Rep Ranges

By Raquel "Rocky" Herron, BS, NASM-CPT

Summer is right around the corner and maybe you're thinking I'm going to write about the best workout to get you trim by July 4, or helpful tips on how to stay cool during outdoor workouts. Those are both great topics, but I'm going to cover something I think needs addressed, and that is the topic of over-training.  

Maybe over-training is a concept you're not quite familiar with or maybe it's something you think only happens to professional bodybuilders or extreme athletes. In reality, over-training can happen to anyone who is an avid exerciser. Exercise should be a fun, healthy habit, but sometimes, just the opposite starts to happen. It's important to know the symptoms of over-training and how to address them.  Let's take a look at what over-training really is.

Are you always tired? Does a root canal sound more fun than the gym? Do you feel like you're constantly sick, whether it's a cold or the flu? Maybe you've brushed it off as something else, but in reality, you may be suffering from over-training. Over-training can sneak up and appear in a wide variety of ways. Some classic over-training symptoms include: fatigue, lack of motivation, changes in appetite, high resting heart rate, insomnia, chronically sick, and achy joints and muscles. While it's easy to blame any or all of these on stress, which is not unrealistic, over-training may be the real culprit.

Exercise is great for us, right? So how is it that exercise can cause us to feel miserable? The answer is easier than you think. Sometimes more is not better regarding exercise; it's just more. That "more" often leads to over-training. Exercise is a stressor to the body and when the body is stressed it learns to adapt, get stronger, faster, and build more muscle to accommodate the demands being placed on it. Every time we walk into the weight the room to build that beautiful muscle, what we're really doing is tearing it down. It's only when we leave, go home, and rest and properly refuel, that we build our bodies back up to be able to do it better next time. 

Exercise starts to become a problem when there are too many demands being placed on the body and not enough recovery. It's easy to get sucked into the "more is better" idea, but there are some tips on how to stay balanced.

Like many things in life, there should be a balance when it comes to exercise. Strength training is a must and can be done 2-3 times each week, with 48 hours of recovery in between each session (assuming you're doing full-body sessions). Cardiovascular exercise can be done each day, but what's important to remember is the intensity. You should not engage in high-intensity cardiovascular exercise each day, but rather vary your intensity. 

For example, Monday and Wednesday may be HIIT (high intensity interval training) on the rower, so Tuesday and Thursday could be incline walking or the elliptical. Make sure to include active recovery days as well, which could be a light walk outside and or walk with your dog or kids in the park. This same thinking applies to group exercise classes.  Believe me, I want to see you in class, but you don't have to take 15 classes a week to get in shape!  The point is, not every workout has to be the hardest workout of your life.

Make proper sleep and nutrition a priority in your life.  Hard workouts demand excellent nutrition and sleep! Every couple of months you may need to take a 1-2 week break from the gym.  This type of break will allow your body to rest and recover, as well as your brain and neurological system! By no means should you become sedentary during these breaks, but rather stay active doing fun, less intense activities. Then, when you do get back to the gym, you'll be ready to tackle new fitness goals with vigor and determination! As always, stay fit and enjoy life!