Side Effects of Overdoing Exercise

Too much exercise is not good for you.

Physical exercise is no doubt a great way to improve your health. In fact, research shows it relieves stress, reduces your risk of dangerous chronic diseases and even improves life expectancy. However, too much exercise without giving your body enough time to rest is bad for you.

Fatigue

Feeling tired after physical exertion is normal. However, overtraining leads to fatigue, which is a more serious condition that is characterized by a prolonged feeling of decreased energy and motivation. Because muscle fibers have sustained more damage, it takes your body longer to recover. According to research published by "Sports Medicine," it can take weeks and even months to recover from overtraining.

Weakened Immune System

Though exercise supports a strong immune system to keep malicious germs in check, too much exercise adversely affects it. Your immune system works best when your body is in optimal condition. When your body is under extreme physical stress, it becomes more vulnerable to infectious diseases, particularly upper respiratory tract infections such as the common cold. For example, in a study performed at the Los Angeles marathon, researchers discovered that runners who completed the marathon were six times more likely to catch a cold than those who did not race.

Decreased Performance

Athletes train regularly to improve or maintain their performance. Unlike regular exercise, however, overtraining decreases athletic performance. Not only does overtraining lead to additional muscle damage, it also depletes glycogen, which is used as a form of energy. As a result, athletes experience decreased strength and endurance. The effects are more apparent in physically dynamic sports such as sprinting, long-distance running, and weightlifting.

Injuries

Exercise injuries often occur because of training errors and overuse of muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. According to research from the “Journal of Athletic Training,” overtraining particularly increases your chance of experiencing overuse injuries. As overtrained athletes continue to train, the injuries become worse. For example, violently throwing a baseball every day over an extended period of time puts excessive stress on your shoulder joint. Therefore, this kind of overtraining will increase risk of injury to the knees, elbows and low back.

References

• Georgia State University: The Benefits of Exercise
• Sports Medicine: Resistance Exercise Overtraining and Overreaching. Neuroendocrine Responses
• Sports Medicine: Overtraining, Excessive Exercise, and Altered Immunity: is This a T Helper-1 Versus T Helper-2 Lymphocyte Response?
• Yale School of Medicine: Just Do It— But Don't Overdo It
• Exrx.net: Physical Overtraining
• Journal of Athletic Training: A Review of Overtraining Syndrome—Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms