Last week I based my article around my own experience of overtraining. Today I want to talk more about this and how you can recognise overtraining symptoms in yourself and others.

These are the signs and symptoms of overtraining to look out for:

Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy

Mild leg soreness, general aches and pains

Pain in muscles and joints

Sudden drop in performance

Insomnia

Headaches

Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)

Decrease in training capacity / intensity

Moodiness and irritability

Depression

Loss of enthusiasm for the sport or general training

Decreased appetite

Increased incidence of injuries.

A compulsive need to exercise

As you can see the symptoms aren’t just physical – the signs can also be mental, behavioural and emotional.

You need to place stress on the body to achieve results and physical changes, so when training it is important to challenge yourself, no matter what type of exercise/sport you do. You have to push yourself to your limits but along with this comes the importance of rest and recovery. Training every day once or twice a day plus doing your normal job will eventually be too much for the body to cope with.

To become stronger your body needs a chance to repair itself and it can only do this when the muscles are resting.

I know professional athletes train twice a day but remember they have experienced coaches to call on, top-notch nutritionists, planned programmes and plenty of rest.

If you recognise any of these signs and symptoms then you need to reassess your training and PLEASE take a break. I promise you by taking a week off from exercise, you won’t get fatter and you won’t become weaker: quite the opposite in fact.

Generally, your body should get one day of rest for every two days of exercise. This means that at least two or three times every week, you should abstain from working out altogether. This allows your muscles to grow stronger over time. In many cases, rest is actually better for your muscles than a workout.

Every now and then, your body needs an extended break from exercise to make a full recovery. Even if you give your body a few days rest every week, there's a good chance your muscles aren't fully repaired the next time you exercise.

Try giving your body a week off every few months in order to give it the chance to recover fully. During this time, you should avoid working out. If you do have to work out, try doing some light cardio or yoga so that you still get the advantages of resting your body without putting it through a strenuous workout.

Often, overtraining results from pushing yourself too hard. But the wrong diet and a lack of sleep can also play a part. Getting the proper amount of sleep gives your body the time it needs to make repairs. And you’ll need plenty of nutritious foods in order to get your muscles healthy again.

After a period of overtraining, the last thing you want to do is work your body too hard again.

To avoid it, get back into your workout routine when you are fully recovered and start slowly.