Overtraining

It may surprise you that overtraining is much more common than undertraining. The usual reason for overtraining is that the exerciser works too hard for the body to recover adequately before the next exercise session.

Most Common Overtraining Signs:

• Chronic fatigue and muscle soreness.
• Frequent injuries and illness.
• Irritability and loss of libido.
• Loss of interest in exercise and your overall health.
• Increased blood pressure and resting heart rate.
• Increased time of heart rate recovery.
• Difficulty sleeping.

A Rise in Resting Heart Rate May Indicate Overtraining.
Your resting heart rate before you get out of bed is the best indicator of overtraining. If you are fatigued, your resting heart rate will be elevated by five to seven beats per minutes over your normal resting heart rate.

Take your resting heart rate every morning for one week to establish an average heart rate baseline. If your resting heart rate is elevated by five to seven bpm over your baseline, you may be overtraining. If you are overtraining, take it easy for a few days until your resting heart rate returns to normal.

Return to Interval Training Program Index>>