Overtraining: what it is and 5 signs you need to take it easy –

It’s always good to change habits and make life healthier, right? Having enthusiasm and determination to reach these personal goals is great, but be careful with the intensity you put: overtraining – also called overtraining – carries health risks.

What is overtraining?

A overtraining syndrome It is characterized by a series of symptoms, such as sleep disturbances, injuries, muscle aches, recurrent fatigue, bad mood and drop in Immunity. “Symptoms appear due to the wear and tear between training, recovery and proper nutrition”, explains nutritionist and specialist in sports medicine Flávia Nigro (SP).

Below, learn more about each of the overtraining symptoms:

5 symptoms of overtraining

Excessive training alters the stages of sleep. As a result, you may have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep at night, waking up earlier than usual, and still feeling drowsy throughout the day.

Muscle injuries and pain

They happen because, when there’s too much exercise, the muscles don’t have enough time to fully recover between one workout and the next.

Overtraining also leads to a decrease in certain hormones that influence the nervous system. This dysregulation increases levels of stress and irritability, causing Bad mood.

Lack of sleep and increased stress hormones caused by overtraining eventually lead to a fatigue chronic, that is: you have the feeling of always being tired.

you know those colds and flu recurrent? They can also be a sign of overtraining. When you train too much, your immunity drops and you get sick more easily.

How to avoid overtraining?

To reduce the risks of overtraining, the main recommendation is to take breaks. Specialist Flávia Nigro teaches: “don’t train hard every day. Include in your training worksheet light exercisesinterspersed with more intense and moderate training sessions, and take at least one day off a week”.

Another tip from the doctor is to always try to sleep well – 7 to 8 hours a night. “Refreshing sleep is essential for the release of hormones responsible for muscle recovery, such as GH”, he summarizes.

To avoid the appearance of injuries, it is also important to do physical exercises with the monitoring and guidance of good professionals, such as a personal trainer, sports doctor and nutritionist, for example. This is an effective way to prevent injuries, ensuring more quality training. To complete, you should always take care of your diet, keeping a balanced diet It’s healthy.

When to see a doctor?

“Respect your body and the signs it gives you,” says Flávia. This means that you should see a sports doctor or orthopedist for an evaluation as soon as you notice any of the symptoms. And attention: don’t postpone going to the office! “Forcing the injured body can make sharp pains and chronicles”, says the doctor.

The most common injuries from overtraining

Each type of training and biotype can bring different injuries. But, in general, the most common ones tend to be on the knees, on the low back and on the shoulders. “Some biotypes need specific strengthening of certain muscle groups to avoid injuries. It depends on the biomechanics of each person. That is why the presence of a professional is important to do a personalized training”, explains Alexandre Stivanin (@dralexandresantiagostivanin), specialist in orthopedics, traumatology and knee surgery.

A person who has never practiced running, for example, and is overweight, is at risk of feeling pain due to the lack of muscle strengthening. Another common situation, according to the doctor, are the injuries caused by those who do high-impact exercises (such as crossfitjump and functional) without proper muscle preparation.

The rush to reach a goal – like running a marathon in a few months without ever having practiced the sport before – makes a person more likely to suffer stress fractures. “You shouldn’t increase the intensity of your workouts overnight,” says Stivanin.

Excessive bodybuilding to gain mass quickly can cause wear or changes in the cartilage of the patella. “It usually happens mainly with those who exaggerate in the deep squat, leg extension and leg press”, informs the orthopedist.

In the lumbar region, the most recurrent problems of overtraining are alterations of the disks of the column. Tendons in different parts of the body can also be affected: ankles, feet, knees, shoulders are commonly affected by inflammation resulting from training overload.

The range of treatments for injuries is wide and varies from case to case, ranging from the use of anti-inflammatories and physiotherapy sessions to surgeries for more serious situations. “The best prevention is to train gradually and with proper guidance. You have to be realistic”, concludes Stivanin. Slow and always!