How To Avoid Overtraining

When it comes to fitness, there’s a fine line between working hard and working too hard. Many motivated people fall into the trap of thinking “more is better,” pushing themselves through every session without adequate recovery or structure. Over time, this can lead to overtraining.

If you’re feeling constantly sore, tired, or stuck in a plateau, your issue might not be effort, it might be how you're managing your training load.

In this article, we’ll cover how to avoid overtraining by having a structured programme and learning to train at the right intensity making hard days hard and easy days easy.

What Is Overtraining?

Overtraining occurs when the stress from training exceeds your ability to recover. Your body cannot tell the difference between good stress and bad stress. Essentially and simply, when you conduct physical activity you stress your system and your system responds to this stress by adapting to better deal with the stress in the future. For example, muscle growth after hypertrophy training. However, if this stress is too much you can go too deep into the hole and your system is unable to adapt effectively and that stress creates negative adaptation for example burn out or injury.

This doesn’t happen from one intense workout it builds up over time, especially when training is frequent, intense, and poorly managed.

Common signs of overtraining include:

• Persistent fatigue and low energy

• Decreased performance

• Trouble sleeping or disrupted mood

• Elevated resting heart rate

• Chronic soreness or injuries

• Loss of motivation

This is your body’s way of telling you it needs a break but many people don’t listen until it’s too late.

The Importance of a Structured Training Programme

One of the best ways to prevent overtraining is to follow a well-designed programme rather than training randomly each day.

A good programme will:

• Balance training intensity and volume

• Include planned rest and recovery

• Progress gradually over time (progressive overload)

• Align with your personal goals and fitness level
  

Without structure, it’s easy to train too hard and too often.

Train at the Right Intensity: Hard Days Hard, Easy Days Easy

Many people fall into the trap of training in the “grey zone” where every session feels tough, but none are truly intense or truly restorative. Over time, this middle ground approach leads to burnout, injuries and a lack of progress

Here’s the key:

Hard days should be hard. Easy days should be easy.

This principle helps your body adapt and recover efficiently. By clearly separating your high-intensity efforts from your low-intensity sessions, you create the right stimulus that your body needs to grow stronger without accumulating excessive fatigue.

What this looks like in practice:

• Hard days: Strength training, sprints, intervals and threshold work. Focused, demanding, and limited to 2–3 times per week.

• Easy days: Light cardio, mobility work, stretching, walking, or complete rest. These promote recovery and help you stay active without adding stress.
  

It’s not about going “easy” all the time, it's about training smart, so you’re able to perform at your best when it matters most.

Don’t Skip Recovery

Recovery isn’t optional, it’s where progress actually happens. Without it, your body has no chance to repair muscle tissue, restore energy systems, or adapt to the demands you’ve placed on it.

Build recovery into your week with the following:

• At least 1–2 rest days per week (active or complete rest)

• Adequate sleep — 7–9 hours per night is non-negotiable

• Proper nutrition — fuel your body with enough calories, protein, and hydration

• Deload weeks every 4–6 weeks if training intensely
  
  

Rest isn't a weakness, which can be a hard mindset to break out of for soldiers but recovery  is part of the process. Think of it as recharging the battery so you can train harder next time.

Monitor Your Progress and Adjust

Even with a great programme, your body’s needs can change over time for a variety of different reasons.

Here are a few practical ways to monitor your training load:

• Track performance: This way you actually know if your training is working. If you don’t track your performance you have no understanding of how to change it up. Again, it becomes random.

• Check resting heart rate - can be a great indicator of chronic fatigue if your resting heart rate is increasing.

• Listen to your body: Persistent soreness, irritability, or lack of motivation are warning signs
  
  If you’re constantly feeling worn down, it might be time to adjust. That could mean reducing volume, spacing out hard sessions, or even taking a few days off.

Final Thoughts

Overtraining doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of poor planning, poor recovery, lack of education and not listening to your body over a period of time. But with a structured approach and a clear understanding of training intensity, you can avoid it entirely.

Remember:

• Have a structured programme that matches your goals

• Train with purpose, not just intensity

• Let your hard days be hard, and your easy days be easy

• Prioritise recovery as much as the workouts themselves
  

Training is a marathon, not a sprint. With the right balance, you’ll not only perform better, you’ll stay healthy, consistent, and see more results.