(BlackFitness101.com) During my time working in health clubs, it was not always difficult to spot the person who was on a mission to drop weight really fast. They usually conducted their workouts in a frenzied, frantic and frenetic pace – all in the pursuit of losing thirty pounds in thirty days (or something of the nature)! They had a goal, and were bent on achieving it – even at risk of over-training.
Over-training is common but it can also be hazardous to your health. Fitness goals can be achieved with a measured approached.
Use the following checklist to see if you are guilty of over-training and the suggested solutions toward a safe and satisfying outcome.
Sign#1
You Are Doing Too Many Sets
In the rush to lose weight, most people go into the gym with a no-holds barred attitude. They have a self-imposed deadline to meet – whether it’s preparing for an island vacation, a wedding or to win a weight-loss jack-pot at the job. They have to lose it and lose it now! The answer for them: do as many sets per muscle group as possible.
Solution:
Slow down. Take a more measured approach. Do more with less. Three to five sets per muscle group – depending on your fitness level – are really all you need and, quite frankly, all your muscles need. Moving resistance in a controlled manner as opposed to wildly moving from muscle group to muscle group and set to set, will get your better results in a quicker time.
Sign#2
You Are Starving Yourself
Same scenario as above. The yo-yo dieter trying to lose weight overnight. As a result, they go on a starvation diet composed of a few hundred calories per day. In most cases, these people skip the gym altogether or they add insult to bodily injury by pouring on hours of cardio. It’s a recipe for disaster – including death!
Solution:
Never ever starve the body. When your body begins to feel it’s in ‘starvation mode’, it begins to take matters into its own hands (After all, that’s what it’s designed to do!). It begins to cannibalize its own muscles to survive. That’s bad news for you and your body. Make sure you are eating the adequate number of calories your body needs to function daily. Again, a sensible exercise and nutrition plan is key.
Sign#3
You Are Becoming Negative About Exercise
This is the end result of over training. You are dragging yourself out of the gym. You look in the mirror and see a flab-filled, under-nourished, pale body staring back at you and you begin to curse the gods of exercise. You did everything right – or so you thought.
Solution:
Maybe you did do some things right, but you did them at warp-speed! Stay positive, even though you didn’t get the results. A combination of too many sets and starvation dieting usually puts most people into ER! So be grateful that you weren’t one of them. Re-evaluate what you really want for your body. Be sensible in your approach. The office weight-loss jackpot is not worth eviscerating your body. Set some realistic goals within a realistic timeframe and move toward its attainment.
Over-training can be hazardous to your health.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.