Taylor Ryan

I know that is probably not something you are used to hearing, after all every where you turn you see something telling you to exercise more.

"Try this workout to lose belly fat... this one to tone your legs... Here are three exercises to give you a better butt"

Look familiar? After all these articles are on the cover of all the major magazines at the check out aisles. |image2| But here's the thing... exercise can be detrimental to your health and that's coming from a professional personal trainer! But truth be told that exercise can lead to depression, metabolic disorders, decreased immune system, injuries, sleep issues, and even weight gain.

The problem that a lot of us have is that we think that the more exercise, the better. If a little exercise is good at burning calories than a lot of exercise has to be amazing at it! Sound familiar?

I've been there too, in college I thought that if working out once a day was good then if I worked out twice a day I would get faster results! I didn't have someone to set me straight and because of it I ended up with two casts.

But working out isn't just about burning off the calories, it puts a lot of stress on your body. Take this for example, did you know that running one mile puts over a ton (literally over 2000 pounds) of pressure on your joints? It takes a recovery period to get over it.

If you don't give your body the rest it needs then you won't recover between workouts and all that stress will take its toll on your body in an ugly way, and I mean really ugly. Just like with most things in life, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

With a good workout program and a proper nutrition plan you'll burn body fat, tone up, feel energized, boost your immune system, be happier, energized and all around healthy.

With a workout program that demands too much you will not lose body fat, you won't tone up, you'll add on weight, get sick more often, increase your risk of injuries, feel tired and all around unhealthy. Not quite what you had in mind, right?

So what is too much exercise?

1. Workouts don't need to go beyond an hour in length. After this time you will need to replenish with an electrolyte drink such as Gatorade.
2. Don't work the same muscle groups back to back... if you work legs today don't work them again until two days from now. That is why with total body workouts they should only be done three times a week.
3. Give yourself at least one complete rest day. Give yourself a day to recover and your muscles to rest before hitting them up for another tough workout week. Optimally you would like at least two days of rest.
4. Listen to your body, if you are just super exhausted and your body is hinting to you that it's not in the right frame of mind to do a tough workout, then listen to it. Your body knows when it's working too hard, use these days as lighter workouts and do a cardio day or a body weight circuit workout.
5. Proper nutrition is key. After workouts make sure that you're following up with a well balanced diet that supports your fitness. Make sure you're getting the right amount of carbs, protein and even fat. All three is essential to help recover and help your body burn more fat.

Now, I bet you're wondering... okay, cool, but how do I know if I am training too hard? Trust me, you will feel it if you're overtraining. If you are questioning yourself then that's the first clue that it's likely you're overtraining.

If you've been working out consistently and increasing the intensity of your workouts but not seeing results then it's likely you're overtraining. If you take a few days off but still feel sore then there is another clue. If you're motivation to exercise is not there or if you feel like missing one day of exercise will ruin your results then you might be overtraining.

For me, here's my quick overtraining story:

When I was in college I started to workout to lose my freshman "30" but I didn't know how to exercise correctly. So I ran... a lot. I would run to the gym, workout at the gym, run home, go to class and then run again at night. |image3| After a while I lost a ton of weight but I also lost hair, had chronic infections, and started to get shin splints. Because of my shin splints I decided to take up bike riding... except on my first long distance ride I fell off and broke my wrist.

My bones were so weak from poor nutrition and my crazy exercise that when I started to run again (clearly I wasn't going to get back on a bike), I turned my shin splints into stress fractures and had a cast put on my leg. So my first semester back at school I had a cast on my arm and another on my leg... people assumed I had been in a car wreck... seriously.

What Happens if You're Overtraining

Then it's time to put together a workout plan that you can stick to that makes you happy and your body happy. There is room for compromise. If you are not a member at The Art of Weight Lifting yet then create you account and I can personally help you choose the workout routine that is best for you and your goals.

Depending on the severity of your training, you may want to visit your doctor before starting a new program. I remember my orthopedic's threat to me: If I didn't rest then he would probably have to put a rod in my leg to help it heal... that's enough to keep me off it!

But the bottom line is this... listen to your body and be smart. You know when you're doing too much so don't put your rose colored glasses on.