Overtraining occurs when training stress exceeds the body’s ability to recover, leading to persistent fatigue, performance decline, and elevated injury or illness risk.
Symptoms are persistent fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, and failure to improve in fitness. In endurance athletes, overtraining may result from excessive exercise, sustained high intensity, life stress, or inadequate nutrition. Early detection of the problem by monitoring resting heart rate, mood, and exercise performance enables correction by decreasing exercise, active break, or rest. If not corrected, overtraining leads to overtraining syndrome, which takes a prolonged period of rest and medical attention.
