Overtraining: 8 Negative Effects Of Overtraining

The more you workout, the better it is for you. However, more is not always better, especially when it comes to workout. Sometimes it can have adverse effects on your health. Fitness experts reveal that overtraining is worse than under training. Overtraining is defined as a condition where you perform excessive training, one which your body is unable to recover from, both in and outside the gym. The less severe versions of overtraining may take you a week to recover from. However, the more severe versions may take you two or more weeks to recover from. The negative effects of overtraining can manifest in a person's physical and psychological well-being. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the negative effects of overtraining.

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When a person engages in overtraining, the body first shows physical negative effects. Overtraining may result in increased heart rate, decreased appetite and unexplained weight loss. You may feel excessively thirsty at night. This points towards the lack of fluids in body.

Take a look at the many negative effects of overtraining on your health.

1. Muscle loss

Training more can help you build a bulky and muscular body. However, if you are overtraining, you are more prone to muscle loss than muscle gain.

2. Pain in joints

Incorrect workout techniques can result in achy joints. This includes both the wrong way of exercising and overtraining. In order to deal with this, take help from a trainer or workout instructor.

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3. Difficulty in sleeping

Overtraining can interfere with your normal sleep patterns. You may have a hard time going off to sleep.

4. Frequent illness

One exercises in order to stay fit. However, when you start spending way too much time in the gym and end up overtraining, it may weaken your immune system. This can increase your risk of falling ill too often. This happens due to muscle loss, exhaustion and lack of sleep.

5. Sore muscles

When you start exercising, your muscles are bound to ache for a few days. But it gets normal after a few days. If your muscles continue to pain and stay sore after a couple of weeks, it could be a symptom of overtraining.

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6. Fatigue

Workouts are meant to pump you up. Initially, you may feel tired after your workouts, but eventually, it boosts your stamina. However, if you continue to feel sluggish and exhausted after workouts, it could be a symptom of overtraining.

7. Loss of grip strength

Loss of grip strength is one of the negative effects of overtraining. If you find it difficult to close the gripper, which once used to be an easy task for you, take a little break from training. It could be a symptom of overtraining. Measuring grip strength is one of the most reliable ways of checking for overtraining.

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8. Psychological negative effects

If you do not feel the same excitement and motivation before hitting the gym, it could be a symptom of overtraining. Anger, depression, apathy, irritability and lack of sleep are some of the psychological negative effects of overtraining.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.