5 Signs You Are Overdoing It at the Gym

Making serious changes or improvements to your fitness level takes hard work. You must continually push your body and in that process, your muscles often get sore, your body often gets tired, and your lungs can burn. Pushing physical boundaries is healthy – to a point. Going too far at the gym can be debilitating and dangerous. You must be aware of the signs that tell you that you are going too far. Here is what Los Angeles personal trainers look for to know that a body is being pushed past limits that are healthy to indicate you may be overdoing it at the gym.

Throwing Up

Sometimes, a workout can end with worshipping the porcelain throne, but throwing up isn’t the result you should be looking for. “It’s not that sometimes a person is pushed so far they throw up that’s the problem,” says Lalo Fuentes, CSCS, “but it is a sign that you may want to reassess how hard you’re pushing your body.”

Getting light-headed or nauseous at the gym can mean you’re experiencing heat exhaustion or you’re dehydrated. Don’t ignore either of those things because it can lead to more serious conditions if not treated. Take a break in a cool place, have some water, and listen to what your body is trying to tell you.

Sore Joints

Sore muscles are almost a given after a quality workout and some joint soreness can be expected too as you’re working out or for about a half hour afterward. But be cautious when it comes to joint pain. Los Angeles personal trainer Lalo Fuentes warns that if you wake up the day after a workout with joint pain, then you probably pushed too hard. If the soreness gets in the way of normal daily activities, such as getting dressed, then make sure to rest your body and allow it to recover.

Reduction in Performance

Los Angeles personal trainers know that if you’re working out in a responsible way, your performance should improve – or at the very least, stay the same. If you notice a reduction in your performance level or you feel exhausted by a workout you’ve done a million times before, then that can be an indication of overtraining.

Improper Form

One thing personal trainers want their clients to understand is proper form. That’s because doing an exercise with proper form will yield the best results. Whenever you work out, your focus should be on the quality of the exercise you’re doing, not the quantity. If you have to break form in order to fit in more exercise, then you’re doing too much. Bad form is often seen as a sign that your body’s limit has been reached and that any exercise you push to do beyond that can increase your chance of injury.

Sleep Changes

In many cases, exercise helps to regulate your sleep cycle, which helps to increase your overall health and wellness. If you’re overtraining, you may find you have problems sleeping at night. If you notice this occurring, then pull back on the intensity of your workouts and see if that makes a difference.

Working out is vital to the improvement of your health and wellness, but it’s your responsibility to educate yourself about working out properly and caring for your body the best you can.