Overtraining can occur if you do not have enough recovery time between your workouts. It can happen to everyone, from professional athletes to those who do regular exercise.
An overtrained fighter may experience the following:
- Fatigue- You may feel excessively tired. Your muscles feel sore, lose flexibility and strength, and start to ache.
- Muscle loss- The body is used to using up all its energy and can no longer repair the body or build new muscle tissues. This is why you need to maintain an optimum amount of workout intensity and frequency while maintaining a proper diet. It’s also essential to rest your body before and during a workout.
- Decreased immunity or illness- When you overtrain, your immune system starts to decline, leaving you vulnerable to various diseases and infections.
- Loss of motivation- Another downside of overtraining is that you become bored and frustrated with your current workout routine. This causes a decrease in motivation and self-confidence, as well as a general feeling of unhappiness.
- Persistent injuries- Overtraining can also make you more susceptible to damage and an increased risk of developing injuries such as a sprained or broken ankle or shoulder. If you suffer from high blood pressure or have high cholesterol, overtraining can increase heart attack or stroke risk.
Doing the same exercises every day with the same intensity and the same pace is not healthy. If you work your body to its maximum capacity in all your workouts, your body will never recover. You must get enough rest to give your body the time to recover.
In conclusion, the best way to avoid overtraining is, to be honest with yourself about your expectations and goals, limitations, and the extent of your training. If your body is not physically prepared or is not ready to put forth the effort to fight, it’s okay to pull back. When you have an injury or illness, take an extended break from training.
Overtraining can affect you negatively, but it can be prevented, and you can recover! So never get discouraged and focus on your training.