Overtraining is sometimes seen as a virtue by novices to the transformation challenge scene. They somehow believe that more is better, in spite of the fact that the workout plan itself clearly provides for both regular vigorous exercise and regular rest. My suspicion is that most people who end up overtraining on the transformation challenge bring it on by undereating and overusing cardiovascular activity, doing far more than the three, 20 minute HIIT cardio sessions. Overtraining effect can also be aggravated by emotional stress, and those who are way overcommitted in their life obligations are particularly susceptible. But, whatever the cause, the effect is the same, and is potentially devastating to the person affected by it.

SYMPTOMS: The classic symptoms are almost always the same: a higher resting pulse rate than usual; emotional irritability, including mood swings, anxiety, and depression; persistent and unrelenting fatigue; disturbed sleep patterns, which can mean either sleeplessness or inability to stay awake; frequent illnesses; unexplained weight gain or fluid retention; and muscle aches that don’t go away. You might not have them all at once, but having more than a couple of them for more than a couple of days should be taken as a danger signal that all is not well.

CONSEQUENCES: One of the most common consequences to those suffering from overtraining effect is a physical injury, and one that usually heals very slowly. The immune system is compromised by the overtraining, and the injury can be due to muscle fatigue or generalized fatigue that causes a slip or trip, or an injury that comes from general wear and tear, such as carpal tunnel or shoulder problems from overuse. Whatever the cause, slow or no healing can be the result. Colds, flu-like symptoms that seemingly last forever are a problem as well. The heartbreaker, for me at least, is when people get deeply depressed for seemingly no reason, and the only thing that was likely to have caused it was overtraining. The most difficult thing for overtraining sufferers to understand is that it will ultimately lead to a futile or failed transformation. By trying to make it happen quicker, they have actually ensured that it won’t happen at all.

THE CURE: The only thing that will make overtraining effect go away is rest. You can lightly exercise, and you should, but you should not do HIIT or other heavy activity such as low rep, high weights resistance training until the effect is cleared up. If it is caught early, just an extra couple of days off over a weekend may do the trick but if it has a headstart, it can take up to two weeks for you to get back to your old self, and returning too soon can just start it all right back up again.

AVOIDANCE: This is simple. Do it just like the book tells you. Train hard; rest regularly; eat well; use good supplements. Don’t try to “tweak” the program into a monster weight-loss routine. As the old saying goes, you can’t fool mother nature!