Are you Overtraining?

Overtraining: When More Isn’t Better for Your Body

We all know that consistency and discipline are key ingredients for reaching fitness goals. But there’s one thing many people overlook—rest and recovery.

If you’re someone who likes to train hard (or even push through fatigue), this message is especially for you!!!

What Is Overtraining?

Overtraining happens when your body doesn’t have enough time to properly recover between workouts. This can be caused by working out too frequently, too intensely, or without enough rest days, sleep, or proper nutrition to support recovery.

While training is essential for growth, progress actually happens during recovery. When we don’t allow for that, the body can start to break down instead of building up.

How Overtraining Affects the Body

Over time, overtraining can take a serious toll on your physical and mental well-being. Here are some ways it can show up:

1. Hormonal Imbalance

Too much stress on the body spikes cortisol (the stress hormone), which can interfere with muscle repair, fat loss, and even sex hormone production. This can lead to things like irregular periods, low libido, and mood swings.

2. Weakened Immune System

Without adequate rest, your immune system becomes compromised. This makes you more susceptible to frequent colds, infections, and longer recovery times from illness.

3. Chronic Fatigue and Insomnia

You’d think being more active would help you sleep better, but overtraining can disrupt your sleep cycles. This leads to poor-quality sleep, and the cycle of fatigue continues.

4. Increased Risk of Injury

Muscles, tendons, and ligaments need time to heal. Without that, your risk for overuse injuries like tendonitis, stress fractures, and joint pain increases significantly.

5. Plateaus or Regressions in Performance

One of the most frustrating effects: despite training harder, you may notice you're not getting stronger, faster, or leaner. In fact, your performance can decline—even if you’re putting in more effort.

Rest Is Part of the Program

It’s easy to feel guilty about taking rest days or scaling back, especially if you're highly motivated. But here's the truth: SMART training includes recovery. 

Without it, you’re not just risking burnout—you’re working against your own progress ❌

Here’s what proper recovery looks like:

• Scheduled rest days 

• Quality sleep (7–9 hours per night)

• Balanced nutrition 

• Stress management (stretching, meditation, breath work)

• Periodised programming that includes deload weeks or varied intensity

Let's Talk About Your Training Plan

If you’re feeling extra tired, run-down, or frustrated with your results, it might be time to reassess. The EMA are here to help you train smarter, not just harder.

Remember: Rest is not a weakness. It’s a STRATEGY!!!

If you have got big goals, with the right balance of work and recovery, you’ll get there feeling strong, energised, and empowered.

Speak soon,

Alex, Sarah, Megan & Tiago