead to a vicious, painful, and exhausting never-ending cycle of overuse injuries, constant fatigue, and worsening athletic performance.

When it comes to your own workout, don't be that person. Read on for some important tips for preventing those unpleasant consequences of overtraining.

Rest days aren't for suckers: Don't think you should be on the go all the time. Muscles can only store so much energy, and once that energy is depleted, you have to rest your body in order to let it repair itself and stay strong. Rest exerted muscles for at least 24 to 48 hours between workouts (try mixing up your cardio/strength training routine so you aren't working the same muscles two days in a row) and build a rest day into your workout routine so you aren't constantly exercising.

Increase your goals gradually: You may think that you want to improve as fast as possible, but ramping up too soon can lead to overuse injuries. Instead, develop a slow and steady workout plan so you can increase your goals gradually while also resting. You may want to increase your interval speed after a few weeks or practice negative splits to become a faster runner, or increase your dumbbell weight once you've mastered the normal eight to 12 reps.

Be attentive to any fatigue: Instead of constantly powering through your workouts even if you know that you aren't feeling so hot, consider this tip from the New York Times article: record how you're feeling during and after a workout, and regularly check out what you've written down. A constant feeling of tiredness can mean that you need to slow things down or take a break.

While the risk of overtraining exists, it's important to keep challenging your body. You'll plateau if you stick to the same routine, so continue to increase your workout goals — just do it carefully!