Athletes have become common victims of the phenomenon known as overtraining. This is the state of the body where the physiological and regulatory mechanisms of the body cannot anymore restore balance to the individual. Instead of recovering for a couple of days after a strenuous activity, the over-trained athlete experiences chronic fatigue and staleness, seeming to be in a constant state of physical and mental exhaustion. Aside from endurance athletes and sports players, even regular fitness buffs can experience overtraining when they do their workouts without the proper knowledge of how often and how long it needs to be done. A typical case in point is weight training. When you lift weights as your chosen mode of resistance exercise, you're not supposed to do it for more than an hour per session and no more than three days a week. You also need to do your weight training routines on alternate days in order to give your muscles time to rest and recover from the trauma brought about by the exercise. If you lift weights for hours on end everyday, you are not only wasting muscle but you're also making yourself vulnerable to the debilitating effects of overtraining.

However, it is not only an overeager and ignorant attitude that can lead an individual to train more than what is necessary. Mental, social, economic and environmental stresses such as financial stresses, divorce or a loss of a job can trigger a person to double or triple his exercise routines that can be detrimental to the body. Physiological factors like lack of sleep, hormonal changes, illness or injury can also cause this phenomenon.

A decrease in performance which is usually accompanied by fatigue and tiredness is the first obvious sign overtraining. Other symptoms include depression, irritability, bad mood, anxiousness, confusion, excitement, lack of concentration, unwillingness to train and similar symptoms. Muscle soreness, decreased maximal heart rate, decreased performance, loss of strength, increased illness and injury frequency and loss of co-ordination are also some of the other signs and symptoms. Palpitations, nausea and dizziness are also common.

With mild overtraining, all it takes is a few days of rest and the body can revert back to its normal functions. The athlete or fitness buff can then resume sessions without any signs that the event ever occurred. However, when you the condition becomes severe, particularly when left unnoticed by the coach or fellow players or the individual himself, it can take weeks or even months before total recovery is achieved. This is potentially bad news for the performance athlete who cannot compete when in this state. Even if they do try to force their bodies into training or competing, a noticeable drop in performance is markedly evident.

It's important then to prevent it from happening at all costs. One basic way to do this is to ensure that recovery time is complete after each exercise session. The proper balance of stress and recovery must be achieved to ensure that the body is able to fully recover from each workout and is primed and ready for the next practice and/or workout sessions.