Avoiding Overtraining: How to Stay Active Without Harming Your Body

Training consistently builds strength, endurance, and confidence — but more isn't always better. When your workouts outpace your body's ability to recover, you risk developing overtraining syndrome (OTS), a serious condition that can derail your fitness goals entirely.

What is Overtraining Syndrome?

Overtraining syndrome (OTS) occurs when repeated, overly intense training overwhelms your body's ability to repair microscopic muscle damage and manage inflammation. Unlike everyday training fatigue, OTS is a chronic condition that doesn't resolve with a day or two of rest.

Rather than building the strength, speed or fitness you're working toward, overtraining syndrome actually reduces physical performance and takes a toll on your mental well-being, defeating the very purpose of training.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or elite athlete, recognizing signs of overtraining and allowing your body time to recover is the best way to prevent athlete overtraining syndrome.

Common signs of overtraining include:

• Persistent fatigue despite rest
• Ongoing muscle soreness and joint pain
• Decreased strength, speed and endurance
• Increased resting heart rate, including elevated heart rate, blood pressure and sometimes palpitations
• Increased risk of overuse injuries or other illnesses, such as colds or infections
• Sleep disruption
• Hormonal imbalances
• Irritability, mood swings or lack of motivation
• Loss of coordination or motor control

Overtraining Syndrome Symptoms vs. Normal Training Fatigue

It’s normal to feel tired after a tough workout. Fatigue, muscle soreness and a need to stop are expected short-term effects of training. But the symptoms of overtraining syndrome are much more severe than normal training fatigue. OTS symptoms are severe, longer-lasting and more disruptive to both your physical and mental health.

Regular post-workout tiredness leaves you sore and craving rest for the coming hours or maybe a day. OTS symptoms, however, do not improve with rest. They include chronic exhaustion, ongoing performance decline, disrupted sleep, hormonal changes, continuing cardiovascular strain and emotional distress.

How to Prevent Athlete Overtraining Syndrome

To prevent athlete overtraining syndrome, listen to your body and take a balanced approach to your training that emphasizes proper nutrition and hydration, sufficient rest, cross-training and gradual, structured training progression.

To prevent athlete overtraining syndrome:

• Do not push through pain
• Fuel your body with nutrition including appropriate calories, proteins and carbohydrates
• Hydrate well before, during and after workouts
• Optimize your sleep, aiming for seven to nine hours each night
• Prioritize at least one or two rest days a week
• Cross-train and vary your workouts and intensity
• Monitor your performance, increasing load and intensity gradually
• Monitor your body, mood, stress and performance and reduce training when indicated

A Note for Older Adults and Aging Athletes

As athletes age and older adults become more active, recognizing the signs of overtraining syndrome becomes especially important. Recovery capacity naturally decreases with age, making it even more essential to balance effort with adequate rest.

If you are suffering the effects of overtraining syndrome, it’s time to seek the care of a dedicated sports medicine specialist at Hoag Orthopedic Institute who can advise about the comprehensive treatment options to get you back to you.

Contributed by interviews from HOI’s Chief Division of Sports Medicine, Dr. David Gazzaniga.