Let me start with what’s been going on in my training.

Many people are trying to keep their gains during this pandemic by way of their home workouts. I personally have goals, as I typically do around this time of year, and am trying to use home workouts to my advantage to reach these goals.


Over the past week, I’ve noticed a couple of overtraining symptoms. (Keep reading to see a list of symptoms.) I haven’t been able to get more than 2-5 hours of sleep a night. I ignored a few of those nights because of some unusual circumstances, but as the week went on, when nothing actually stood in my way of a full night’s sleep, I was still unable to sleep for more than a couple of hours. Around the middle of the week I also more or less completely lost my appetite and have been force feeding myself on occasion just to make sure some nutrients were getting into my system. As someone who LOVES food, this is not fun and rather atypical for me. I never lose my appetite. In 7 days, I have lost almost 6 pounds, which is neither an advisable thing nor is it healthy or a good sign.


So what the heck happened and is this overtraining?


Since quarantine, I’ve changed my exercise routine to 3-4 high intensity (actual) workouts a week. 3 of those being 30-40 minutes, and 1 being an hour. My rest days are active with very leisurely bike rides or walks for about 45-60 minutes – and when I saw leisurely, I mean VERY slow, lol. Sometimes I film exercises for social media or for programming, but don’t actually complete what we would assume to be a full workout. I personally have done this regime multiple times in my life with no negative side effects…until now.


Before quarantine, I was in the gym 3-4 times a week and walking my pup daily. Nothing too extreme, but not inadequate. I was about to start summer training. Even though I don’t physically feel like I have drastically changed my exercise demands, it’s very possible that given the circumstances, my body needs rest.

So am I suffering from overtraining syndrome? Maybe? I won’t completely discount it and I’m going to monitor things. I’m not going to “diagnose” myself, but it’s been a really humbling reminder that we should be mindful and cognizant of what we’re doing to our bodies during this time. I don’t currently feel any other symptoms, which is great, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’ve been knocking out some big projects since quarantine that have been quite demanding. While I feel that I have managed my stress very well, it’s still physical stress when you’re working under a lot of pressure to make a deadline and such. If you’re working on something big, keep this in mind. As overtraining doesn’t happen over the course of a week, I’m going to go out on a limb and say my work stress level to accomplish some goals during quarantine, combined with my training regime, has left me mind and body quite exhausted. While I don’t particularly feel like my training has been hindered, I have noticed that past two days it’s been difficult to motivate through a workout, but manageable. Nothing too different than any day we don’t feel like working out. That being said, I cannot continue to train at this intensity without fuel or sleep.

Exercise is therapy, but don’t overdo it.


This is a difficult reality because exercise is how a lot of us are staying sane right now. A lot of my own days revolve around how I’m going to be active. However, it’s important that to note that as we make modifications to our life during this time, we monitor how our bodies are actually responding to them. What are the stressors in your life? How are you handling them? What level of exercise are you participating in? Are you able to decompress? This is a stressful time, exercise isn’t the only thing affecting that.

The reason I feel so inclined to write this blog, is because if I’m noticing symptoms of overtraining with what I consider to be a moderate exercise routine, especially for me, then I’m sure there are others out there who are trying much harder to maintain muscle, build muscle, or lose fat at home, and are likely going way too hard because they think they need to level up the intensity dramatically while being at home. Remember: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.


What is overtraining?

Constant, intense training that does not provide adequate time for recovery. Often in conjunction with exercising past the point of exhaustion. Anyone can overtrain, not just athletes.

Symptoms of overtraining:

Physical signs of overtraining include

  • Decreased performance
  • Loss of coordination
  • Prolonged recovery
  • Elevated morning heart rate
  • Elevated resting blood pressure
  • Headaches
  • Loss of appetite
  • Muscle soreness/tenderness
  • Gastrointestinal disturbances
  • Decreased ability to ward off infection (THIS IS NO GOOD WITH A PANDEMIC)
  • Increased incidence of musculoskeletal injuries
  • Disturbed sleep patterns

Psychological and emotional signs of overtraining include

  • Depression
  • Apathy
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Emotional sensitivity
  • Reduced self-esteem
  • Reduced enthusiasm and desired for training

What to do if you’re overtraining:

  • Rest comes first. If you suspect you are overtraining, you should reduce or stop exercise and allow yourself to rest and recover properly.
  • Hydration is also key – drink plenty of fluids…water. This means water.
  • Find ways to decompress. Obviously, we can’t particularly go out and get a massage right now, but you can try foam rolling or something like a Theragun for percussive therapy.

How to avoid overtraining:

  • Ease into a workout regimen
  • Keep your workouts simple 
  • Take extra rest days as needed
  • Consult with a personal trainer 

Everyone responds different to exercise training in general, but also during different stages of life. I wanted to share my current situation because as a personal trainer, I was surprised to find myself in this situation. No one is immune to potential overtraining. It is important to objectively monitor your training so that you can shove the ego aside and avoid risking injury and your health!

Leave a comment