Warning signals that you’re overdoing it at the gym and what to do about it.

(Watch the video or scroll down below it if you’d rather read.)

Let’s say you’ve been lifting consistently for a few months now and perhaps things have been going great!

Then all of a sudden something feels a little bit off.

Well, it’s possible that you’ve been over doing it.

Let’s talk about a few important signals from your body that will warn you that it’s time for you to slow down and what you can do to make your fitness routine work better for you.

I didn’t even start lifting until I was 47, and at the time of this blog, I am almost 60.  So I’ve learned a few things about pushing yourself when you’re a little bit older.

If you notice any of these things, it might be time to make a change:

Soreness after more than 48 hours.

If you’ve been pretty consistent with your workouts, you may not ever get sore. But if that soreness is unusual and it’s lasting a little bit too long, that may be a sign that you’re over doing it at the gym and may have an overuse injury coming down the road.

Lasting joint pain.

Joint pain can also point towards an overuse injury. You may need to rest and get some medical attention for joint pain if it doesn’t go away after a few days. Personally, I am prone to get bursitis in an elbow. When that happens, I make some of the changes that we’re going to talk about in a minute.

Backsliding results.

Naturally, you want to see your workouts bring results, but you may end up backsliding if you’re over doing it in the gym. 

For example, if you’re pushing yourself too hard and getting injured, then your results are going to drop off just because you can’t do what you had planned to do. Or you might notice that you can’t lift the same amount of weight that you were lifting just a few weeks ago.

You’re going to have off days – I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about when you know you’re backsliding, that’s something that you shouldn’t ignore because it’s a sign that you’re doing too much and you might be setting yourself up for an injury.

Dreading workouts.

Everyone wants to skip the occasional workout. However, if you dread your workouts to the point that you’ll come up with any excuse to avoid it, then it’s time to reevaluate.

Exercise might not always be fun, but it shouldn’t make you miserable.

What normally happens when you start to work out is you start to cheer up because the serotonin levels in your brain increase. If you’re not happier while you’re doing the exercises, it’s clear that there’s something that needs to be changed.

You may need to redo your routines or cut them down to a more reasonable amount.

Pay attention to the warning signs from your body and take steps to avoid damage.

Here are a couple of options of things you can do:

1) Take a look at how much sleep you’re getting and how much protein you’re getting.

If you’re not getting adequate rest or if you’re not getting adequate nutrition, in general but especially in protein, you’re going to have a problem recovering from your workouts.  Over time, that lack of recovery accumulates.

2) Working with a trainer for a couple months can help you slow down and actually get better results.

They can teach you how to push yourself just beyond your limits without sacrificing your health. When you meet with the trainer before you hire them, make sure you’re very clear about what it is that you need help with. You need to feel confident that they have the background to be able to do that for you.

3) If you don’t need a trainer, but you just need some ideas about how you adjust your programming to avoid this, click here to watch this video about deload weeks. 

If you’d like more info about how to protect your joints, watch this one..