Working Out: How Hard is Too Hard?

Everyone loves getting pumped up and going all out during a big workout, but just when are things taken too far?

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as too much volume - as well as the infamous overtraining - two major errors in workout programming that can actually set your training back, rather than push it further like many assume.

A good sign that you’re training too hard is if you find your quality of life has been affected. 

Symptoms of pain, discomfort, fatigue or trouble sleeping can all indicate that you should cut it back a bit at the gym - or even take a temporary hiatus.

• If You Can’t Breathe

Being out of breath during a tough workout is entirely normal - but being consistently unable to inhale properly during every exercise could mean that you’re pushing your cardiovascular system too far, especially if you’re performing aerobic exercises.

As a loose rule, unless trying to break your personal record, it is a good idea to always keep your workouts just shy of not-being-able-to-breathe intensity, as training at such a high level too frequently can lead to fatigue, overtraining and just generally poor results.

• A Frequent RPE of Over 9

The term “RPE” stands for rate of perceived exertion, and is a sort of sliding scale that was developed by scientists as a way for an individual to express how tough they feel an activity is.

It starts at 1 (resting, but not asleep or sedentary) and ends at 10 (complete and maximal exertion), though certain versions of the scale may even go as high as 20, depending on the specificity needed.

On an RPE scale of 1-10, the ideal range of exertion you will want to be in lies somewhere between 6 and 8, with 9 being reserved for all-out sets or one or two exercises in your workout.

Consistently being at 9 or even 10 on the RPE scale can greatly increase your risk of injury, lead to overtraining and just generally suck. Leave the maximal-effort workouts to only once a week at most.

• Your Progress is Stalling

Though stalled progress could mean a number of things, one possible reason is simply that you’re training too hard to let your body recover.

Usually, this is a case of excessive frequency, where you work the same exercises and the same muscles too often - though it could also mean that your training sessions are so intense that your body isn’t given enough time to recover between each one.

Regardless, both causes are simply a case of training too hard, too often. Dialing back a little will not only help you feel better, but also allow your body to progress properly - of which is the entire point of exercise anyway.

• If You Feel Symptoms of Injury

Though it’s been repeated ad nauseam in practically every fitness article, if you feel pain at all; stop.

Remember that the dull aching of a hard workout isn’t quite the same as the sharp sting of an injury, and that it is the latter you should be looking out for. Trying to “train through the pain” in the latter case is a surefire way of ending up with an injury.

On top of that, overtraining and injuries tend to come hand in hand, meaning that if you’re feeling symptoms of injury, it’s pretty likely that your training intensity is a little too much as well.

When you have entered a state of overtraining, the rate at which your organs and muscles recover can no longer keep up with the damage done by your training. While the symptoms may be mild at first, they could ramp up in intensity quite quickly - or evenevolve into conditions like tendonitis or muscular tears.

Signs of overtraining can be easy to miss, like poor sleeping or a slightly higher body temperature - or directly affect your quality of life, like intense pain and fatigue both inside and outside of the gym.

• Pull Back the Intensity

If you think you’re overtraining or getting pretty close to it, it might be time to drop the intensity of your workouts. Whether it be the amount of weight being lifted, the volume of repetitions or how fast you’re running - try dialing it back a bit and see if your symptoms also dial back.

• Think About What Muscles are Being Worked

Overtraining isn’t always a systemic phenomenon - sometimes it can be localized to just a single muscle group, usually presenting as pain and swelling of whatever muscle is being affected.

Chances are, if your workouts involve training this muscle too often (be it by intentional exercise selection or as an accessory contraction), then said muscle hasn’t had time to fully recover.

• Take a Break

The most sure-fire way of ensuring that your overtraining doesn’t continue is to simply take a break. Whether this means staying off the treadmill for a few days or avoiding any kind of strenuous activity whatsoever will depend on the intensity of the symptoms.

• Get Better at Recovering

If taking a break is not an option for you, chances are you’re just gonna have to get better at recovering from your workouts.

This means perfecting your diet so as to provide your body with enough materials, ensuring that you sleep long enough and performing all the too-often-forgotten methods of boosting recovery, such as mobility work and warm-ups.

Remember that fitness is a marathon, not a race (sometimes literally)!

The intensity of someone else’s workout shouldn’t necessarily mean that you need to work at that pace. Factors like lifestyle, training adherence and age will all affect how much your body can take, and going over that limit can set your progress further back than training at a lesser intensity.

Ensure that your workout plans always have a few days off to recover, and that you aren't training at an extremely high intensity every single session.

I am a freelance writer based in the Philippines, with a love for all things weightlifting and fitness.